Topic: Practical Covenant [DCLM Daily Manna 24 November 2020 Devotional by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi]
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Text: Jeremiah 31:27-40 (KJV)
27 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man, and with the seed of beast.
28 And it shall come to pass, that like as I have watched over them, to pluck up, and to break down, and to throw down, and to destroy, and to afflict; so will I watch over them, to build, and to plant, saith the LORD.
Also See: Open Heaven 24 November 2020 – Learn From The Fall Of Samson II
29 In those days they shall say no more, The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.
30 But every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge.
31 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:
33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
35 Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The LORD of hosts is his name:
36 If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the LORD, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever.
37 Thus saith the LORD; If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith the LORD.
38 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that the city shall be built to the LORD from the tower of Hananeel unto the gate of the corner.
39 And the measuring line shall yet go forth over against it upon the hill Gareb, and shall compass about to Goath.
40 And the whole valley of the dead bodies, and of the ashes, and all the fields unto the brook of Kidron, unto the corner of the horse gate toward the east, shall be holy unto the LORD; it shall not be plucked up, nor thrown down any more for ever.
Key Verse: “But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.” – (Jeremiah 31:33)
MESSAGE:
A father was not impressed with his son’s academic performance. Rather than scolding him, he asked him to mention a gift he wanted from him. Stunned by this question, the young boy said he would like to spend his vacation with his sister, who lives in the United Kingdom. He granted his demand provided that he would score distinction grades in all his subjects. His father’s commitment encouraged him to burn the midnight oil. Eventually, the boy came out with flying colours and his father never reneged on his promise.
Our text dwells on a new covenant God promised to make with the house of Israel and that of Judah. As the case of the father and his son, a covenant is an agreement between two parties. It always remains valid as far as the parties to the contract are still alive. In every covenant, each party is required to keep their part for the sustenance of the covenant. A covenant, therefore, bestows individual responsibilities on the parties.
The passage also reveals God’s plan to make a new covenant with the children of Israel (verse 31). Why a new covenant if nothing was wrong with the old? The reason stems from the constant failure on the part of man to keep his side of the deal with God. It is clear that the relationship between God and man is anchored on love; hence, a thing of the heart and not of the head. Thus, He has promised to put His law in “their inward parts, and write it in their hearts…”
Man is incapable of meeting God’s expectations without a transformation of the heart. Do you have passion to please God, but lack the power to follow Him? What you need now is a new covenant with Him. Just take your heart to Him in prayer for inward cleansing. He is always willing to bestow upon us the power to comply with all His instructions.
Thought For The Day: The heart of the matter is the matter of the heart.
The Bible In One Year: Ezekiel 45-46
DCLM Daily Manna was written by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.