COVENANT

PART 1

Genesis 9:13-15

I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud; and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.

INSIGHT
-Covenant in Hebrew is written as berith & it means alliance, pact, treaty, confederate, convention & treaty. A covenant presupposes two or more parties who come together to make a contract, agreeing on promises, conditions, stipulations, privileges & responsibilities.
There are different types of covenants, that is;
1. Biblical covenants between God & man e.g. Adamic (Gen 2:16-17), Noahic (Gen 9:3-15), Abrahamic (Gen 17:1-27), Mosaic (Exo 20:1-24, 24:3-8), Davidic (1 Sam 7:12-29), New covenant (Heb 8:7-13) & Eternal covenant (Heb 13:20-21). All these covenants were sealed except the Adamic covenant.
2. Biblical covenant between two or more men e.g. covenant between Abimelech & Abraham (Gen 21:22-33), Abimelech & Isaac (Gen 26:26-33), Jacob & Laban (Gen 31:44-49) etc.
3. Covenant between God & man – Stewardship (1 Cor 4:1-2), Serving God (Psa 2:11), Walking in holiness (1 Pet 1:15-16), Humility (Eph 4:10), Making peace (Heb 12:14), Love (Mark 12:30-31) etc.
-The Noahic covenant was a pact between God & Noah with a promise that God will never destroy all mankind & living creatures by way of floods again. It was sealed by the rainbow which was witnessed by Noah’s family to replace fear with faith.

PRAYER
We give You thanks Father for Your goodness & mercy upon us. You have always protected us from harm; we bless Your name. We humbly ask You to cover us, our families, neighbors & nation with Your blood from any harm. Protect & direct all our young ones who have opened school in their studies. Protect our nation also from blood thirst men, corrupt leaders & external threats. We thank You Father, for the promises that You have instituted with us either personally or through Biblical truths. We believe that at the appointed time we will have that which we ask from You. All glory & honor belong to You now & forever. Amen

Genesis 17:6-8

I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”

INSIGHT
-The Abrahamic covenant was an agreement between God & Abraham, to multiple him & his descendants & make him the father of many nations. It was also a promise to give him & his descendants the land of Canaan as an everlasting inheritance as part of the privileges. This was an eternal covenant to Abraham & his descendants; not to be altered or revoked, which comprised of kings like David & Jesus our King of kings in his lineage. Abram & Sarai’s identities/ names had to be changes as part of the conditions to the covenant. It was then sealed by circumcision where every male eight years of age had to be circumcised. By virtue of this being an everlasting covenant, it is a call of faith in God just as Abraham believed God, & it was accounted to him for righteousness, so that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham (Gal 3:6-7). For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor un-circumcision avails anything, but faith working through love (Gal 5:6). This unveils two important covenants we have to keep with God, one of faith & love which is circumcision of the heart.

PRAYER
Lord our King of kings full of mercy & compulsion, look with pity upon us & cleanse us & our blood lines by Your precious blood from all evil. Impart in us pure faith to believe in You Father & Your blessings through Abraham yielding perfect love through Your Son Jesus Christ. We implore You Father to lead us in Your will that we may always have direction of purpose. You are worthy to receive all glory, honor & praise now & forever. Amen

2 Samuel 7:12-13

“When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

INSIGHT
-In the Davidic covenant, God assured David peace in his kingdom which would transition to his sons reign & cemented by the Prince of peace. David’s son Solomon was foretold in the covenant & was tasked to build Gods’ temple. Part of the privilege was that God would establish an everlasting kingdom which would not be taken away from him even in times when his sin would justify chastisement. David’s throne & kingdom would also be established forever stemming from the Abrahamic covenant & pointing to the Messiah Who was born from his lineage. David was thrilled by the covenant & he sealed it by praising & exulting God.

