Nehemiah 10:28 “The rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple servants, and all who have separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the Law of God, their wives, their sons, their daughters, all who have knowledge and understanding, join with their brothers, their nobles, and enter into a curse and an oath to walk in God’s Law that was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the Lord our Lord and his rules and his statutes. We will not give our daughters to the peoples of the land or take their daughters for our sons. And if the peoples of the land bring in goods or any grain on the Sabbath day to sell, we will not buy from them on the Sabbath or on a holy day. And we will forego the crops of the seventh year and the exaction of every debt.
Deuteronomy 29:12-14 so that you may enter into the sworn covenant of the LORD your God, which the LORD your God is making with you today, that he may establish you today as his people, and that he may be your God, as he promised you, and as he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. It is not with you alone that I am making this sworn covenant,
Psalms 119:106 I have sworn an oath and confirmed it, to keep your righteous rules.
2 Kings 23:3 And the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people joined in the covenant.
John 15:14 You are my friends if you do what I command you.
Titus 2:11-14 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.
It was common for people to enter into a covenant before God by an oath that was recorded. They also included a curse to be carried out against themselves should they abandon, disregard, forsake, or pay no attention to the oath. In this covenant oath, the people committed to walk in God’s Law and observe all of the commandments, rules, and statues. How many times does one generation make a covenant and another fall away? How many times does a parent make a covenant and their children fall away? What causes a person to come to a place of making a covenant? What happens in a person’s life that causes them, or allows them to disregard an oath/covenant with Jesus Christ? What is it that makes walking away from or giving no thought to the covenant bond with Jesus Christ? What happens in a person’s life that allows them to become lukewarm in their covenant walk with Jesus Christ? How does this all happen? How does the flame go out?
We could all give lists that would include, busyness, job and family responsibilities, church leader and member hypocrisy, health or financial or relational trials/troubles, and cultural and societal influences. These are not the root cause of the walking/sliding/turning away. The root cause is in our heart, mind, and soul. This is where commitment is made, followed, respected, held on to, submitted to, and cemented into every aspect of our life. It is a light that gives us a clear view of the decisions we are facing. It is a light that clarifies the path we should take. It is the light that exposes the wrong thoughts, actions, and words. God’s word is a bright light that illuminates Jesus Christ the light of the world.
When our heart, mind, and soul are given to something else we lose the influence of the light of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit in our life. The light goes out and in this darkness, the covenant bond with Jesus Christ is slowly put aside and soon forgotten. In this darkness, new priorities arise that disregard the covenant bond with Jesus Christ. In this darkness, we confuse worldly with Godly, good and bad, right and wrong, truth and false, humility and pride, generosity and greed, forgiveness and resentment, humbleness and jealousy, and obedience and complacency. None of us are immune to these attacks from the influences of our sinful nature. This is the battle between the light of the world and the darkness of sin. Sometimes it is a battle we do not even know we are in because we confuse the darkness with light. It is a battle we can never win on our own. It is a battle within our heart, mind, and soul, that is won in and through Jesus Christ.
We will do well to take serious the faith oath covenant we made by faith in and through belief in, reliance on, and clinging to Jesus Christ. It is not too late. There is still hope to come back into the light of Jesus Christ. Confess, repent, and run to Him with a heart, mind, and soul commitment. Stay in His word. Desire and seek to be led by it. Continually hold fast to it and begin anew a life long journey of humble service, honoring, glorifying, following, and obeying Jesus Christ.