The Covenant Keeping God

Making a covenant entails Responsibility, Blessings and Penalty. God called Abraham and made a covenant with him. Its not just to bless him but committed Abraham to carry out certain actions in order to enjoy the blessings. The Lord said to Abraham, "This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you.  For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner--those who are not your offspring.  Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant." Genesis 17: 10-14. Let us examine the three aspects of covenant as mentioned above. 

 Responsibility is the price you must pay for a desired result. It could be your action or inaction. Those who avoid responsibilities are responsible for their own peril. This is because you alone will be accountable for whatever you do or fail to do. Therefore be ready to accept responsibility for the good you expect. 

Responsibility is a form of sacrifice. In other words, responsibility requires exchange of value. You offer what you value to get what is more valuable. It is a sacrifice of personal interest for the purpose of fulfilment. Responsibility goes with accountability.  Business Dictionary defines responsibility as, "duty or obligation to satisfactorily perform or complete a task (assigned by someone, or created by one's own promise or circumstances) that one must fulfill, and which has a consequent penalty for failure ." 

You can't be aloof when you are into a covenant. There could be what to do not because you like it.  In fact it could be unpopular and against the norms and traditions of men. In the case of Abraham, he was to circumcise the male children and be circumcised. 

3 Another crucial aspect of a covenant is the attendant blessings. Every covenant made has some sort of promises that attracts interests. The blessings attached to covenants generates an overwhelming interest. It is the promises that compels one or both  party involved to be responsible.

(to be continued.)