The Peace of the Covenant

Have you ever worried about losing your relationship with God? I used to worry God would give up on me if I wasn’t good enough, and, of course, I was never “good enough.†Then I learned about covenant. A covenant is a binding, sacred agreement between God and humans. It’s the way God deals with humankind.

In Genesis, the first book of the Bible, the rainbow provides a beautiful picture of covenant (chapters 6–9). Humankind was so steeped in wickedness that God, in His justice, had to act, flooding the earth and destroying almost all life. Noah and his family, who were spared because of their trust in God, spent many years building an ark and then living for about 370 days on this giant boat surrounded by all different types of animals. When it was over, God sent the rainbow as a promise that He would never flood the world again.

But God didn’t stop there. Years later, He made a covenant with Abraham and led him from his home to an unknown country and unseen future, so all people would one day be blessed through the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ (Genesis 15; Galatians 3:6-14, 29).

Here’s some great news: God’s covenant with His people can’t be broken (Psalm 89:34). And, if we are in Christ, God has a covenant with you and me—to rescue us from sin and death so we can live forever with Him and His people.

On our own and in our sin, we have broken the covenant, so God must be the One who keeps it. Just like us, Abraham wasn’t able to keep the covenant—that’s why God put Abraham to sleep when He made the covenant. In Christ, we rest because He keeps the covenant, not Abraham or us (Isaiah 24:5; Ephesians 2:8-10).

Covenant brings me comfort. It dispels any doubts about God’s love, forgiveness, and trustworthiness. Hebrews 13:20 tells us Jesus is our great shepherd and we are His sheep through “an eternal covenant with his blood.†God is the One who established the covenant through His blood, and God is the One who keeps the covenant. • Sharon Rene

• Have you ever worried God might abandon you?

• In Christ, do you ever try to be perfect to earn God’s love? How does covenant and the symbol of the rainbow bring you comfort?

Now may the God of peace—who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, and ratified an eternal covenant with his blood—may he equip you with all you need for doing his will. Hebrews 13:20-21a (NLT)

Read Verses:

Acts 3:25; Hebrews 13:20-21