2 Chronicles 34:32
“And he caused all who were present in Jerusalem and Benjamin to stand in confirmation of it. And the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers.”
INSIGHT
-Confirmation in Hebrew is written as konfer-ma’-shun which means affirmation, reinforcement, support & faith.
-King Josiah was the youngest king in Jerusalem for he became king at the age of eight years; succeeding his father Amon who did evil in the sight of the Lord. During his infancy in kingship, Josiah was instrumental in restoring worship in Israel for he destroyed all the high places of Baal, brought together all the elders of Judah & Jerusalem, united all priests & Levites & the entire nation of Israel. He then read the book of law & ensured all those who were present confirmed/swore by covenant to keep it. Like King Josiah, David in psalm 119:106 tells us that he took an oath to follow Gods’ righteous laws. We also reminded to take heed & walk in the light of God by doing according to His divine will; for the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
PRAYER
We give You thanks & praise Jesus for Your everlasting love upon our lives, families, leaders & nation, great is thy faithfulness. You have always shown us great mercy, pardon our sins Jesus for great is thy faithfulness. Your promises never fail Lord & Your covenants never cease, great is thy faithfulness. Teach us Your ways Jehovah & strengthen us to walk in Your wisdom for great is thy faithfulness. Your compassion is everlasting Father & Your mercies are new each morning, great is thy faithfulness. Amen
Ezekiel 13:6
“They have seen falsehood and lying divination, saying, The Lord says; but the Lord has not sent them. Yet they have hoped and made men to hope for the confirmation of their word.”
INSIGHT
-The false prophets in Israel spoke deceptively through lying divinations causing confusion & anxiety among the people. Prophet Ezekiel; one of the true prophets advised the people to hear Gods’ word which would act as a confirmation of Gods’ plan for their lives. It is necessary to seek a confirmation where there is no clarity in a particular matter or message, & God is faithful to direct us. God confirms His divine purpose for our lives through His word, dreams, visions, signs etc, like He did with Abraham, Moses, Gideon, Daniel, king Hezekiah, Mary & many others. As our good Shepherd; Jesus calls us to hear His voice & follow Him so that we may rest secure in Him Who gives us life everlasting & assures us that no one has the ability to snatch us from His hands (Jn 10:27-30).
PRAYER
We thank You Abba Father for You are good & Your mercies endures forever. We are grateful for this far You have brought us & the journey You are yet to take us, all glory & honor belongs to You Lord. We call on You merciful Father to protect us from all false prophecies & any form of deception that may become a snare in our lives & families. Your word is a lamp to our feet & a light to our paths, help us Father to only hear Your voice & follow You. Have mercy on all the candidates Lord; who are undertaking their final exams, that You may make them victorious in all papers. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ & the love of God & the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us now & forever more. Amen
Ruth 4:7
“Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging, to confirm anything: one man took off his sandal and gave it to the other, and this was a confirmation in Israel.”
INSIGHT
-It was custom for Israelites to sell land when they became poor & their close relatives were required to redeem it according to their capacity; especially during the year of Jubilee (Lev 25:25). Ruth a Moabite; required redemption for Ammonites & Moabites were hindered from entering into the congregation of the Lord to the tenth generation & their descendants forever (Deu 23:3). Boaz redeemed Ruth who was desolate, a widow & very determined to receive Gods’ blessings by following Naomi, saying “where you go I will go, where you stay I will stay, your people will be my people & your God my God (Ruth 1:16). Redemption was affirmed by a confirmation through a gesture or sign legalizing the transaction through exchange of sandals in the presence of elders. In the same way, Christ our Redeemer died on the cross for the whole human race as a sign of our salvation; so that we may believe in Him & be saved. Through Ruth’s determination, she was incorporated into the lineage of Christ which reminds us that we are His children & need to follow Him Who is our Savior & Redeemer.
PRAYER
Through Your redemptive power on the cross Jesus; we have been cleansed from our sins & received Your eternal grace, we believe in You. We call on You Father with humility in our hearts to take charge of our lives & deliver us from all the challenges that we face in our lives, families, societies & nation. We seek Your divine mercy & grace at every moment of our lives Jesus, have mercy on all the widows, unmarried, divorced, separated, rejected, poor, sick, suffering & all of us who needs Your strength. Save us Oh Christ our Redeemer for we need You now & forevermore. Amen
Hebrews 6:13-16
“For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, “Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.” And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. For men indeed swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is for them an end of all dispute.”
INSIGHT
-The Abrahamic covenant stipulated God’s plan for Abraham & His descendants; to make Abraham the father of many nations & of many descendants, & for them to inherit the promised land. Circumcision became the permanent sign of this eternal covenant which apostle Paul elaborated to be focused on the purity of heart in the Holy Spirit (Rom 2:29). God swore by Himself having an oath annexed to His tripartite nature so that we may believe in Him & inherit the promise. In oath; men agree by the Greater & not by themselves for there is One greater; not by any of the creatures on earth, nor by the angels in heaven, but by God only Who is the King of peace & Sovereign over all. Through the blessings of Abraham we are also blessed awaiting with hope to see the day of Christ & to inherit the heavenly glory which was chiefly designed for all who walk in faith.
PRAYER
You are the King of glory we worship You our God & Father. You are worthy to receive all glory, honor, power & praise for You created all things & by Your will they exist & were created. We are sorry for the many times we have murmured, complained & gone against Your holy will, forgive us Jesus & purify our hearts. We thank You Holy Spirit for the covenants that You made & continue to make with us, help us to experience them in our daily lives. We cast all our cares & burdens unto You Jesus so that we may find peace & rest secure in You. We love You Lord for You loved us first with an everlasting love. Amen
Philippians 1:6-7
“being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace.”
INSIGHT
-As Christians; we have confidence that the Holy Spirit is doing good works in us, transforming us from grace to grace until we come to the day of Jesus Christ. We are called as disciples of Christ to witness the gospel in chains; as slaves of Christ & not slaves to sin by upholding good virtues from our hearts according to His will (Eph 6:6).
SUMMARY
In Hebrew confirmation is written as konfer-ma’-shun whose root word means oath; which has resonated around this theme the entire week. Oaths can be sighted all through the Bible & it’s application is evident today through the blessings of God, correction, during dispute resolution, His grace etc. Most of these covenants were sealed & during the Abrahamic oath; God swore by Himself for there was & still there is none other greater than Him. Confirmations are also geared towards revealing Gods’ purpose in our lives; fashioning the way for us & instilling wisdom in our hearts through His word, dreams, visions, signs etc, especially when confusion or false prophecy stems up. In His loving nature; Jesus became sin & died on the cross for the benefit of the whole world & confirmed this as a sign of His redemptive plan for us; that we may believe in Him & receive salvation in our present lives & forevermore. Amen