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THE OATH OF THE COVENANT 

By Mae Shurow

The Lord has always dealt with people in terms of covenant, and seeks to enter into covenant with those who will be His people. Exodus 6: 7 And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God:... He entered into covenant with Noah (Gen. 6:18), with Abraham (Gen.15:18), Isaac (Gen. 17:19), with the Israelites (Exodus 6:4,7), with David (Psalm 89:3), and with Solomon (1 Kings 9:4-7).  Further, God clearly continues to call for people who are willing to enter into covenant with Him through faith in Christ (Heb 8:6-10).  

Covenant (#1285) means “to make a solemn agreement involving reciprocal benefits and responsibilities.  It is a constitution between God and man; a covenant accompanied by signs, sacrifices, and a solemn oath that sealed the relationship with promises of blessing for keeping the covenant and curses for breaking it” (^[1]Harris, 1999, #282a, p.128).  

“Historically, covenant documents abounded.  They usually listed:

     1.  A preamble in which the overlord is identified.

     2.  A prologue describing previous relations between the parties.

     3.  Stipulations and demands of the overlord.

     4.  Swearing of allegiance with curses and blessings, which is Covenant
          Ratification.

     5.  Witnesses and directions for carrying out the treaty” (^[2]Theological
          Dict. NT,1964, Vol 2, p. 118).

The Covenants of the Bible give us a progressively greater understanding of the allegiance and obedience God requires from those who enter covenant with Him.  God has always made His requirements known, and then entered into Covenant with binding oaths on the part of both parties; God swearing to be faithful to His promises from everlasting to everlasting (Gen 22:15-18, Heb 6:13), and man swearing his undying allegiance and obedience to God (Deut 6:13, 10:20, 29:12).  God will always be faithful to the Covenant, for God will always fulfill what He has sworn to do.  We must be faithful to keep the Covenant as well, for God has sworn that He will bless for keeping the covenant, and destroy for breaking it.   

• Deut. 7:12-13 Wherefore it shall come to pass, if ye hearken to these judgments, and keep, and do them, that the Lord thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which he sware unto thy fathers: 13And he will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee: he will also bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep, in the land which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee.

• Deut. 7:9-10 Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations; 10And repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: he will not be slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face. 

 Ø   When God made Covenant with Noah, He promised Noah He would save his family from the destruction of the flood if Noah was obedient in building the ark (Gen. 6:13-22).  Gen. 6:22 says, “Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.”  And God saved Noah and all his household as He promised (Gen. 7).

    Ø    When God made Covenant with Abram, He promised to be a God to his seed.  God said to Abram, “I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect…Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee…And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you” (Gen 17:1,9,11)

 Ø     When God made Covenant with Solomon, He made His terms
          known:

·    1 Kings 9:4-7 And if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded thee, and wilt keep my statutes and my judgments: 5Then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom upon Israel for ever, as I promised to David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man upon the throne of Israel. 6But if ye shall at all turn from following me, ye or your children, and will not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them: 7Then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and this house, which I have hallowed for my name, will I cast out of my sight; and Israel shall be a proverb and a byword among all people:

Ø    The Ten Commandments, the entire book of Duet, and Joshua 24 are all considered by many to be the Covenant Document between Jehovah God and His people. (TWOT) These passages, especially the book of Deuteronomy, spell out what God requires in covenant and sets forth blessings for keeping the covenant and curses for breaking it.

·    Deut. 10:12-13 And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, 13To keep the commandments of the Lord, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?

·    Read Deut. 11:8-17

 What Does God Require? 

The Lord has always required obedience in Covenant, but He has also always required our love above all else, for if we love Him we will be obedient to Him.  To love the Lord their God was the first commandment given to the Israelites, and Jesus said this is the greatest commandment of all (Mark 12:29-30). If we love Him, we WILL keep His commandments, for we will desire to please our Lord and Savior! 

• John 14:23-25 “…If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings…”

The Old Testament Covenants were shadows that pointed the way to a far greater New Covenant  established in Jesus Christ.  God still requires obedience under the New Covenant; the difference is that when we enter into the New Covenant God provides a new ability to keep His commandments. He furnishes us with a new heart to love Him!

