The covenants referred to above were between two equal parties; this means that the covenant relationship was bilateral. The bond was sealed by both parties vowing, often by oath, that each, having equal privileges and responsibilities, would carry out their assigned roles. Because a covenant confirmed between two human parties was bilateral, some scholars have concluded that the covenant Yahweh established with human beings is also bilateral. This is not the case. God initiated, determined the elements, and confirmed his covenant with humanity. It is unilateral. Persons are recipients, not contributors; they are not expected to offer elements to the bond; they are called to accept it as offered, to keep it as demanded, and to receive the results that God, by oath, assures will not be withheld.I would never presume to believe myself equal with God. The fact that I was created by Him resolves that question for all time. I am the clay. However, we are dealing with a God who is humble, full of mercy, kindness, and can only be described as Love.
He is a God of covenant. But why even introduce the idea of a bond if love is not to be served by it? And what love can there be without freedom of choice? Would you want someone to be forced to love you? What fun would that be?
I would have to disagree with the quoted paragraph above. A covenant only has worth if it is based on an agreement. Agreement requires choice. Choice implies equality between the parties. Am I saying that I am equal with God? No. I'm saying God came down to my level in order to grace me with the choice to love Him.
Phi 2:5-8
5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
It is one thing for me to claim I am equal with God because I am great. It's quite another to say I have been granted equality with God because He is so incredibly full of mercy and grace. Still don't agree? Look at this then:
Rom 8:15-17
15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, " Abba, Father." 16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs — heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.
Again, I'm not saying I'm God. I'm not saying He and I are the same entity. I'm saying we are sufficiently equal for Him to deal with me as a person and not as a slave. Reread that last scripture. I am God's child. Holy Spirit tells me this all the time. I am an heir to the Kingdom of The Creator. Not only that, I'm a JOINT heir with Jesus, who is God! Jesus and I are equal partners in the inheritance! All that Jesus has is mine!!!! Dude...
Gen 25:5
5 And Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac.
The pattern established in the Bible is that a father gives EVERYTHING to his son. All that He has is ours. It boggles the mind.
But why? Why did He do this? Why lower Himself? Why, God, why?
Isa 53:10
10 Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him;...
Luk 12:32
32 " Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
This seems to suggest that it pleased God to beat Jesus until He was unrecognizable. It pleases Him, our Father, to give us the kingdom. What an extreme way to deal with something. Why go through all that? Well, He had to give His all.
When Jesus was on the earth, He gave us His all. He went all in on establishing the covenant with us. He left no stone unturned. Every i was dotted and every t was crossed (no pun intended). He gave and He gave and He gave, like that book The Giving Tree, until there was literally nothing left of Him. He gave His wisdom to the disciples and the crowds. He gave them His healing, His companionship, His love. When He had given all of that, He gave still more. He gave His body over to be beaten, His flesh to be ripped apart. He gave His dignity and His privacy. He gave His peace and received our torment. Finally, He gave His life. He was all in. He quite literally poured Himself out.
The Bible speaks of His doing all this because of the joy set before Him. Wow. It would have to be something really really extraordinary to warrant Him giving, literally, His all in order to obtain it. What could possibly be worth that? I mean, it's like that old saying, "What do you buy for the person who has everything?"
Your heart. Remember, it can't be bought or sold. Your heart must be given freely or not at all. There is something about you and I that He values so incredibly much that He'd hand Himself over as a ransom for us. We are not His equals yet He regards us as such and therefore we are.
I wonder if the entire Bible is about winning our affection. I wonder if maybe we are being romanced into holiness even now. Could it possibly be that simple?
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