Good Morning.
“And behold, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die. But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark—you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you.” (Genesis 6:17-18)
In these verses, on one hand, God is promising to destroy all life upon the earth, man and beast. On the other hand, He also promises to deliver Noah and his family and to make a establish a covenant with him. In fact, this is the first mention of the word of “covenant,” which is loosely translated as an “agreement” or a “pledge.”
In Hebrew the word is ברית brit and is connected to the idea of cutting something. That is most likely why biblical covenants were most often initiated and sealed with the shedding of blood — i.e. an animal sacrifice. Considering that the life of all flesh is in the blood, we could conclude that a biblical covenant is much more than an agreement between two parties; it is something sacred. For example, marriage between a man and a woman is one such sacred covenant. The one mentioned here is no less sacred.
Perhaps the most important thing to mention about a covenant when it has been established by the Creator is that He never goes back on His promise. Man may break covenants (and always have) but the Almighty is faithful to His word. Moses wrote:
Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments.” (Deuteronomy 7:9)
It is encouraging to know that, despite what goes on in the world, we serve a God who is constant, eternal and faithful to do what He has promised. We can have confidence in the fact that, through the Messiah, we have entered into a sacred covenant with the Most High God who will, indeed, show mercy to those who love and obey Him. Be encouraged.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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