The Unalterable Nature of Divine Covenant

The Joy of Being Chosen

•Deuteronomy 7:6 -- For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.

•Not because of numbers or might•Because of God’s love and because God kept His covenant with Abraham.•Their choosing began with deliverance from slavery.

With Covenant Comes Responsibility

Genesis 7:11-12Therefore, take care to follow the commands, decrees and laws I give you today.  12 If you pay attention to these laws and are careful to follow them, then the LORD your God will keep his covenant of love with you, as he swore to your forefathers.

With Covenant Comes Great Blessing

•Deuteronomy 7:13 -- He will love you and bless you and increase your numbers. He will bless the fruit of your womb, the crops of your land—your grain, new wine and oil—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks in the land that he swore to your forefathers to give you.

•Fertility•Freedom from disease•Conquest

To Break Covenant Brings Disaster

•Moses gives them a stern warning•Be sure to keep the covenant

The Reception of the Covenant

•Exodus 24•Twice the people agree to keep the covenant with God

•Vs. 3 -- When Moses went and told the people all the LORD's words and laws, they responded with one voice, "Everything the LORD has said we will do.“•Vs. 7 -- Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, "We will do everything the LORD has said; we will obey."

Meeting With The Lord

•Verse 9 -11

•Moses, Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and 70 elders approach the Lord on Sinai.

•They see the Lord (a manifestation of His presence) and yet are not killed.

•They seal the covenant with a meal before God.

The Faithfulness of God

Psalm 89:33-34 -- but I will not take my love from him, nor will I ever betray my faithfulness. I will not violate my covenant or alter what my lips have uttered.

Psalm 36:5-6 -- Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep. O LORD, you preserve both man and beast.

The Tragedy of Broken Covenant

•The problem with keeping covenant has NEVER been with God’s covenant or with God’s faithfulness.•The problem has always been man’s refusal to keep covenant. Man is unfaithful.

A Trail of Broken Covenants

A. Adam broke covenant

Hosea 6:7 -- Like Adam, they have broken the covenant— they were unfaithful to me there.

A Trail of Broken Covenants

B. Israel repeatedly broke covenant –

Jeremiah 11:10 -- They have returned to the sins of their forefathers, who refused to listen to my words. They have followed other gods to serve them. Both the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken the covenant I made with their forefathers.

Nadab and AbihuLeviticus 10:1-3 -- Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense; and they offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, contrary to his command. 2 So fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD. 3 Moses then said to Aaron, "This is what the LORD spoke of when he said: " 'Among those who approach me I will show myself holy; in the sight of all the people I will be honored.' “ Aaron remained silent.

God Will Be Glorified

•We have a choice!•We have been chosen by God to receive rich blessings through Jesus Christ.•We can worship God willingly and we will be richly blessed.Or we can refuse to keep His covenant and we will bring judgment down upon our heads.

•The choice is ours to make. Will we live? Or will we die?