This week’s blog starts with the last covenant God made in the Old Testament – the covenant He made with David.
David, from the tribe of Judah, was crowned king of Israel in 885 BC. The Lord of hosts spoke through the prophet Nathan promising David that He would make David’s name great, and that He would establish David and his descendants as a kingly dynasty of Israel forever. God then made a covenant with Israel to appoint a secure dwelling place in their own land. The sign: the Ark of the Covenant became the symbol of God’s presence.
Even though man would not, nor could not, be faithful to God and the convenants He established, the covenants accomplished God’s purpose – to set the stage to usher in God’s final covenant – the New and Everlasting Covenant. God had spoken these words through the prophet Jeremiah foretelling of this new covenant, “Behold, the days are coming when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. I will put My law in their minds, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God and they shall be My people.”
Boundaries, Covenants, and God – Part II
Jesus Christ is the New Covenant in person!
Jesus’ birth was announced by angels. “Then the angel said to the shepherds, ‘Do not be afraid for I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.'”
Jesus’ three-year ministry on earth culminated in His death on a cross. He took the fall for all mankind and suffered the wrath of God against sin. He took all the sins of the world upon Himself when He shed His blood to pay the penalty for the sins of mankind, and eternal life is given as a gift to all who believe in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
At the last supper He shared with His disciples the night before He was crucified, He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” And because Christ was the perfect sacrifice, He is the Mediator of the New Covenant, by means of His death, for the redemption from sins committed under the law.
In this new covenant, God promises forgiveness of sins, the indwelling Holy Spirit, and eternal life to anyone and everyone who believes in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
Jesus Christ, of the tribe of Judah, will reign on the throne of David as King of kings forever.
Conclusion: Covenants are one of the most important themes in the Bible and are key to understanding God’s redemptive plan to restore humanity to its divine calling.
And that is how boundaries and covenants benefit humanity!
Scriptures used: Covenants: David – 2 Samuel 6, 7:8-29. New Covenant: Luke 2:12, 22:20; Matthew 26:27-28; Romans 11:27; John 3:16; Hebrews 9:15;