The Amish Voice 3
The point is that once a covenant has been made and executed, it
stands: it cannot be annulled or added to. By law, the promises of
the covenant are sealed; both parties are bound to keep their word,
their promise.
ILLUSTRATION:
We live in a society where promises are expected to be
broken. Are you a man or woman of your word? Or are
your commitments made or broken as a matter of
“
convenience”?
Years ago a department manager, Harry, in a retail
store seemed to be bound for a steady rise up the corporate
ladder in the company. As he worked faithfully and kept his
witness for Christ before all of the employees, he was of-
fered a position as a youth leader in a local church. With
great excitement, he accepted the offer and turned in his
notice to his manager. After he turned in his resignation,
he asked for permission to select and train his replace-
ment.
Tim was a non-Christian friend who had been an end-
of-Christmas-layoff casualty. Harry had befriended Tim
and had shared Christ with him. Sensing an opportunity to
reach out in a practical way, Harry chose Tim to be his
replacement. Harry had it all figured out: Train Tim for a
month and then start at the church the next day.
Along the way, something went wrong. Either Harry
was a good trainer or Tim was a fast learner, but Tim
learned the job in two weeks and not four. Observing this,
the store manager called Harry in his office and said,
“
Harry, I can’t afford to pay two men to do the same job.
Are you sure this church job is a guaranteed position? If
not, I’ll keep you and release Tim.”
There was no struggle for an answer in Harry’s heart.
He had given both his job and his word to Tim. He quickly
remembered the words of King David,
“
He swears to his
own hurt, and does not change.” (Ps.15:4b, NASB)
It
turned out that the church position fell through. But did
God honor Harry’s integrity? Of course, God always takes
care of those who are promise keepers. Did it make a dif-
ference in Tim? You bet! Years later, he became one of the
key employees in his company. And to this day, he still
remembers what Harry did for him.
2.
GOD MADE HIS COVENANT WITH ABRAHAM AND
HIS SEED. (v.16)
How do we know that a person is justified by faith alone? Be-
cause God made His covenant with Abraham and
his seed
.
Note
that the promise was not given to Abraham alone, but it was also
given to the
seed,
the descendants and offspring of Abraham. The
promise or covenant with Abraham is covered in the Book of Gene-
sis:
“
And I will establish my covenant between me and
thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an
everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy
seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed
after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the
land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will
be their God.” (Ge. 17:7-8)
The important question is: Who is meant by the seed of Abra-
ham? Scripture declares that it is Jesus Christ. The word “seed” is
singular, not plural. Therefore, God’s promise points to one single
person, and that person is Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is...
the
seed
promised to Abraham.
the
seed
who is to receive the promises made to
Abraham. This is a phenomenal truth, and it means
three significant things.
1.
It means that the promises made to Abraham have passed
down to Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the descendent who is to inher-
it the
promised land,
the land of Canaan for an
everlasting posses-
sion.
Canaan, of course, is a type of heaven and of the new heavens
and earth which God has promised to recreate. The point is that
Jesus Christ is to inherit the world and be exalted as the Sovereign
Majesty of the universe, ruling and reigning forever and ever.
2.
It means that believers, too, shall inherit the world and reign
with Christ through all eternity. Abraham was promised that he
would be the father of many nations or of many children, and be-
lievers are those children.
“
Blessed are the meek [the humble, trusting, believ-
ing]: for they shall inherit the earth” (Mt.5:5)
3.
It means that faith is the way men become justified and ac-
ceptable to God.
“
For the promise, that he should be the heir of the
world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the
law, but through the righteousness of faith.” (Ro.4:13)
In summary Abraham believed God, and because he believed,
God kept His covenant and promise.
Abraham has been given a seed, a descendent who
has blessed the whole world, that is, Jesus Christ.
Abraham has also been given nations of people who
QUESTIONS:
1.
Are you in the habit of keeping promises that you
make to others? What are the hardest promises for
you to keep? Why?
2.
For you, what is a stronger commitment: your word
or your name written on a contract?
3.
Do you think that God would ever break His cove-
nant with you? What factors brought you to your
conclusion?
