In Scripture, covenant between people involved measuring each other up, agreeing to conditions of mutual benefit, obtaining critical support of forces necessary for a sovereign to establish rule and order; words of honor exchanged with trustworthy persons especially when one can’t find them in his own family...

Taking off from the 32nd day of the count-up to Pentecost, the Sabbath of May 1, 2010, Juan Gabriel Cardona explored the beauty of COVENANT as prepared by the LORD God from the beginning and throughout the ages:

From the time the Almighty Creator introduced Himself “I AM THE LORD your GOD” to Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, making covenant (Heb. beyrith) with both conditions and promises extending to their descendants... to GOD’s REMEMBRANCE of His covenant whenever those same willful, headstrong descendants cried out to Him... to the time GOD Himself made a covenant with the people of Israel, the most basic manifestation of which was the commandments...

One feature stands out: That even when people have been consistently unfaithful, the LORD GOD has always been faithful “from eternity to eternity...”

Making it all the more astonishing that the Almighty Father went ahead to lay everything on the line to give His only Son for a “new covenant which the LORD GOD will make with the house of Israel..”

“Brethren, I speak in the manner of men: Though it is only a man’s covenant, yet if it is confirmed, no one annuls or adds to it. Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ. And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect.” – Galatians 3:15-17 NKJV ©1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Thus, far from being adjustable and subject to human predilection for  “discarding the old in favor of the new, or magnifying just one aspect of  the faith (obedience, grace, salvation, etc), covenant (Gr. diatheke) in all its completeness, now carries final, exacting weight, more in the sense of ‘will’ and ‘testament,’ “huling kagustuhan ng mamamatay... walang bisa hanggang mamatay muna ang gumawa” The shedding of the precious blood of the Lamb put this covenant into effect...

“For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?... –Hebrews 10:26-29, NKJV ©1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc.

CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW to listen to the podcast episode or DOWNLOAD the mp3 file to explore the beauty of GOD’s covenant, one of the themes central to His relationship with human beings; and the thoughtful, eternally hopeful extension of covenant to us, born in “the times of the end...”

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COVENANT :: (mp3 file :: 4.76MB)