Our Covenant-Keeping God
Monday Reflection – 2017
He is mindful of his covenant forever, of the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations. Psalm 105:8
O God our help in ages past
Our hopes for years to come
Our shelter from the stormy blast
And our eternal home.
I believe this hymn captures the essence of Psalm 105 i.e. the Covenant-keeping God. David begins by inviting us to give thanks to God; sing praise to him; declare his wonderful acts; rejoice before the Lord; seek him; and remember the great things that he has done.
David then declares that God is ever mindful of his covenant throughout all generations. He spends the remaining 37 verses (9-45) recounting God’s journey with his people and highlighting the faithfulness of God to his covenant and people. He rightly begins with Abraham then to Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, and the people of Israel.
The text offers us some truths about this Covenant-keeping God:
- God established the Covenant– The covenant is always initiated by God. God invites us into agreement with him. This covenant is more about a relationship with God than about the mandates to serve God. God says, “I will be your God and you shall be my people.” Only when we are in intimate relationship with God can we keep the covenant.
- The Covenant is binding and eternal for God – God’s covenant with us is not flippant nor frail, but serious and binding. God treats with his covenant with the utmost importance and care because his integrity and character is on the line. He cannot and will not fail, but remains eternally faithful.
- God is on the journey with us in fulfillment of the covenant– The great thing about God’s covenant with us is that we are not left on our own to be faithful. God is with us on the journey guiding and empowering us, through his grace, to fulfill our end of the covenant. Even more encouraging is the presence of the Holy Spirit that indwells us enabling us to do God’s will.
- There are great benefits of faithfulness to the covenant– Those who are faithful to the covenant will be brought out with rejoicing and shouts of joy. They will inherit the great promise of a new land.
God’s gift of his Son, Jesus Christ is the seal of the covenant relationship. In Christ, we experience the fullness of God’s covenant and his ultimate plan – that we experience eternal life.
May this Advent Season cause us to reflect on our Covenant-keeping God and that revelation of this covenant through Jesus the Christ.
Till next week, let’s embrace the God of the covenant and strive to be faithful to him.
Jermaine Gibson