PRAYER
Lord our Father & Savior, we humbly implore You with thanksgiving in our hearts. There is no other God but You, all glory & praise belong to You. You are the King of kings, Lord of lords, Creator of the world, we adore You. In Your Omnipresent nature; You have established Your temple in our hearts, that we may worship & praise You any time & from anywhere, we magnify Your holy name. Help us to get closer to You; all for Your glory Lord. Amen

Hebrews 8:13

In that He says, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

INSIGHT
-In the new covenant, God has written the Mosaic laws in our hearts & minds for everyone to know Him. Through the coming of His Son Jesus Christ; our sins are forgiven & He remembers them no more. This covenant therefore fulfilled the law through Christ Who did not come to destroy but to fulfil it (Mat 5:17). In essence; the new covenant made the Mosaic covenant practical through the grace of Christ & was sealed by the coming of the Holy Spirit.

PRAYER
Dear Heavenly Father we come before You this day thanking You for the gift of life & for paying the price of our sins on the cross. We humbly ask You to cleanse us from all sins & remember them no more. Pour out Your precious blood into our hearts to permeate through every cell that we may receive total physical, mental, spiritual, psychological & emotional healing. May Your grace abound in us that we may live according to Your will & inherit all good things according to Your promises. We praise You & bless You now & forever. Amen

Hebrews 13:20-21

Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

INSIGHT
-The everlasting covenant is also known as the perpetual or eternal covenant & has been mentioned several times especially in the Old Testament. It was initiated to assure continuity of mankind through eternal life. In the Noahic pact, God promised never again to destroy mankind by floods in that manner. In the Abrahamic treaty God promised Abraham an everlasting possession in the promised land. God also indicated to give His people the good things He had promised them if they obey His word in an eternal covenant (Jer 32:40-42). All these instances point us to works of Christ Who came to redeem us by His blood in the promise of eternal life. On the same wavelength, the everlasting covenant was initiated to seal the Adamic pact which was never sealed. In that treaty; Adam was instructed not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good & evil which would bring about death but he disobeyed (Gen 2:16-17). God therefore removed them from the garden of Eden & placed cherubim to guard the way to the tree of life which was the seal to the covenant. This was basically to prevent Adam & Eve from partaking of the tree of life in the fallen state otherwise all mankind would have eternal condemnation (Gen 3:24). The cherubim were strategically place to protect Gods’ plan of salvation through His son Jesus Christ. The blood of Jesus is the seal to the eternal covenant which makes us whole through His love & grace.

PRAYER
We thank You Jesus for Your everlasting love & mercy upon us that You sacrificed Your life for our salvation. You have promised us everlasting life, all glory, honor, power, wisdom, riches & strength belong to You. Protect us, our families, friends, neighbors, leaders & nation by Your blood that we may excel in all good things. We praise Your name on high now & forever. Amen

PART 2

Genesis 21:27-28

So Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them made a covenant. And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves.

INSIGHT 
-There are different kinds of covenants & we have already looked at Biblical covenants between God & man. We now focus on Biblical covenants between two or more parties which may be categories into unilateral where one party benefits, bilateral where both parties benefit or multilateral pacts which involve more that two parties. Parties may include: – individuals, organization’s, nations etc.
-Abraham swore a unilateral covenant of peace with Abimelech whose servants had seized his well. Abraham gave Abimelech seven ewe lambs as witnesses that he had dug the well. Seven represents completion or sanctity which calls for obligation & Abraham planted a tamarisk tree as a sign of praise to the Everlasting God. He named the place Beersheba because they had made an oath there. His son Isaac also faced challenges with Abimelech & his men. It was only after Isaac located Beersheba which means well of seven; that he was blessed. The Lord appeared to him there & blessed him. Later, Abimelech came to him as a confirmation that he was blessed for he said to him “we have certainly seen that the Lord is with you & have come to make a covenant with you. You are now the blessed of the Lord ”. They then made a covenant of peace with him just like he had done with his father (Gen 26:28-29).

