Lenten Devotion – God is Faithful and True
Day 4, 17 February 2024
“The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise. For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on the promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise.” Galatians 3:17-18
When we make a promise, we agree to carry it out. Humankind has a horrible track record at keeping promises.
World War I was fought between 1914 and 1918. 9.7 million soldiers and 10 million civilians died. It was called the War to End All Wars. The Treaty of Versailles, signed on June 28, 1919, was meant to be a peace agreement signed by the involved parties to end that conflict. A treaty is meant to be a mutual agreement. Instead it was seen by the losers of that war, principally Germany, as grotesquely unfair to them because they had to bear full responsibility and cost of that war.
Actually, that treaty was never ratified. To ratify a written agreement or law is to make it formal, binding and must be carried out. The damage had already been done. The unfair terms of this treaty contributed to the anger that fueled the rise of Nazi Germany and the outbreak of World War II. This was an even more horrendous conflict that claimed the lives of between 70-85 million people. World War II ended in 1945 with a series of peace treaties being signed in 1947.
Fast forward past the Cold War to 2024, and we face the danger of the multiple hot wars and rivalries across the globe escalating into wider conflicts.
The agreements made by mankind are both faulty and fallible. Our human attempts at reaching lasting peaceful arrangements seem more like empty promises. The words “faithful and true” do not describe any of the above agreements. They fall far short.
But you know what? Our God is faithful and true. He both makes and ratifies covenants with His people. A covenant is a higher form of agreement made between both parties with God at the centre of it.
The covenant God made with Abraham is recorded for us in Genesis 22:18. Abraham never lived to see this promise fulfilled. Jesus Christ fulfilled that covenant and we can trace His lineage from Abraham. Jesus Christ is the promised offspring of Abraham. He is God incarnated as man.
In the death of Christ is the covenant of His blood where redemption from sin and salvation freely is given for all. This is why we have the New Testament. It is the new covenant with God sealed by the blood of Christ.
In Jesus, God fulfilled His promise to Abraham.
If you are reading this and you are searching for hope amidst this fallen world, we want to point you to Jesus, the One who will never fail.
God’s terms are simple: believe, repent and follow Christ.
For those of us who already know Him, let us remember our brothers and sisters in Christ in all the warzones today where they strive to be the light of the world and salt of the earth amidst the darkness. They may even live on opposing sides of the same conflict. such as Palestine, Israel, Russia, Ukraine or Myanmar.
This is one of my favourite contemporary songs and I hope it ministers to you.
http://tinyurl.com/17FebMinSong
Shaun Foo🙏