THE BLESSINGS OF THE NEW COVENANT,
The understanding of COVENANT was very clear to the Old Testament Jewish people not only the truth of Covenant between God and man, but also between man and man.
In the Old Testament we see God making:
The Edenic Covenant Gen. 1:1, 2:25
The Adamic Covenant Gen. 3
The Noahic Covenant Gen. 8:
The Abrahamic Covenant Gen. 12
The Palestinian Covenant Deut. 28
The David Covenant 2 Sam. 7
The New Covenant Jer. 31:31
We know the New Covenant was fulfilled in the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Hebrew word for Covenant is used about a hundred times in the Old Testament, and is often translated as CUTTING.
Covenants made between man were also common, the one I want to highlight this morning is between David & Jonathan, we read in 1 Sam. 18: 3-4 NKJV Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul. And Jonathan took off the robe that was on him and gave it to David, with his armor, even to his sword and his bow and his belt.
Please note the exchange of robes and swords, Jonathan confirmed his love to David by saying all that I am (a royal prince) and all my strength (as expressed in the sword I willingly exchange with you.
The common practice in that day was for both parties to then take a knife and cut the hand or wrist (for example), deep enough (that it would leave a scar when it was healed) and then each press their hand or wrist together and let their blood mingle together.
One exciting outworking of this covenant was when David “Is there anyone of the house of Jonathan that I may show kindness too” 2 Sam. 9:1-11 NKJV
Now David said, “Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”
And there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba. So when they had called him to David, the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?”
He said, “At your service!”
Then the king said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, to whom I may show the kindness of God?”
And Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan who is lame in his feet.”
So the king said to him, “Where is he?”
And Ziba said to the king, “Indeed he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, in Lo Debar.”
Then King David sent and brought him out of the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo Debar.
Now when Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, had come to David, he fell on his face and prostrated himself. Then David said, “Mephibosheth?”
And he answered, “Here is your servant!”
So David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather; and you shall eat bread at my table continually.”
Then he bowed himself, and said, “What is your servant, that you should look upon such a dead dog as I?”
And the king called to Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, “I have given to your master’s son all that belonged to Saul and to all his house. You therefore, and your sons and your servants, shall work the land for him, and you shall bring in the harvest, that your master’s son may have food to eat. But Mephibosheth your master’s son shall eat bread at my table always.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.
Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king has commanded his servant, so will your servant do.”
“As for Mephibosheth,” said the king, “he shall eat at my table like one of the king’s sons.”
I think David may have said to Mephibosheth “Do you see these scars? I entered into Covenant with your father, and I will meet YOUR EVERY NEED”.
We have just celebrated this past weekend the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ when He ushered in the NEW COVENANT, can you hear the Lord saying to you today LOOK AT MY SCARS, these are the scars of the New Covenant I WANT TO MEET YOUR EVERY NEED.
My readers will know my ever increasing understanding of all that the New Covenant has to offer, let us enjoy and appropriate more and more personally the truths and blessing of the New Covenant amen.