PRAYER
We thank You Father for we have started a new week in good health. You have done marvelous works for us that we cannot tell it all, we praise Your name. Guide us Father to find our Beersheba that we may live in peace & partake of Your ultimate blessings. Guide all students to excel in their studies & their parents to be able to provide for them. Lead all those who are working to excel in all they do. Impart all preachers & priests by Your Holy Spirit to share truth as per Your guidance. Shepherd all leaders to wait for Your instructions in their decisions. Help all those who are suffering to find comfort in You. Bless us all indeed & expand our territories. Cover us by Your blood that no evil may cause us pain. Amen

Genesis 31:44-46

Now therefore, come, let us make a covenant, you and I, and let it be a witness between you and me.” So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar. Then Jacob said to his brethren, “Gather stones.” And they took stones and made a heap, and they ate there on the heap.

INSIGHT 
-Jacob & Laban made a bilateral covenant on the mountains of Gilead. This was a reconciliatory pact since Jacob had fled with his family & possessions without bidding Laban farewell which got him worried &  furious at the same time. Jacob set a pillar & heap of stones which stood as witnesses that no one could cross to each others side to cause harm. These were memorial witnesses as the heap was named & a sacrifice of peace offered there to seal the covenant. Ultimately, Laban recognised God as the witness given that neither of the parties would be fully present at that place to guard the other. In the call to love one another, we should reconcile & forget our differences in the quest for peace & unity.

PRAYER
Lord our Father we humbly beseech You to fill us with Your peace. You have call us to love one another, we ask for Your love & humility. Help us to forgive those who offend us that we may reconcile & make peace with each other. Heal all our wounds, deliver us from our burdens & all forms of heaviness that we harbor in our hearts. Father, we humbly ask You to cover us with Your precious blood that we may be free from everything that hinders us from accessing Your mercy, blessing & grace. We praise You & glorify Your holy name. Amen

1 Kings 5:12

So the Lord gave Solomon wisdom, as He had promised him; and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a treaty together.

INSIGHT 
-King Solomon prayed for wisdom & the Lord granted him more that he had requested for. He entered into a multilateral treaty with king Hiram of Tyre which would benefit both of them & many generations after. This was a covenant of peace, mutual trust & good business relations where king Solomon supplied Tyrians with wheat & oil in exchange for cider & cypress logs that were used to construct the Jerusalem temple. Precious stones & other special materials were aslo used in the construction of the temple in preparation of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in our hearts & anticipation of inheriting the New Jerusalem.

PRAYER
Holy Spirit our Helper we humbly beseech You to grant us wisdom so that we may always do Your will. Help us to discern good & evil that we may maintain a clear conscience in all we say & do. May our dealings & all we seek to achieve be in line with what You desire for us. We pray this believing & trusting in Jesus name. Amen

Matthew 18:19-20

“Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”

INSIGHT
-There is power in agreement & unity in Christ. For in any gathering focused on Christ, there is love, reconciliation, forgiveness & unity which accomplishes answers to prayers when we agree as one. As we gather in love, God abides in us for He is love; linking our faith to the promises of the Father in heaven.

PRAYER
We give thanks to You Lord in all things. Help us to love You Father; with all our hearts, souls & minds, & our neighbors as ourselves. We humbly ask You to guide us as we gather in Your name that we may always agree as one in covenants of peace, love & reconciliation. Be present with us always & guide us in Your wisdom that we may never ask amiss; & receive answers to our prayers. Receive all the glory, honor & praise that we offer to You now & forever. Amen

PART 3

Romans 12:17-18

Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.

INSIGHT
-So far we have looked at Biblical covenants between God & man; & Biblical covenants between two or more parties. We now focus on covenant application as the will of God in our daily lives. First is the covenant of peace which was initially given as a promise to the children of Israel & is documented in Num 25:12, Ezek 34:25 & 37:26 & Isa 54:10. Jesus brought us peace so that we may remain encouraged in Him & follow His divine will when He says “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you” (Jn 14:27). The Holy Spirit is the seal to the covenant of peace for He freely gives us this fruit of peace that we refrain from vengeance, do good to others & willingly make peace with everyone. In recognizing the aspects that always cause conflict, James advices us to be swift to hear, slow to speak & slow to wrath (Jam 1:19). Jesus the Prince of peace therefore calls us to make covenants of peace with everyone through the impartation of the Holy Ghost  that we may always be vessels of peace here on earth.