• Jeremiah 31:33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

• Jeremiah 32:38-39 And they shall be my people, and I will be their God: 39And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for the good of them, and of their children after them:

Faith in Jesus 

Just as Abraham entered into Covenant with God by faith, Scripture makes it clear that faith/belief in Jesus Christ is the requirement to enter into the New Covenant…

• 1 John 3:23-24 And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment. And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. 

• Romans 4:11 And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe…

• Ephes. 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith;

• Galatians 3:14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

• John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

The word faith actually means “allegiance to duty or a person; loyalty.”  Faithful means “steadfast in affection or allegiance, loyal; unswerving adherence to a person or thing or to an oath or promise” (Merriam-Webster, 1996). 

In addition, our word “believe” is akin to the Old English word ‘lEof  [LOVE]. (Merriam Webster Online, 2005).   This origin is reflected in the similarity of structure found in the words “believed” and “beloved.” 

It is clear that God still requires our love above all else, for steadfast love is inherent in faith.   “Faith sees in Jesus the Revealer of the divine love (John 3:16). Hence it [faith] is itself the reception of this love, and from the reception of this love there springs forth love in believers. In the love which Jesus showed for His own, their own love is grounded (John15:11–17). Faith corresponds to abiding in Him or in His love (15:1–10)” (²Theological dictionary of the New Testament. 1964). 

So it is evident that the Covenant requirements have not really changed.  The Lord still requires love, faith, loyalty, and a keeping of His commandments.

• Deut. 7:9 Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;

Terms of the Covenant 

Romans 10:9-10 has long been used to encapsulate the Biblical answer to “What must I do to be saved?”  This passage does indeed present God’s requirements for entering into covenant and subsequent new birth. But I fear, in light of Scriptures about the Covenant, that these verses have been much misunderstood and misapplied.  We cannot apply Romans 10:9-10 correctly without clearly understanding the preceding verses, which read:

• Romans 10:6-8 But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) 7Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) 8But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;

Admittedly, these verses are puzzling, but how wonderful that our Lord explains them for us with other Scripture!  Verses 6-8 are quoted from Deuteronomy 30:10-18, which set forth clearly God’s terms for the Covenant. 

• Deut. 30:10-18 If thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law, and if thou turn unto the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul. 11For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. 12It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? 13Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? 14But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it. 15See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; 16In that I command thee this day to love the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it. 17But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; 18 I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it.

To paraphrase, these verses tell us that IF we keep the commandments of the Lord, and IF we turn to Him with all our heart and soul, He will bless us as He has promised in His covenant.  Further, this truth is not hidden from us, that we can say we needed someone to explain before we could do it.  It is very close, “in thy mouth, and in thine heart,” because God has told us plainly.  The choice is before us: life and good IF we will love God, walk in His ways, and keep His commandments; death, evil and certainty of perishing IF our heart turns away to worship other gods.

The Oath: Covenant Ratification 

In light of the terms of the covenant, Romans 10:9-10 can now be understood.

• Romans 10:9-10 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

With the heart man believes; with the heart man loves Jesus.  And with the mouth, man confesses.  It is commonly taught that this word “confess” means “to agree with,” and it is true that this is the general meaning of the word.  Yet in this context the connotation is much deeper, and means “to agree to the terms of peace, to assent, to solemnly promise (^[3]Arndt, 1996, #3670, p. 568), or to covenant;" (^[4]Strong, 1997, #3670). “to express openly one’s allegiance to a proposition or person” (^[5]Louw, 1996, LN32.274).  To confess is to enter covenant; it is a solemn oath; a swearing of allegiance!  

Even in earthly terms, a contract is not binding upon persons who are of insufficient understanding, such as a mentally impaired individual or an underage child.  For the same reason, a marriage covenant is considered illegal if one party is underage.  How much greater understanding must a person must have to enter into a heavenly Covenant with the Living God!  To solemnly swear before God and vow undying love and allegiance to Him, a person must have understanding of who God is and knowledge of His Covenant requirements.

• Matthew 13:19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.

• Matthew 13:23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit,…
• Mark 12:33 And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.
• Ephes. 1:18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

Therefore, to enter into Covenant relationship with God and be born again, we must:

   1)  Know Who He is (it is impossible to have faith in and loyalty to
             someone you know nothing about!) This is no small thing, and I
             believe one reason God gave us the Old Testament is to teach us
             Who He is. New birth and the entering of the Spirit is
             instantaneous, but the drawing of the Father is a process. If a
             person has been raised in a Christian home and taught about God,
             the process of coming to a knowledge of Who He is can
            begin sooner in life. 

