Believe

"G_d is on their side."

A GROUP OF MEN worshiped, singing Jewish songs, with mentally disabled Jews, and what struck me was that they knew the songs and were dressed like Jews. Covenant Jews.

Covenant affects their behavior as a nation. They don’t worry about who they are. They don’t worry about their actions as government. Or who comes against them. G_d is on their side.

“Indeed, the Guardian of Israel never rests or sleeps.” (Psalm 121:4, GW)

Covenant affects how they pray. They are dedicated to prayer. They believe God hears. They believe God heals. It is part of their Torah. “And ye shall serve the LORD your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee (Exodus 23:25).” The Rebbe speaks TO God and speaks FROM God on people’s behalf. In speaking, he knows God will do what He’s said. The people know because the Rebbe spoke, that God will keep His Word. And so great miracles happen.

Covenant affects how a husband treats his wife, how a wife submits to her husband, how they teach their children. Their infants are dedicated into covenant (bris) on day 8. Jesus was dedicated to covenant at 8 days old (Luke 2:22). One doctor, who has done many bris, called it the covenant of Avraham Akinu. Our father Abraham.

Covenant affects how they buy and sell, how often they give, how generous they are, how they treat the poor, how they dress. We, in the church, can’t even figure out who God is to believe covenant. We don’t teach salvation as covenant. We don’t teach it is God making the dead spirit of man to be brand new (born again). John 3: 3. We don’t say God will live inside us and never leave (Hebrews 13:5). We are born again from “incorruptible seed, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever (1 Peter 1:23).” The Word that will never die. Yet some in the Gentile church make God’s promise friable. His forgiveness temporary. Or “only unless” you act right. That isn’t covenant thinking.

Once a year, the Jews have a month of repentance. Elul. Not to grovel in misery. But to return to Hashem, the meaning of the word “repentance”. It’s a covenant promise that He will forgive and bring salvation. No one has to carry the weight of mistakes. It is God’s. God is love, so they choose to walk close to Him, and He fixes all the broken places.

“Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, thou hast covered all their sin. Selah.” (Psalm 85:2)

Covenant is God’s promise to care for people. It is God keeping His Word. Salvation through Jesus Christ is covenant. Being Jew is covenant. And the point of Jesus’ death. Matthew 5:17. He came not “to destroy, but to fulfil” the Jewish covenant. He is the Lamb of God as commanded in the Torah. And made His purpose clear in His next words, verse 18: “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” The curse of the Law has been removed forever (Galatians 3:13). But not the blessing. Deuteronomy 28:1-14 are theirs, and they live by them.

We should live by our covenant. And stop canceling Israel’s. We have covenant because they do (John 4:22). We should trust in its promises as much as the Jews. The Syrophoenician woman believed in the Jews’ covenant so much, she went to Jesus, the Teacher of the Jews, and asked for the healing of her daughter. He replied He had not come to feed the children’s bread to the dogs (Mark 7:27). The children being the Jews. She said in response, “Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs (Verse 28).” And seeing her faith, He said her daughter was healed.

He is Covenant Savior, Covenant God. That is the point. And faithful to His Word which was written before time began. We ought to take it to heart, make it first in our thoughts, and act like He’s True. And not divided between us as we fracture into denominations and theologies. There is one living God, one God of all things. One King of Kings. One King of the Jews.


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Suzanne D. Williams, Author
www.suzannedwilliams.com
www.feelgoodromance.com