Covenanter Witness Vol. 53 - Rparchives.org

obedient."self."nation"covenant."come."PRAYER MEETING TOPICOctober 6, 1954Comments by W. O. Ferguson, D.D.THE NEW LIFE OF OBEDIENCEExodus 24:7 "All that the Lord hathsaid, will we do, and beThis pledge by the people should beconsidered in it's Scripture setting, Exodus 19 : 1-15.Psalms25:7-12, page 5989:14-17, page 217119:1-3, page 28726:1-3, 8, 9, page 61116:1, 2, 8, 9, 11, 12, page 28261:1, 3, 4, page 151Scripture ReferencesDeut. 7:9-12, 13; 13:18; 32:6; I Chron.22:19; n Peter 2:1; Prov. 23:26; Rom.12:1, 2; John 7:17; I Sam. 15:22;Ps. 50:23; James 1:22-25.The 19th chapter of Exodus relatesthe historical fact that after God had delivered the Hebrew people from theirbondage in Egypt, He led them to Mt.Sinai where He made known to themHis purpose to organize them into a nation on the condition that they shouldobey His laws and keep His Covenant.The laws referred to, consist of the TenCommandments and some additionallaws afterward recorded in. Exodus,chapters 20 and 23 inclusive. These lawswhen written in a book would be knownas "The Book of The Covenant" (Ex.24:3-4, 7) and (Heb. 9:19, 20). Thepeople voluntarily and whole heartedlyaccepted God's offer and through theiracceptance and ratification of the Covenant they became a nation with God astheir supreme ruler. In this covenanttransaction, "All the people answeredtogether, and said, "All that thedo"Lord hath spoken we will (Ex.19:8). This historical event is one of themost important in the whole history ofIsrael.In our last prayer meeting topic onCovenanting we considered "The NewCovenant"emphasizing certain truthsrelating to God's part in that covenant.In this topic we shall study it as it relates to man's part in the covenant. Weneed to keep in mind however, that theCovenant is ONE with God and mancovenanting together. We found that inthe "New Covenant" as recorded in Hebrews, God made provision for a betterunderstanding of the Covenant and for amore perfect obedience to it's requirements (Heb. 8:8-13).I.The Covenant Brings the People into aSpecial Relationship with God.Exodus 19:4 ff seems to indicate that172although God had a just claim to allpeoples of the earth, yet He could not becontent until He could claim as Hisown "a peculiar treasure unto me aboveall people : for all the earth is mine : andye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests,and an holy (Ex. 19:5,6). Thisnew possession would be securedthrough the Covenant Relationship. Inthis new possession there would be (1)a people separated from all other nations; (2) a people whom He could usein a special way in His service; (3) apeople over whom He would exercise aloving care; (4) a people who would bepermitted to enjoy fellowship with Him,both in their national and religious life;(5) a people who would have assuranceof eternal life through faith and obedience.n.The Place of Obedience in the CovenantRelationship.In Exodus 19 :3 ff there is a statementof God's activity in the deliverance ofIsrael: "Ye have seen what I did untothe Egyptians, and how I bare you oneagles wings, and brought you unto myAnother statement follows, "thenye shall be a peculiar treasure untome"; but in between is the requirementof obedience, "If ye will obey my voiceindeed and keep myIn thiswe find that OBEDIENCE is placed inthe verycenter of the covenant relationship. Thus we are taught: (1) thatObedience is due to God, not onlybecause of what He is in Himselfbut also because of His activity in ourbehalf; (2) that Obedience is a proofof devotion to God. "If ye love me, keepcommandments"my(John 14:15, 23-24).(3) That Obedience is the way to enjoyment of the covenant blessings. As longas and whenever Israel obeyed, theyenjoyed the blessings promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.The standard of such Obedience is"Thy will be done" (Matt. 6:10). Thewisdom of this requirement is that itbrings one into complete accord withGod in His plan and purpose to establishHis rule on the earth as manifest in theprayer, "Thy kingdomSuch aspirit of Obedience is essential to a holylife, a life set apart and consecratedto the glory of Godṁ.What Is Implied in Covenant Obedience?When consideringman's covenantvows, it seems that the following mustbe taken into account:1. That we therebyful ownershipaccept God's rightover us. God is represented as having purchased the childrenof Israel through their redemption frombondage in Egypt (Isaiah 43:3). Theword 'redemption' means to buy back!(In I Cor. 6:20), Paul says of the believer "For ye are bought with a price."2. That we will have no claims thatconflict with His claim. God's claim overHis children is all-comprehensive including both outward and inward life,even to the thoughts and intents of theheart (Heb. 4:12). "Thou shalt love theLord thy God with all thine heart, andwith all thy soul,might (Deut. 6:5).and with all thy3. That we will accept the will of Godin all things (Luke 22:42).4. That we will make a faithful use ofGod's Word for the sanctification of life(John 17:17).5. That we will accept the Word ofGod as contained in the Old and NewTestaments as the onlyrule for faithand life. See the first term of Communion.For Discussion.1. Do we have Scriptural authorityfor making covenant vows?2. Do the covenant vows have a valuein Christian life and service?3. Is a vow an acknowledgment ofresponsibility?4. In what sense is the covenant vowvoluntary?W. M. S. DepartmentMrs. Ross Latimer. Editor.Prayer Hour, 1:00 P.M. MondayTEMPERANCE REPORTThe Temperance reports for the lasttwo years have been encouraging andshow an increasing amount of interestand work accomplished. All ten of thePresbyterials reported with a total of81 societies in 1953 and 77 in 1954.Twenty-nine contests have been heldduring the last two years. ScientificTemperance Instruction has been rivenin public and parochial schools, as wellas in the Sabbath Schools, Bible Schoolsand Junior meetings. This informationreached many children. Several W.M.S.members are L.T.L. leaders and manyothers work in various ways with theW.C.T.U. which is recommended to all.Telegrams, letters and petitions haveleft their influence in Congress, in aState Department of Education and onRadio and Television. There is no wayof determining the results of the literature distributed but facts are enlightening and should have good effects.Let us all realize that it is our Christian responsibility to work for total abstinence.Mrs. John O. EdgarSynodical Temperance SuperintendentCOVENANTER WITNESS