        2)  Understand what He did: (this includes understanding that we
             have sinned against this Holy God, that we deserve to die, and that
             He died in our place), 

        3)  Commit: confess or agree to His terms for peace (Includes

             repentance—being willing to turn from our sins), and pledge our
             allegiance and loyalty to God.    

First we must understand who He is and what His requirements are.  Then comes the response of faith from the heart.  And if we are justified by faith—and we are!—then we are counted righteous by our promise, covenant, agreement, pledge, of a loyal covenant love for God which can only spring from a knowledge of Who He is, and an understanding of what He did.  (This is when we “give our heart to Jesus”).

Upon “confession” comes what is comparable to Covenant Ratification – actually entering into covenant.  “..with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”  We have taken way too lightly our “confession of faith.”  It is not merely mouthing a “sinner’s prayer.”  It is agreement to God’s Covenant terms.  It is a swearing of allegiance, a solemn oath before the living God to love Him and serve only Him.  It must not be entered into lightly, but with full knowledge and understanding of Who God is and what His promises and requirements are.   “…be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life” (Rev 2:10).  

Unconditional Covenant? 

Oh, with what infinite care and tender mercy has our Lord taught His ways to us  and revealed to all mankind His great plan of reconciliation through Jesus Christ!  For thousands of years, God has used of types and shadows to point the way to a far greater reality to come.  Once that something far greater has come, the shadows themselves are no longer useful.  A good example of this principle is tithing.  Old Covenant tithing was a precursor for a greater giving from the heart.  It is the same with Old Testament Sacrifice.  The blood of animals pointed the way toward the far greater blood of Jesus.  Once the reality has come the shadow is discarded, but the principle does not change.  We still give, but at a far greater level.  Blood is still required for the remission of sins, but the blood of One far greater.   

It has been widely taught that the Old Testament Covenants were conditional, but the New Covenant is unconditional.  It is said that once we enter into covenant by the blood of Christ, our position is secure.  This would violate the very principle of Covenant if true.  There is no stronger argument for a conditional New Covenant than the conditional nature of the Old Testament shadow.  God still requires obedience in the New Covenant, but from the new heart given to us and AT A FAR GREATER LEVEL!  It is very true that God will keep His side of the bargain.  And God has sworn that IF we love Him and keep His commandments, He will bless us.  IF our hearts turn away, we will surely perish.  

Psalm 89 gives a vivid picture of the terms of the New Covenant, typified in David, but with the far greater reality established in Christ.  God is speaking in these verses.

• Psalm 89:27-34 Also I will make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth. 28My mercy will I keep for him for evermore, and my covenant shall stand fast with him. 29His seed also will I make to endure for ever, and his throne as the days of heaven. 30If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments; 31If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments; 32Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes. 33Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him [Christ], nor suffer my faithfulness to fail. 34My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.

God will never break His Covenant, nor alter what He has sworn to do.  He will always be faithful to what He has promised.  And God has sworn that the man that breaks the covenant, he shall surely die (Deut 6:15, Lev 26:14-39).  It is evident in these verses from Psalm 89 that if the children of Christ break God’s statutes, they will be punished.  As a matter of fact, in verse 39 the Lord goes on to say of these disobedient children: “Thou hast made void the covenant of thy servant: thou hast profaned his crown by casting it to the ground.”  Nevertheless, God's faithfulness to His Covenant with Christ will never fail. 

Punishment for breaking Covenant in the Old Testament was severe, but Scripture makes it clear that just as all things are far greater in the New Covenant in Christ, the punishment for breaking Covenant is FAR GREATER as well!!  Hebrews 10:28-29 says it best:  "He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: 29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? "

 
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*All emphasis  mine.
Written December, 2005

Copyright ©2005 by Mae Shurow 
Permission is granted for non-commercial (free) distribution 
provided proper citation of authorship is included.

Merriam-Webster, I. (1996, c1993). Merriam-Webster's collegiate dictionary. Includes index. 
        (10th ed.). Springfield, Mass., U.S.A.: Merriam-Webster

MERRIAM-WEBSTER ONLINE. ( 2005)  Merriam-Webster, Incorporated.  Retrieved December
        4, 2005 from http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/believe