Thoughts for the Day

‘Now therefore revere the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.’

Then the people answered, ‘Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods; for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our ancestors up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight. He protected us along all the way that we went..... therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.’

But Joshua said to the people, ‘You cannot serve the Lord, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm, and consume you, after having done you good.’ And the people said to Joshua, ‘No, we will serve the Lord!’ Then Joshua said to the people, ‘You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the Lord, to serve him.’ And they said, ‘We are witnesses.’ He said, ‘Then put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.’ The people said to Joshua, ‘The Lord our God we will serve, and him we will obey.’ So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and made statutes and ordinances for them at Shechem.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

A covenant is usually a binding agreement between two or more parties that involves both promises and responsibilities for each side. There are many covenants in the Hebrew scriptures, but when we think of Biblical Covenants, we are thinking of the five covenants made between God and His people:

• Noah Covenant: Genesis 9.8-11
• Abraham Covenant: Genesis 12.1-3
• Moses Covenant: Exodus 20.1-20
• David Covenant: 1 Chronicles 17
• New Covenant made with Jesus: Luke 22.20

These covenants reflect two main categories used in the Near East at the time: The Suzerian-Vassal Agreement which a king would make with his subjects and which depended on obedience to certain things. The second was The Royal Grant Agreement that required no action by the recipient and was an unconditional promise given by one party to the other. The covenant with Noah is an example of this, whereas the covenant with Moses is an example of the Suzerian-Vassal Agreement.

So what is the covenant made at Shechem in today's reading? Well this is actually a renewal of the covenant of Moses made at Sinai, but now made again with the twelve tribes before they go to their allotted land, and before the death of Joshua. It is, however, just as binding as the first time it was made - if Israel will obey God's Laws they will be His chosen people and His treasured possession. Ultimately, God will extend His blessings not just to Israel, but to all peoples.

At our Baptism God invited us to become His children, through our faith in His Son, Jesus, and the promises we (or our godparents) made then or later at our Confirmation, were just as binding. We made an eternal covenant with God.

Heavenly Father,
today as we remind ourselves
of the covenant we made with You at our Baptism
(and reaffirmed at our Confirmation)
may we not take for granted
those promises we made to be Your child.
May we never forget that You are one God,
and we owe You everything,