God Makes a Covenant
July 5th, 2009Today’s lesson teaches us that God’s law is not about compelling us to obey a set of “do’s and don’ts”, it’s about a pathway to reconciliation with our Creator. The author of this quarter’s study chose not to use the decalogue from the twentieth chapter of Exodus, but instead chose to use today’s lesson scripture from Deuteronomy, as Moses recites the forty year history in the wilderness. This is a deliberate choice. As set forth in the lesson, it helps to emphasize the context of God’s law and it’s place in the history of the people of Israel; the people God chose to bring salvation to the world. Today’s lesson scripture emphasizes the relationship between God and his people – that he brought them out of Egypt; that he first saved them and then made the covenant with them at Sinai:
1 Moses convened all Israel, and said to them: Hear, O Israel, the statutes and ordinances that I am addressing to you today; you shall learn them and observe them diligently.
2 The Lord our God made a covenant with us at Horeb.
3 Not with our ancestors did the Lord make this covenant, but with us, who are all of us here alive today.
4 The Lord spoke with you face to face at the mountain, out of the fire.
5 (At that time I was standing between the Lord and you to declare to you the words of the Lord; for you were afraid because of the fire and did not go up the mountain.) And he said:
6 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery;
7 you shall have no other gods before me.
8 You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
9 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and fourth generation of those who reject me,
11 You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name.
12 Observe the sabbath day and keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you.
13 Six days you shall labor and do all your work.
16 Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God commanded you, so that your days may be long and that it may go well with you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
17 You shall not murder.
18 Neither shall you commit adultery.
19 Neither shall you steal.
20 Neither shall you bear false witness against your neighbor.
21 Neither shall you covet your neighbor’s wife. Neither shall you desire your neighbor’s house, or field, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. Deut 5:1-9, 11-13, 16-21 (NRSV)
Just as God first rescued Israel from Pharaoh before giving them his law, God calls us to covenant – to holy living – to sanctification- after first redeeming and justifying us through his grace and freeing us for joyful obedience.
There are, of course, innumerable points worth considering in today’s lesson, but the one that jumps out to me is Verse 3: “Not with our ancestors did the Lord make this covenant, but with us, who are all of us here alive today.”
Not oversimplify things, but this is just another reminder that our covenant with God is not a generic deal, but very personal … unique to each of us. By using the word “covenant” it is a reaffirmation that our relationship with God is a two-way “partnership,” if you will, and it is a reminder — or at least I perceive it to be — that just as God promises to be there for me, I have a responsibility to be there for him and to use whatever “gifts” I have as he would have me. It’s kind of intimidating, when you think about it.
I suppose in this 21st century we could insert the word “just” so that it might read, “Not ‘just’ with our ancestors …” because we know God did indeed make the covenant with our own immediate ancestors. But considering the time and circumstances of this pronouncement it must have been remarkable, and even astounding, to hear Moses’s proclamation. Bet some of those folks would have fired off some Tweets.