Almost 100 years ago, Andrew Murray motivated by a waning understanding regarding the truth and power inherent in the Biblical truth of covenant wrote that…
One of the words of Scripture, which is almost going out of fashion, is the word 'Covenant'. There was a time when it was the keynote of the theology and the Christian life of strong and holy men. We know how deep in Scotland it entered into the national life and thought (cf Covenanters). It made mighty men, to whom God, and His promise and power were wonderfully real. It will be found still to bring strength and purpose to those who will take the trouble to bring all their life (ED: and their marriages) under control of the inspiring assurance that they are living in covenant with a God Who has sworn faithfully to fulfill in them every promise He has given....My one great desire has been to ask Christians whether they are really seeking to find out what exactly God wants them to be, and is willing to make them. It is only as they wait, “that the mind of the Lord may be showed them,” that their faith can ever truly see, or accept, or enjoy what God calls “His salvation.” As long as we expect God to do for us what we ask or think, we limit Him. When we believe that as high as the heavens are above the earth, His thoughts are above our thoughts (Isa 55:8), and wait on Him as God to do unto us according to His Word (Isa 40:31), as He means it, we shall be prepared to live the truly supernatural, heavenly life the Holy Spirit can work in us—the true Christ life. May God lead every reader into the secret of His presence, and “show him His Covenant (Psalm 25:14).” (Two Covenants - Introduction)
Charles Haddon Spurgeon wrote the following comment on Psalm 25:14
The secret (sod - speaks of close friendship, confidentiality, something He reveals to His friends) of the LORD is for those who fear Him, and He will make them know (yada - speaks of intimacy) His covenant.
COMMENT - The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him. Some read it "the friendship:" it signifies familiar intercourse, confidential intimacy, and select fellowship. This is a great secret. Carnal minds (1Co 2:14) cannot guess what is intended by it, and even believers cannot explain it in words, for it must be felt to be known. The higher spiritual life is necessarily a path which the eagle's eye hath not known, and which the lion's whelp has not travelled; neither natural wisdom nor strength can force a door into this inner chamber. Saints have the key of heaven's hieroglyphics; they can unriddle celestial enigmas. They are initiated into the fellowship of the skies; they have heard words which it is not possible for them to repeat to their fellows. And he will shew them his covenant. Its antiquity, security, righteousness, fulness, graciousness and excellence, shall be revealed to their hearts and understandings, and above all, their own part in it shall be sealed to their souls by the witness of the Holy Spirit. The designs of love which the Lord has to his people in the covenant of grace, he has been pleased to show to believers in the Book of Inspiration, and by his Spirit he leads us into the mystery, even the hidden mystery of redemption. He who does not know the meaning of this verse, will never learn it from a commentary; let him look to the cross, for the secret lies there.
Below is more of the "fruit" you will glean by becoming intimate with Covenant as defined by Jehovah in the Bible:
1) Deeper Understanding of the Bible - You will attain a grasp of the Word of God that far exceeds anything that you have ever known or experienced before. More important however than enhanced knowledge is a deepening of your relationship with your Creator. The Truth of Covenant will be used by the Spirit of Truth to grow you in your intimacy with your Father, and truly if this were the only "fruit" of a better understanding of covenant it would be enough! You will come to understand that while the word may not be specifically mentioned, the truth of covenant permeates the entire Scripture. As one has described it "the crimson thread of covenant is woven throughout the fabric of God's truth from Genesis to Revelation."
One modern Christian writer sounds the alarm and exhortation at the same time noting that…"The notion of a covenant is unfamiliar today. But the concept of covenant is utterly basic to our understanding of Scripture. In Old Testament times this complex concept was the foundation of social order and social relations, and it was particularly the foundation for an understanding of humanity's relationship with God."
2) Everything God Does in His interaction with Man is Based on Covenant - You will come to understand that all God's interactions with mankind are based on covenant.
3) Better Understanding of the New Covenant - You will obtain a deeper appreciation of the New Covenant with Jesus Christ and what has taken place in your life when you entered into His New Covenant. You will come to know that because of His Covenant of Grace you can be assured that you will always be the "beloved of God" (1Th 1:4+) in Christ Jesus Whose hands eternally bear the mark of covenant. Stated another way, if you "wrestle" with assurance of your salvation or the doctrine of eternal security, covenant will solidify and undergird those truths in your soul.
4) Assurance, Freedom, Power - An understanding of Covenant will give you assurance of who you are in Jesus Christ (your new identity) and of Whose you are in Him (your responsibility). It will also give you freedom from what may have bound you in the past or may be binding you right now, and awaken in you the power that is yours in the Spirit of Jesus, power based on your New Covenant life in Christ. About 10 years ago one of the young men that was studying with us, was so struck by some of the truths of Covenant that he was almost instantly set free from an unforgiving spirit that had hamstrung him for most of his Christian life. He is now serving in full time ministry as a missionary in Kenya, having sold all his worldly goods with no plans to return to America! That's what covenant did to him and his wife! All glory to God, amen? Amen!
5) An Attitude of Gratitude - An understanding of God's Covenants will give you a deeper sense of gratitude for what God has accomplished for you in sending His Son to "cut" covenant with you, or as He put it the "new covenant in My blood." (Lk 22:20+).
6) Accountability and responsibility - As alluded to above, you will have a greater understanding of your responsibility as a result of having entered the New Covenant as you begin to see your role in the covenant relationship with Christ. To say it another way it is not "Let go, let God," but more like "Let God, let's go," God's sovereignty interacting with our responsibility.
7) Understand missing piece of the puzzle - You will understand what it means to be in covenant with the eternal, invisible, immortal God (1Ti 1:17+) in Jesus Christ, and see as you have never seen before that truly covenant is "the missing piece of the puzzle". You will begin to see how the entire Word of God fits together as you grow in your understanding of the Abrahamic Covenant, the old covenant (Mosaic, "the Law"), and the New Covenant.
8) You will never be the same again - Many have testified that as a result of beginning to truly understand the meaning of covenant, their spiritual life has undergone a major transformation. This can also be your testimony if you persevere and diligently pursue studying the Biblical truths about covenant. You can do this with a group or you can go through the lessons listed below.
Related Resources:
- Covenant: As It Relates to Marriage
- Covenant: Why Study It?
- Covenant: Introduction
- Lesson 1 Covenant: Summary Table
- Lesson 2 Covenant: The Exchange of Robes
- Lesson 3 Covenant: The Exchange of Armor and Belts
- Lesson 4 Covenant: Solemn and Binding
- Lesson 5 Covenant: A Walk Into Death
- Lesson 6 Covenant: The Oneness of Covenant
- Covenant: Oneness Notes
- Lesson 7 Covenant: Withholding Nothing from God
- Lesson 8 Covenant: Abrahamic versus Mosaic
- Lesson 9 Covenant: New Covenant in the Old Testament
- Lesson 10 Covenant: Why the New is Better
- Lesson 11 Covenant: Abrahamic vs Old vs New