PRAYER
Lord make me an instrument of Your peace. Where there is hatred; let me sow love, where there is injury; pardon, where there is doubt; faith, where there is despair; hope, where there is darkness; light, where there is sadness; joy. Oh Divine Master; grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, & it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen

Ephesians 6:1-3

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.”

INSIGHT 
-We all know that covenants have conditions, promises & privileges. The law of honoring parents has promised us long life & well-being which could refer to good health, peace, happy family, blessings, prosperity, success etc. We need to make covenants of obedience, respect & love with our parents so that may partake of these benefits. Jesus Himself was obedient to His earthly parents & His Father in heaven even suffering unto death (Heb 5:8). This law of honoring parents also refers to obedience to God the Father as we are His children & joint heirs with Christ (Rom 8:17). To another extent respect for elders & those in authority which is also key. Giving honor requires an attitude of humility & obedience given to us through the grace of God, that we remain sustained in His promises. Obedience also brings about a dimension of discipline & a sense of responsibility that we stay on course for the cause.

PRAYER
Help us Lord we humbly implore You that we may be reunited with our parents always in reconciliation of love, peace & joy. We thank You for loving us with unconditional love. Strengthen our love for You & our parents with bonds that cannot be broken. Give us wisdom that we may always make our parents proud & bring joy in their lives. We call forth Your blessings of wellness of body, spiritual growth, prosperity in work & business, success in marriage, fruitfulness of land, long life & many others blessings that You have purposed for us, loving Father. We give You all the glory, honor & praise now & forever. Amen

1 Thessalonians 5:18

In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

INSIGHT 
-King David sealed the Davidic covenant with praise revealing to us the will of God for us in Christ the King of kings. This covenant is a very practical agreement between the heavens & the earth as revealed in our Lords prayer, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. In Rev 4:8 for instance, the four living creatures (angels) who are in heaven do not rest day & night praising “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is & is to come!”. Giving thanks in all situations is therefore Gods’ will & the ultimate sign of faith showing that we surrender all to Him in knowledge that He is always in control. When we are successful or when things are not going as we have planned, we should give thanks to God for He is always in control. He predestined everything before the foundations of the world & knows how long we will live, what will eat today, where will be tomorrow, what we & our family members are destined to become, the direction of all nations, when Christ will come back etc. God therefore call us to be still & not be anxious about anything but give thanks for without faith we cannot please Him.

PRAYER
Holy holy holy You are Lord God Almighty Who was Who is & Who is to come. You are the Creator of the universe; the most high God, we proclaim Your majesty in all the earth. We ask You Father to remove any forms of fear & anxiety in our hearts that we may have firmer faith in You. We cast all our burdens, cares, doubt & anxiety unto You for You care for us. All the heavens & earth praise You for You created all things & by Your will they exist & were created. We thank You for all things & ask that You direct us & guide us according to Your will. We give You thanks & praise Father; for Your mercies endures forever. Amen

Acts 2:38-39

Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”

INSIGHT 
-Jesus Christ brought us the New covenant by writing the laws in our hearts that everyone would know Him. During His baptism, the Holy Spirit in form of a dove came upon Jesus & God the Father acknowledged Him as His Son (Mat 3:16-17). In the same breadth, Jesus baptises us by the impartation of the Holy Spirit that we may benefit from His gifts & fruit to be witnesses of His good works here on earth. During this time; we are made new creatures by remission of sins & renewal of our minds so that we may turn from evil & view things differently in line with the Word of God. Through the blood of Jesus which was shed on the cross for the remission of our sins, we are validated as sons of God & made worthy of an inheritance. That is; the purchased possession of eternity with our generations for the glory of His name (Eph 1:13-14).

