Happy Thanksgiving! I hope this post finds you well and comforted in the presence of family and friends. I know there are certain joys and certain challenges we all face at this time, but it is my sincere wish that you know of the peace between you and our heavenly Father. I would like to discuss briefly two elements of the covenant from which we benefit.
The word "friend" is something we've lost true meaning of. I know people who boast of the number of "friends" they have on Facebook, but we all know that most of those are acquaintances at best. We should only consider friends as those we find trustworthy with the intimate details of our lives. True friendship is something that lasts over a lifetime, even though we easily throw people away as they are no longer useful to us. Consider the following quote from Malcolm Smith: "From the making of the covenant, the two parties would be described as friends. The word friend has been greatly cheapened in the language of our Western society; but in societies where covenant making is practiced and understood, there is no higher honor than to be called a person's friend, for it announces a covenant relationship."
And since we all will be having some sort of meal this evening, let's consider the meaning of the meal that happens as the end of the covenant. "To eat with someone at any time was a kind of covenant, and it had a far greater meaning when placed at the end of the making of a covenant. The meal declared the covenant, as the two representatives would eat of the same bread and drink of the same wine telling the world that they were one, partaking one of another" (Malcolm Smith).
Psalm 23:5 says "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies." I want you to know that this is a covenant table. It's also the king's table. I want you to understand that you are partaking of the life of the king; you have his life, his authority, and his friendship. Sin has been removed and the God whose love needs no covenant has made a covenant with Himself in Christ Jesus and called us as beneficiaries of the new covenant. If God needs no covenant to love you, then there is no sin you could commit that would separate you from Him.
May you know that since you have believed, you are at rest and at a position of honor at the table of the family of God.
Happy Thanksgiving and...
Grace=Peace,
Jeremy
No comments:
Post a Comment