AN ENFORCED COVENANT

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“Therefore this is what the Lord says: ‘I will bring on them a disaster they cannot escape. Although they cry out to me, I will not listen to them. The towns of Judah and the people of Jerusalem will go and cry out to the gods to whom they burn incense, but they will not help them at all when disaster strikes. You, Judah, have as many gods as you have towns; and the altars you have set up to burn incense to that shameful god Baal are as many as the streets of Jerusalem.’”

“Do not pray for this people or offer any plea or petition for them, because I will not listen when they call to me in the time of their distress.”

“What is my beloved doing in my temple as she, with many others, works out her evil schemes? Can consecrated meat avert your punishment? When you engage in your wickedness, then you rejoice.”

The Lord called you a thriving olive tree with fruit beautiful in form. But with the roar of a mighty storm He will set it on fire, and its branches will be broken. The Lord Almighty, who planted you, has decreed disaster for you, because the people of both Israel and Judah have done evil and aroused my anger by burning incense to Baal.

Jeremiah 11:11-17

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

God makes covenants with His people.

God always keeps His end of the covenant agreements but we, on the other hand, are not so good at it.

Over the last two days, we have seen these truths play out in the verses of Jeremiah 11 and this three devotion series concludes today by looking at the consequences that come when we choose to break our pact with God and turn to sin instead.

Just to review, God had assured the Israelites that He was their God and they were His people. All they had to do was live in full obedience to His commands thus living in righteousness and staying in His favor. The promise required for the people of God to be faithful to Him as He was to them. On the surface, it was not only doable but completely sensible because there was nothing else in the world that could ever rival God and provide what He could for His people.

And yet, the Israelites decided to turn away from God and abandon His words and will. For some reason, they believed that following the fabricated gods of pagan religions would bring them more than God Himself, so much so that they adopted the worship practices prescribed for the false gods like Baal, constructing altars where they burned incense and offered up other sacrifices. They either forgot or didn’t believe that God was a God of judgment as well as grace and love, a God who had told their ancestors that He was a jealous God and would not stand by idly while His people adopted adulterous attitudes and pursued any other god except Him (Exodus 20:5).

Go back to verse 3 of this chapter and you will remember God saying these words:

“Cursed is the one who does not obey the terms of this covenant.”

The Israelites chose to not obey the covenant. God was no longer their god of choice as they opted for Baal and other gods instead. And so God sent disaster on them and then let them to the false gods they were worshipping to get help, help that would never come because the idols that were fashioned for worship were as lifeless as the materials they were made from. The people of God were about to learn a tough lesson, a seventy year lesson where they would be separated from God who was turning His ear away from them and not listening to their prayers or petitions. If they wanted to abandon Him, He would show them what life would be like without Him and the blessings He provided, blessings that included protection and refuge from their enemies. And through His actions, God showed that He enforces His covenants.

Remember that God always keeps His side of a covenant and will enforce either blessing or curse depending on how we uphold our end of the deal.

Choose to revere and respect Him, choosing to be compliant and obedient to His word, will, and way, and He will provide His devotion and provision for you as you live in His favor.

Choose to disregard and dishonor Him through choosing sinfulness over righteousness and you will experience His judgment and consequences which I assure you will be unpleasant and make you wish you had not violated Him.

As you can see, it really is a matter of choice for us and there are really only two ways to go. Jesus reinforced this principle in His first teachings found in what is known as the Sermon on the Mount. You may remember these words:

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” Matthew 7:13-14

Two paths equivalent to two choices.

Obedience to God places us on the narrow way and the path to life.

Disobedience and sin sets our feet on the path to destruction.

The words of God and Jesus show us that our faith life is really not all that complicated.

We just make it that way.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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