In our modern culture and society, agreements come and go. Contracts are entered into with no intention of ever keeping them. Being “a man of your word” has almost lost its meaning. In recent times, most of us could likely say we have observed a blatant disregard for commitment in some way or another. Unfortunately, this indifference to commitment has spilled over into nearly every area of life. But in God’s plan, commitments are supposed to be binding. He even has a special word for it. It’s called covenant.
So what exactly is a covenant? Covenant is similar to, or like, a contract but, it is different in that it is sealed by the heart. A covenant is more binding. The word covenant actually means a disposition, a contract, a will or testament (Strong’s 1242). So, you could actually explain covenant as a pact, or an agreed upon plan to which both parties subscribe. Most importantly, when you think of covenant you should think of faithfulness and enduring commitment.
Now God treats the concept of covenant, or contract, or promise differently than most people do. He treats these agreements with absolute commitment. One reason that God puts such high importance on covenant is that it is an illustration of His faithfulness.
Deuteronomy 7:9 says “Therefore know that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments; Know therefore the faithful covenant God.”
Just from this verse we can see that God does not take covenant lightly. Think about it. He is eternal. When He makes a commitment, He cannot lie and He cannot change. So when He makes a covenant He is bound. And we can be confident, He won’t go back on His word. Ever!
One of the most memorable covenants God made with us was giving us a rainbow to remind us that He won’t flood the earth again. He made a covenant with Abraham that he would be a “father of many nations.” Yet, the most important covenant is the covenant we have in Jesus Christ. Our salvation is by the covenant in His blood.
Thank God, He is a faithful covenant keeper! He never has nor will He ever break covenant with us. And that is given to us as a sign; a guarantee of God’s eternal fidelity and He calls us to the same. We are created in His image and because He is a covenant keeper, we should be covenant keepers.
Let’s take a closer look at covenants
In covenant we generally see these things:
The desire for some relationship.
The giving of a token as a sign of the covenant.
The commitment.
This sounds a lot like part of a wedding ceremony. Husband and wife are attracted to each other and desire to have a relationship for the rest of their lives. They give each other rings as a token and sign of their commitment and then comes the commitment. They agree, by vows, to faithfully stay together.
Malachi 2:14 says this. “Yet you say, “For what reason?” Because the LORD has been witness between you and the wife of your youth, with whom you have dealt treacherously; Yet she is your companion And your wife by covenant.”
In the Bible we see two types of covenants: Conditional – “If you…” and unconditional
“I will….” The marriage covenant is supposed to be the unconditional type. Marriage is a covenant and it is meant to be a faithful, enduring commitment sealed by the heart, without any conditions.
When a husband and wife marry, that couple stands before God, family and friends to enter into covenant. God stands as a witness, sealing this bond with the strongest possible word…covenant. This means commitment, together, faithfulness, joined, united. Covenant stands like a divine sentinel over that marriage vow, making marriage Holy and precious.
At Family Face Ministries, we believe that the covenant of marriage is the single most important human bond that exists. And it is our desire to help husbands and wives keep their marriage covenant. So, how do people keep the marriage covenant? If you listen to most marriage vows, there are two main ways husbands and wives vow to keep the covenant:
Commitment to love. (Remember, love is not a feeling. It affects feelings but it is not a feeling. When you commit to love someone you commit to value them and treat them as precious and important.)
Commitment to be faithful. (When you commit to be faithful to someone, you are committing to firmness, stability, fidelity, conscientiousness, steadiness, certainty, that which is permanent, enduring, steadfast.)
We can all do better at sticking to our commitment to love and our commitment to faithfulness. There is no such thing as a marriage that can’t get any better but there is also no such thing as a marriage that is so bad that God can’t restore it.
If we’ve missed it in either of these areas and made some mistakes, there is no need to feel condemned. Condemnation doesn’t do anyone any good. We can believe God can restore us. All we have to do is repent. And we don’t mean just saying sorry. True repentance includes a turn in direction. We can be committed from this day forward that instead of being a covenant breaker we will be covenant keepers. Don’t let the enemy, through condemnation, tell you that you can’t be. You can be!
