When we gather before God each week, we are renewing covenant with God. This is not because the covenant has expired, but because we are finite human beings that need regular reminding and renewal. God does not forget, but we do forget. God does not get tired, but we do.
One element of covenant renewal is the idea of covenant representation. When God made covenant with Abraham, He was also making covenant with all of Abraham’s descendants. And remember that God made this covenant with Abraham before Abraham had any children at all. When God renewed covenant with Israel at Mt. Sinai, He was once again not merely renewing His covenant with those Israelites standing there at the foot of the mountain. A generation later, Moses told that new generation that they had been at the foot of the mountain and had seen God’s glory. How was that possible? The answer is covenant representation. When we stand before God, He not only sees us, He sees what we will be, He sees our children and grandchildren and beyond.
Some of you are young parents with young children and you are faithfully laboring to be here on behalf of your little ones who don’t yet understand what we are doing. And let me just encourage you, keep up the good work; we are all cheering you on. God will bless your labors. But let me remind everyone: we are all worshiping here this morning on behalf of many descendants and friends whom we have not yet met, who don’t yet understand what we are doing, who have not yet arrived.
So as you sing and pray and listen and eat and drink and raise your hands, do it all with this in mind. But don’t misunderstand, this didn’t just begin with you. You are standing here this morning because of fathers and mothers and grandparents and countless fathers and mothers in the faith who represented you to God, and at the very head of this glorious line, the One standing for all of us, representing all of us, is Jesus. He is standing for us in heaven right now. His blood is interceding for us and for our children to a thousand generations and for many who are still far off and yet to come. He is our Great High Priest. He is our covenant head, our covenant representative. And so you are most welcome here, you and all your hosts.
New e-book Death by Baptism available here.
Photo by Julie Johnson on Unsplash
Paul Ewart says
There is nothing but beauty in the covenant.
I hope to be a friend…’met’ in early June 2019 (moving). Until then I rejoice in the Lord by Legs and Mablog and audio downloads.
Thank you,
Paul Ewart
Fargo, ND