Readings for today: Genesis 16-18, Psalm 5
I give God so many reasons to walk away but still He remains faithful. If one were to catalog my sins from a single day or week or month or year, one would have more than enough evidence to cut bait but God does not. My life is a series of ups and downs, successes and failures, good and bad decisions and still God is with me through it all. This is what it means to live in covenant relationship with God. A covenant is not a contract. It is not an agreement between two equal parties. It is not transactional in nature. A covenant is eternal because God is eternal. A covenant cannot be broken because God never breaks faith no matter what we say or do. God guarantees His covenant with His very life. He refuses to walk away no matter how bad things get. He never leaves us or forsakes us even if we leave or forsake ourselves.
Don’t believe me? Consider what happens in Abram’s life. Consider all the factors in play that put the covenant God has made with him in jeopardy. Family dysfunction. An illegitimate heir. Strife between Sarai and Hagar. Age considerations. Physical limitations. The shame of barrenness. And what does God do? He meets Abram in the middle of the mess. He sees Hagar in the wilderness. He blesses Ishmael as well as Isaac. He gives them new names and new identities. Abram will now be Abraham - “Father of a multitude.” Sarai will now be Sarah - “Princess.” Both will be blessed. Kings and nations will come from their family line. Through their family and household, all the nations of the earth will be blessed. There could be no greater promise for an ancient near east patriarch than to know the future of his family was secure. And if this were a contractual arrangement, Abraham would have no hope. He’s already proven he can’t hold up his end of the bargain. God would have every right to walk away. But it’s a covenant. An eternal arrangement made by God Himself. All these things will come to pass in Abraham’s life because God is faithful even where Abraham is not. And the same is true for us.
Jesus Christ invites us into a new covenant. A covenant sealed by His own body and blood. A covenant guaranteed by His own life. This covenant involves the forgiveness of sins. It includes the gift of eternal life. Those who enter it will always be part of it. No matter where they go or what they do. Why? Because Jesus is faithful. He chases down every single lost sheep. He searches for every single lost coin. He never rests until every single lost child comes home. This is His promise to all those who believe in Him.
Readings for tomorrow: Genesis 19-21, Psalm 6