eleazar
05-09-2007, 09:21 PM
Why do we struggle so much, why are we so often left naked and ashamed in spite of the great love reserved for us by the greatest of all fathers. I submit that, whilst we may be sons of that Father, we stumble because we don’t fully appreciate what sonship implies, nor do we live in the fullness of its benefits.
The writer to the Hebrews (Chapter 8:7-13), sets out the three key clauses of the New Covenant. He clarifies that it is a new covenant and confirms that it is vested not in our human weakness and the frailty of our flesh, but in God alone. For God who could sware by no greater swore by Himself and confirmed it with an oath.
Without digressing from the essence of the covenant, let me quickly remark that there is much more than a play on words here. The cross was the instrument that God used to ratify His covenant with us and it is thereby cast in blood. It is not a light thing. Rather it is an eternally significant constitution that defines the cross as the greatest treaty ever and the most potent transaction ever to pass between men and God.
The first principle of the covenant declares that God will be "our God and we will be His people". My sons know what it means when I say I am their father - the term, so used, conveys a sense of intimate belonging, cherished love, shared values and a set of implied rights. Adoption carried even greater value in biblical cultures and, according to Romans 8, we share in the special privileges of adopted children.
The history of Israel and God's unyielding love for His people, further clarifies God's intent - He was their God in every conceivable sense and they remain His people today, despite many historic setbacks in that timeless relationship.
God continues by saying that He will also write His laws and principles in our hearts. A very intimate relationship is implied here, evoking the journeys that fathers used to walk with their children in preparing them for adulthood. God does not outsource the process of divine instruction and discipline, rather He walks with us through our real-world experiences to turn each moment into a classroom where He can situationally speak into our lives. When He saw the woman at the well, He saw a way to connect the water and the well to the woman's deepest needs - a moment of non-judgemental compassion that touched a whole community. He does the same with us.
Recently my son accidentally over-sprayed paint on our Hi-Fi set. I gave him some tools and chemicals to clean up the mess and then left him to sweat it out, but whilst I was gone I sought professional advice. Later I returned with better chemicals and we both then went and sat down together in our living room, to clean up his “workmanship”. I was presented with a ready audience and a very teachable moment that may have touched my son for the rest of His life. In the process I shared with Him that my actions merely reflected what God had done for me, in choosing to walk with me through the consequences of my own follies so that He could use such moments to write His laws on my heart – because of His covenant with me.
Thirdly God promises to remember our offences no more. The crux of all spiritual attacks on our lives, lies in unresolved offences. Whether we are just not forgiving ourselves or we carry a real offence in our lives, the fact remains that as long as the issue remains unresolved, Satan will exploit our vulnerability. That in turn undermines our whole relationship with God. Yet God wants us to experience the fullness of His covenant and to be free of guilt so that we can be His people, just as He is our God. Indeed, one of the great entitlements of a child pertains to the right of protection and shelter by the Father, but unresolved offences leave us out in the winds and rain, precluded from His covering and protection.
Psalm 25 starts by expressing David’s need to find a covering for his own shame. This alludes to the essence of being accepted by God as children, and the dignity that such legitimacy brings to those who would otherwise be wretched and homeless. In verses 4 to 7, He also looks to God for direction and in verses 7 to 11 he cries for remission from his sins. This all points to verse 14, where David implies that he has uncovered a secret – the NIV even suggests that God confided in David, to reveal what had been hidden. Indeed, it has taken me a lifetime to uncover the implications of words that I had read many times over, till I saw the covenant for what it is.
In closing, may I say that in my own defining struggles I met many with similar, seemingly unending, heart-rending struggles. For all who long for a way out, I challenge you to reflect on your position in God, to understand His covenant and to live within the power and freedom of His promises. Jesus’ weapon of choice in His own wilderness season, was the “written word of God”. Just as He defiantly quoted the truth to set Himself free from His own tormentor, so He invites us to walk in the light of His Word and to fight for our inheritance until we break through to higher ground.
The writer to the Hebrews (Chapter 8:7-13), sets out the three key clauses of the New Covenant. He clarifies that it is a new covenant and confirms that it is vested not in our human weakness and the frailty of our flesh, but in God alone. For God who could sware by no greater swore by Himself and confirmed it with an oath.
Without digressing from the essence of the covenant, let me quickly remark that there is much more than a play on words here. The cross was the instrument that God used to ratify His covenant with us and it is thereby cast in blood. It is not a light thing. Rather it is an eternally significant constitution that defines the cross as the greatest treaty ever and the most potent transaction ever to pass between men and God.
The first principle of the covenant declares that God will be "our God and we will be His people". My sons know what it means when I say I am their father - the term, so used, conveys a sense of intimate belonging, cherished love, shared values and a set of implied rights. Adoption carried even greater value in biblical cultures and, according to Romans 8, we share in the special privileges of adopted children.
The history of Israel and God's unyielding love for His people, further clarifies God's intent - He was their God in every conceivable sense and they remain His people today, despite many historic setbacks in that timeless relationship.
God continues by saying that He will also write His laws and principles in our hearts. A very intimate relationship is implied here, evoking the journeys that fathers used to walk with their children in preparing them for adulthood. God does not outsource the process of divine instruction and discipline, rather He walks with us through our real-world experiences to turn each moment into a classroom where He can situationally speak into our lives. When He saw the woman at the well, He saw a way to connect the water and the well to the woman's deepest needs - a moment of non-judgemental compassion that touched a whole community. He does the same with us.
Recently my son accidentally over-sprayed paint on our Hi-Fi set. I gave him some tools and chemicals to clean up the mess and then left him to sweat it out, but whilst I was gone I sought professional advice. Later I returned with better chemicals and we both then went and sat down together in our living room, to clean up his “workmanship”. I was presented with a ready audience and a very teachable moment that may have touched my son for the rest of His life. In the process I shared with Him that my actions merely reflected what God had done for me, in choosing to walk with me through the consequences of my own follies so that He could use such moments to write His laws on my heart – because of His covenant with me.
Thirdly God promises to remember our offences no more. The crux of all spiritual attacks on our lives, lies in unresolved offences. Whether we are just not forgiving ourselves or we carry a real offence in our lives, the fact remains that as long as the issue remains unresolved, Satan will exploit our vulnerability. That in turn undermines our whole relationship with God. Yet God wants us to experience the fullness of His covenant and to be free of guilt so that we can be His people, just as He is our God. Indeed, one of the great entitlements of a child pertains to the right of protection and shelter by the Father, but unresolved offences leave us out in the winds and rain, precluded from His covering and protection.
Psalm 25 starts by expressing David’s need to find a covering for his own shame. This alludes to the essence of being accepted by God as children, and the dignity that such legitimacy brings to those who would otherwise be wretched and homeless. In verses 4 to 7, He also looks to God for direction and in verses 7 to 11 he cries for remission from his sins. This all points to verse 14, where David implies that he has uncovered a secret – the NIV even suggests that God confided in David, to reveal what had been hidden. Indeed, it has taken me a lifetime to uncover the implications of words that I had read many times over, till I saw the covenant for what it is.
In closing, may I say that in my own defining struggles I met many with similar, seemingly unending, heart-rending struggles. For all who long for a way out, I challenge you to reflect on your position in God, to understand His covenant and to live within the power and freedom of His promises. Jesus’ weapon of choice in His own wilderness season, was the “written word of God”. Just as He defiantly quoted the truth to set Himself free from His own tormentor, so He invites us to walk in the light of His Word and to fight for our inheritance until we break through to higher ground.