Covenant duties

The issue of covenant was forced on me a short time ago. There are so many misunderstandings about being a covenant person. Even many Christians have very little understanding of what covenant is all about. They question the idea of covenant duties or covenant obligations. Therefore I have chosen to share something I wrote some years back on being a covenant keeper, on being a person who understands the implication of covenant living. Covenant is love put into practice!

A quite young man sat in front of me asking important questions about his covenant obligations. His marriage had been broken up. His wife had left him, appealing for divorce. "If I can't have her back, do I still have covenant obligations to fulfil towards her"? That was the big question, - with many far reaching implications. In a situation like this there is no easy answers, but spiritual laws to follow to work out solutions in life. After he left me, I wrote a poem on being a covenant person. Today I have enlarged the poem and hope it will be a blessing to my readers. Psalm 15 also gives a beautiful description of a covenant person who will never be shaken, but stand firm forever.

To be somebody

is to be a covenant keeper,

to remain faithful to your promises,

to stay loyal to your words,

to honour your commitments,

and follow through, even at great costs

in the middle of betrayal and disappointments.

It is to persevere in faith, hope and love,

allowing nothing to destroy your integrity,

but allowing kindness to abound

in spite of hurting circumstances

To be somebody

is to be a covenant person

having the laws of the New Covenant

written into your character, in your innermost being

always being passionate and wholehearted,

always sincere and always speaking the truth,

for your heart is trustworthy.

To be somebody

is to take your covenant duties seriously,

to overcome the desire for revenge,

to refuse to hit back with the same cruelty that you have been hit.

It is to forgive and forget,

but also to hold responsible

and bring the offending partner to justice

when the measure of iniquity is full,

and showing mercy in judgment,

remembering that the way you treat others you will be treated yourself

To be somebody

is to refuse to slander or insult others,

never listen to gossip or rumours,

and never harm another with their words.

When you are somebody you will speak against evil and evil workers

while commending the faithful ones

who humbly follow after the truth.

You will never crush others with exploitation or abuse,

but you will live an honest life

never taking a bribe against the innocent.

A covenant person will always stand before God,

seeking the glorious pleasure of God's face.