PRAYER
Holy Spirit our Helper, we humbly beseech You to fill us with Your gifts & fruit that we may be witnesses of Christ here on earth. Guide us in Your wisdom that we may also increase in knowledge & understanding of Your word. Forgive us our sins, sins of our families & leaders; & renew our minds that we may always be inclined to You for all things & live according to Your will. We pray this believing & trusting in Jesus name. Amen

Mark 12:30-31

And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

INSIGHT
-The covenant of love requires commitment in loving God & our neighbours as ourselves made possible by His grace. God loved the world & gave His Son for us making an everlasting covenant for our redemption from sins & burdens. God also loves each one of us so much & nothing can separate us from His love.

SUMMARY
-Covenant in Hebrew is written as berith & it means alliance, pact, treaty, confederate, convention & treaty. A covenant presupposes two or more parties who come together to make a contract, agreeing on promises, conditions, privileges & responsibilities.
There are different types of covenants, including: –
1. Biblical covenants between God & man e.g. Adamic (Gen 2:16-17) where Adam was warned against eating from the tree of knowledge of good & evil but disobeyed & the covenant was not sealed for man would never be saved from sin, Noahic (Gen 9:3-15) where God promised never to destroy mankind by floods again & the seal was a rainbow, Abrahamic (Gen 17:1-27) where Abraham was promised an everlasting inheritance & would be made a father of many nations. It was sealed by circumcision, Mosaic (Exo 20:1-24, 24:3-8) which was sealed by the law, Davidic (2 Sam 7:12-29) where David was promised an everlasting kingship & his son would built the temple. The covenant was sealed by praise. New covenant (Heb 8:7-13) where Jesus wrote the laws in our hearts & the coming of the Holy Spirit was the seal. Finally the Eternal covenant (Heb 13:20-21) where Jesus died for our sins on the cross that we may receive eternal life & His blood sealed the pact.
2. Biblical covenant between two or more men e.g. covenant between Abimelech & Abraham (Gen 21:22-33), Abimelech & Isaac (Gen 26:26-33), Jacob & Laban (Gen 31:44-49), king Solomon & king Hiram (1 Kings 5:12) all these were covenants of peace. God also warned the Israelites from making covenants with the inhabitants of Canaan who worshipped idols & would be a snare in their lives (Exodus 34:12-13). These evil covenants are still being practiced or were practiced by our forefathers that may cause certain challenges in our lives or blood lines; but through the blood of Jesus we have been made free.
3. Covenant application as the will of God in our daily lives – Covenant of peace (Rom 12:17-18) where we should always be vessels of peace, Obedience (Eph 6:1-3) where we should obey both our parents & God, Thanksgiving (1 Thes 5:18) where we should give thanks to God always, Stewardship (1 Cor 4:1-2) where we should serve God in our different capacities, Humility (Eph 4:10) where should always be humble & refrain from pride, Love (Mark 12:30-31) that we love God & our neighbours as ourselves, Confession of sins, change of mindless & witnessing Christ in our daily live (Acts 2:38-39, & Eph 1:13-14) etc.
-Our spiritual headlights must therefore remain on for the whole year despite the fog in form of shortcomings that come to blind us. In the realisation that fog is only temporary & disappears as soon as the sun shines, we submit our lives & cares to God. May we also let the light of Christ shine in our lives that we remain rooted in Him as we strive to achieve what we envisage & finally eternal inheritance according to the promise through Gods’ covenants & those we keep in our daily lives.

PRAYER
We thank You Father for Your everlasting love & mercy upon us. We appreciate the fact that nothing can separate us from Your love. By Your precious blood we break every chain that continues to hold us captive in various areas of our lives & blood lines. Draw us closer to You that we may be true witnesses of Your works on earth through the power of the Holy Spirit. May Your peace that surpasses all understanding guard our hearts & minds. We thank You & praise You Jesus in all things. Amen