He remembers His covenant forever, the word which He commanded, for a thousand generations, the covenant which He made with Abraham. (Psalm 105:8-9)

In the previous devotion, we spoke of the importance of covenant and how it is associated with blood thus underscoring the sanctity of a covenantal relationship. As it is written, “the life of the flesh is in the blood” (Leviticus 17:11) which means that blood is given solely for sacred purposes. Therefore, it is not to be consumed, it is not to be desecrated and is not to be spilled without legitimate reason lest those who would do so be cut off from God’s people. So, if blood is to ratify a covenant, that covenant is to be considered as costly and invaluable to those who enter into it. Consequently, it is to be regarded as holy — to be set apart from other relationships and associations.

The Bible also teaches us that blood has a voice — it speaks to the Creator. When God confronted Cain as to his brother’s whereabouts, Cain feigned ignorance. However, the Lord said to him, “The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground” (Genesis 4:10). Seeing that life is in the blood, it makes sense that life would call to the Giver of Life. Furthermore, if blood is the vehicle through which covenants are established, should we not conclude that, in some way, covenants have a life of their own as well? And if that be so, do covenantal relationships — especially those acknowledged by the Creator — call to Him when we are in need?

The psalmist says that, “He remembers His covenant forever.” The Hebrew term זכר zachar,  translated as “remember,” means much more than just calling to mind. The raw meaning of the word is “to engage in action.” In other words, the reason one calls something to mind is in order to act on someone’s behalf. For instance, the Bible says that “God remembered Noah” when he and his family were still in the ark (Genesis 8:1). The next thing we are told is that He “made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided.” Don’t miss the point: as soon as God remembered Noah, He began to act on His behalf. This means that when God remembers His covenant with His people, He begins to act on their behalf. He does so because He acknowledges the sanctity of covenant.

I would argue that we should do the same — i.e. we should remember the covenant and what it entails in terms of benefit and responsibility. While we are always ready to receive the blessings, we should be just as quick to act on behalf of the covenant — to act on His behalf. How do we do this? We function in our purpose; we bear witness to the one, true God and His Son, the resurrected Messiah. We take the Gospel of the Kingdom into the world and shine forth as the light He has called us to be. Let us be forever thankful that He has invited us into covenant with Him, and may we always demonstrate that thankfulness by willingly serving His purpose all our days.

Blessings and Shalom,  

Bill