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There are outlines, notes pages, and pens in the back if you would like to grab them before we get started.
Introduction:
Last week we began digging into the Mosaic Covenant that God is establishing with Israel.
I explained that with these chapters we are going to be taking some broad strokes to look at the intent of what God was doing overall through this process rather than breaking it down verse by verse.
we are going to continue that today by moving from where we left off last week in chapter 21:12 and finishing through chapter 23 today.
Last week we covered two sections.
The laws about alters.
God is defining for Israel the way in which their relationship is going to work.
His desire is to reveal Himself to them.
He freed them from Egypt for that purpose and to fulfill the covenant that He made with Abraham.
We also covered the laws about slaves.
I’m going to break down the purpose in these chapters in a minute, but I felt the need to really dig into this particular section because of the history of our country and the ongoing division that it still causes.
What we learned about this passage is that God’s desire was to free Israel from slavery, but after they were freed from Egypt, Israel chose to continue to enslave their own people.
God didn’t like it, but they refused to give it up.
So God, through the law, made a way out for those still in slavery.
I used the example of when Israel asked God for a king to illustrate what it looks like when we ask God for something that isn’t in our best interest.
God warns us of the ramifications, but does not force Himself upon us.
We must then live in the consequences of our sin.
If you weren’t here last week, I would ask that you please listen to the podcast to get caught up.
There is a difference between a contract and a covenant.
In these passages, God is establishing a new covenant with Israel.
I want us to take a moment today to make sure we understand the difference between a covenant and a contract.
Covenants are not a common part of our language or our practice.
We have a few instances that we live in covenant, but I think most people are unaware of them.
Most fully understand what a contract is because so many areas of our lives are defined and controlled by contracts.
Want a new cell phone... contract.
House?
contract
car? contract
take a flight?
contract
get a software update?
contract
browse the internet?
contract
ect.
Contracts are so common that we often don't give them much consideration or even notice that they are a part of the process.
How many times have you clicked that little box saying you agree to something so you can move through the steps?
How many times have you taken the time to read all that fine print?
Another example is marriage.
Most marriages are contractual both legally and in practice.
You may think I'm off my rocker here but think about the people that you know that are divorced and the reasons behind the divorce.
In most cases, one or both people are not satisfied with the fulfillment of the terms in the commitment they entered.
We call those terms the vows.
They vow to uphold certain things, and when one or both don't fulfill those vows, it is considered as grounds for termination of the agreement.
By contrast,
A covenant is a pledge between two parties that they will uphold their commitment regardless of the actions of the other party.
It is vital that we understand the difference between these two because...
As believers, we are bound, by our acceptance of salvation, into a covenant with God.
Both covenant and contract have obligations, but with this difference.
The conditions set out in a contract require fulfillment of terms; the obligation of a covenant is one of loyalty.
A covenant, commonly, is forever; a contract for a specified period.
A ticking off of terms in check-list fashion can reveal a broken contract, and the point of brokenness can be clearly identified.
A covenant, too, can be broken, but the point at which this transpires is less clear, because here the focus is not on stipulations, one, two, three, but on a quality of intimacy.
Of all the differences between covenant and contract, the place in covenant of personal loyalty is the most striking.
Gentry, P. J., & Wellum, S. J. (2015).
God’s Kingdom through God’s Covenants: A Concise Biblical Theology (p.
53).
Wheaton, IL: Crossway.
The most striking aspect of the covenant that God has made with His people is personal loyalty.
God is creating these covenants to repair the relationship that we lost with Him.
We should not be surprised that He uses a personal approach to that repair.
We have talked many times now that the commandments God gave are how we relate to Him and one another.
The purpose is that we would not only live under a covenant but that we would be an active participant in that covenant, both with God and, just as importantly, with one another.
Have you ever thought about the New Covenant in this way, that we are bound to one another as well as Christ?
God has called us to live in covenant relationships with one another.
Some of our relationships we see that way — best friends, family, etc.
What if we treated all of our relationships as covenants and not contracts?
How would that change the way we manage those relationships?
God is showing Israel the level of love that He has for them by fulfilling the covenant that He had with Abraham and creating a new covenant with them here.
He is living out for us what a covenant is all about.
There was much sin in the life of Abraham’s family after God made the covenant with Abraham, but that didn’t keep God from living up to His word.
God is showing that He is faithful to fulfill His portion of the covenant even if we don't.
God is setting Israel apart.
He is teaching them and showing them by example, what it means to live in covenant.
God wants to set us apart.
He wants us to see that we are living in covenant with Him and each other.
One of the ways we join God is by living in covenant with those people that He has called us too.
I’m not talking about living in covenant with every person you meet.
Or sitting down with every person you know and explaining the differences and commiting to them… yada yada yada
That’s weird.
But, I am saying that those that God has called us to BLESS, we need to be treating that relationship as a covenant, not a contract.
I had a friend that was a year older than me when I was in youth group.
We often did things that we shouldn’t have.
I tell people all the time that we were the kind of kids that YP’s fear.
We were constantly into things, pranking people, disappearing, etc.
After he graduated we didn’t see each other for many years.
One day we ran into each other and swapped numbers so we could catch up.
After a few conversations with him it was obvious that he hadn’t grown up much, if at all, since we were in high-school.
However, we bumped into each other several more times and he would try to schedule times to hang out.
Looking back now, it is pretty obvious that God was doing that on purpose, but I didn’t realize it.
He kept calling and I started dodging his calls and text, but one day I answered on accident and he lit into me.
I quickly shut him down and informed him that I did not allow anyone to talk to me that way and I didn’t want people like that in my life.
Needless to say, we haven’t spoken since.
I allowed my desires, preferences, and attitude to dictate my response to him.
When he crossed the lines of what I deemed acceptable I dropped him like a bag of hammers.
I was wrong.
I was wrong in both dodging him and him telling me I was wrong for it.
I made the terms of that relationship contractual and he wasn’t checking all the boxes so I cut him loose.
God places people in our lives that need someone to love them no matter what.
They may not know God or understand what a covenant is, but our relationship with them gives them a taste for what God is offering.
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