Kept by His Covenant

Moses blesses Israel by recalling the God who comes in majesty and gives a fiery law; the psalm answers by praising the same Lord who clothes Himself with light and feeds every living thing; Paul stands before an angry crowd to confess that this Lord seized him and sent him; and Jeremiah shows what becomes of a people when treachery, fear, and worldly refuge rule them. The thread is plain: the God who made and sustains the world also commands the obedience of His people, and to despise His covenant is to choose death.

Irenaeus says of Levi’s blessing, “But who are they that have left father and mother, and have said adieu to all their neighbours, on account of the word of God and His covenant, unless the disciples of the Lord?” This is seen in Paul. He does not keep silence to preserve himself. He tells the truth of his former rage, his repentance, his baptism, and the commission he received. He would rather bear chains than deny the word given him.

Jeremiah gives the dark counterpart. At Mizpah, bread is shared, then blood is spilled. The remnant is scattered because men prefer intrigue and Egyptian help to the fear of God. As Justin says, they are those “who have sinned in going down to Egypt (but they have not inquired at Me), that they may be assisted by Pharaoh, and be covered with the shadow of the Egyptians.”

Therefore let us not seek life by false shelter. The Lord who opens His hand to feed the creatures is able also to renew the face of the earth; but He renews a people who keep His covenant, confess His name, and endure in obedience.