Brothers and sisters, let me take an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in this case.
Summary: Paul refers to something that is common today, but he does it in a way that is not common. To sort this out, we need to unpack this verse.
In this passage, Paul takes “an example from everyday life.” So, what is his “example?” He uses a “human covenant that has been duly established.”
“Great!,” (sarcasm ON)
“Thanks, Paul!”
“Can you give us examples of a duly established ‘human covenant?’”
As it turns out, Paul doesn’t actually give us any examples. He expects us to know what he is talking about. We are left to use our imaginations to figure it out.
Paul’s phrase, “human covenant,” is an old-fashioned phrase that means “contract.” There are lots of examples we can use.
The first examples that come to mind are the “BIG” contracts we use in life. Buying a house, for example, requires a Purchase and Sales Agreement (contract), and often requires a loan agreement, another kind of contract. Another “BIG” example is a car purchase. The number of papers that must be signed to buy a car these days rivals the contracts used for a home purchase.
There are smaller examples found on your personal computer or phone. There are “user agreements,” or “terms and conditions” documents for every application or program.
Perhaps the best example is the last one we ever use in this life: our last will and testament. A “will” is a contract with society at large. After we leave this world, our will provides directions to those who remain behind. This contract, or “human covenant,” tells others what we want done with our estate.
When Paul says “no one can set aside” a contract, he is thinking of a world where people respect the law. There are always some people who don’t respect the dead, and they want to challenge a will. Others might break a business contract when it doesn’t suit their purposes. But Paul appears to mean an uncontested contract when he describes it as “duly established.”
Paul is about to jump off into an example that involves a “contract” between Abraham and God. It is not a written contract like you and I would draw up if we were doing a business deal. Contracts between God and Man depend wholly on God’s righteousness and integrity. After all, if you can’t trust God, who can you trust?
Application: There is no one you can trust more than God himself.
Food for Thought: How does God’s faithfulness in honoring his covenants impact us today?
We count on God’s faithfulness to keep His covenants. He is forever faithful. Today we are still impacted in many ways.
For example, He promised Noah in an unconditional covenant that He would never kill all life through a flood ever again. That is a covenant agreement with all of mankind. He promised David that there would be a forever Person sitting on His throne. That was an unconditional promise to Jesus that will bless both Israel and the church. He made an unconditional covenant to Abraham that his biological descendants would have a specific land. That is the land from which Jesus will someday rule. He made an unconditional promise in the New Covenant that He would provide salvation to all who place their faith in Christ and His work on the cross. These are unconditional covenants or promises that we still rely on every day. Thankfully, He is faithful and we can trust these promises.
Thanks Rich!
Great answers! They illustrate the reliability of God’s covenants and the Truth of his Word.
After replying, I was feeling guilty that I did not mention the promise of the Holy Spirit indwelling all followers of Jesus (Ephesians 1: 13 – 14). That is a promise that we definitely still count on every day.
Brother Rich,
“Feeling guilty” in this case is both an affirmation of the Spirit’s presence and an answer to yesterday’s question! (“How do we know we have received the “promise of the Holy Spirit?”)
How does God’s faithfulness in honoring his covenants impact us today?
Rich summarized this well!
Today we sign documents in the presence of a Notary who signs and stamps a statement, attesting to its authenticity with their Notary Seal. God has sealed every believer as His property. We do not approach the throne of God on our merits, but in the authority of our God whose eternal seal is plainly seen by all.
2 Corinthians 1:21-22, Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.
Revelation 9:4, They were told not to hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.
Ron,
Thank you! I like the illustration of a notary seal. Well done!