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ASA’S COVENANT WITH GOD
FEW persons have any just idea of the use and efficacy of ministerial exertions, when accompanied with power from on high. In the context, we see one man, a prophet of the Lord, standing up in Jehovah’s name, and by one single address turning a whole nation to the Lord their God. Doubtless the prophet Oded [Note: In ver. 1. he is called “Azariah the son of Oded:” and we apprehend that when, in ver. 8, he is called “Oded,” the son of Oded is meant; this being a common abbreviation in the Scriptures. But in a popular discourse it is not necessary to notice this.] had a peculiar commission, and was honoured with a far greater measure of success than any minister in this day is authorized to expect: nevertheless every servant of the Lord, to whomsoever he may be sent, whether to kings or subjects, should deliver his message with fidelity; and in so doing., may expect that God will render his word effectual for great and extensive good. In the hope that our message shall not be altogether in vain, we come to you now in Jehovah’s name, and call upon you to covenant with him as Asa and his subjects did: and, that we may prevail with you to comply with our injunctions, we will distinctly consider,
I. What covenant they made—
Here we shall separately notice,
1. The covenant itself—
[This related to nothing which they were not previously bound to fulfil. To “seek the Lord God of their fathers” was their duty: the law of Moses, yea, the law of nature, bound them to it: and reason, no less than revelation, told them, not only that they should seek after God, but that they should seek him with their whole hearts.]
2. The manner in which they made it—
[Their zeal was very remarkable; yet it was precisely what the occasion called for. That they should all solemnly swear to this covenant, and devote to death every soul that should refuse to concur in it, seems an instance of unparalleled harshness and intolerance; yet were both the oath which they took [Note: Deu_29:10-15.], and the proscription which they agreed to [Note: Deu_17:2-5.], expressly required in the law of Moses: if a husband or a wife were to propose a departure from God, it was the duty of the party who was so tempted to give information to the magistrate, and, on conviction of the offender, to take the lead in executing the sentence of death upon him.]
But it will be asked, Would you propose this as a pattern for us? We answer, Yes: we would propose it as a pattern, both in the matter and the manner of it:–
1. In the matter of it—
[Let us covenant “to seek the Lord God of our fathers with our whole heart, and with our whole soul.” To seek him thus is our duty, independently of any covenant: it is due to God as our Creator; it is due to him also as our Redeemer. Did our God come down from heaven to seek us; and shall not we seek him? Did he give up himself to the accursed death of the cross for us; and shall we content ourselves with offering him a divided heart? What is the thing that deserves to be put in competition with him? What has done so much for us, or what can? Have the vanities of this world, “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life,” any pretension to be his rivals? O let a sense of his unbounded love and mercy lend us to consecrate ourselves altogether to his service! If the Jews, on account of their deliverance from Egyptian bondage by the exertions of Omnipotence, were bound to seek and serve God with their whole hearts, much more are we, who have been redeemed from sin and Satan, death and hell, by the blood of God’s co-equal, co-eternal Son.]
2. In the manner of it—
[If it be thought that we are not called to swear, we answer, that we all have sworn already in our baptism; and have renewed our oath when we were confirmed: and, as often as we have attended at the table of the Lord, we have again repeated our oath to renounce the devil and all his works, and to serve the Lord Jesus Christ as our only Lord [Note: The term Sacramentum was used to signify the oath by which the Roman soldiers engaged never to desert the General under whom they fought.].
With respect to the proscription, we acknowledge that we are not at this time to enforce Christianity by an appeal to the civil power: and that to inflict the penalty of death on any persons on account of their neglect of Christ, would be to oppose the plainest dictates of his religion: but yet we may, and must, declare, that the judgments of God shall overtake all who either reject him altogether, or seek him with a divided heart: yea, the sentence of eternal misery denounced against them in the Scriptures must receive our most unqualified approbation: we must say with St. Paul, “If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema maran-atha [Note: 1Co_16:22.];” that is, let him be accursed; and God will surely come ere long to inflict that curse upon him. Thus, notwithstanding the abrogation of penalties to be inflicted by the civil arm, under the Christian dispensation, we do in fact proceed even further than the Jews did in the covenant before us: for the judgments denounced by them related to overt acts only, whereas ours relate to the heart: and the penalties inflicted by them extended only to the body, whereas ours relate to the soul; and that too of every creature to whom the Gospel is sent, “whether small or great, whether man or woman.”
If it be thought that such covenants are needless, we reply, that they are of the greatest possible utility, if solemnly entered into in our secret chamber before God: for, they contain a solemn recognition of our duty, and a deliberate vindication of God’s justice in punishing all who will not seek him in his appointed way: they moreover tend exceedingly to impress our own minds with a sense of the heinousness of departing from God, and to fortify us against all the temptations to which at any time we may be exposed: and it is owing to the low state of religious attainments amongst us, that such covenants are so rarely made.
As to the idea of legality, it is no better than an excuse for our own sloth and lukewarmness. For, nothing can be more suited to the spirit of the Gospel than such covenant-transactions are; they are a strict compliance with the Apostle’s exhortation “to yield our bodies unto God a living sacrifice, holy, and acceptable unto God, as our reasonable service [Note: Rom_12:1.].”]
That we may be stirred up to enter into this covenant, let us contemplate,
II. The benefits resulting from it—
For the discovery of these, we need go no further than the passage before us.
In the very act,
[They were filled with great and exalted joy; “they sware, with a loud voice, and with shouting, and with trumpets, and with cornets; yea, all Israel rejoiced at the oath.” This mode of testifying their joy was suited to the dispensation under which they lived. The joy which Christianity inspires is of a more refined nature; it is less tumultuous, but more spiritual, and more abiding: and we will venture to appeal to all who have ever solemnly devoted themselves to God in their secret chamber, embracing the Lord Jesus Christ as their only Lord and Saviour, and surrendering up themselves to him as his redeemed people, whether they did not find in that transaction a peace and a joy which nothing else in the whole universe could impart? Do they not at this moment look back to such seasons as the happiest periods of their lives? — — — We have no fear of contradiction upon this point: we are well assured, that “all who sow in tears do reap in joy [Note: Compare Psa_126:5-6. with Jer_29:12-13.];” and, for the most part, “the reaper treads upon the very heels of the sower [Note: Amo_9:13.];” so speedily do they enjoy the reward of their labours.]
After the act was performed,
[God gave them undoubted testimonies of his acceptance. How he manifested it to them on this occasion, we know not: there were a great variety of ways in which he was wont to give his people an evidence of his approbation: at one time, by a lamp passing between the divided pieces of the sacrifice [Note: Gen_15:10; Gen_15:17.]; at another, by a special messenger from heaven [Note: Dan_9:21.]; at another, by a voice from heaven [Note: Joh_12:28-29.]; and frequently by sending fire from heaven to consume their sacrifice [Note: Lev_9:24.]. But whatever means he used, we are well assured, that he left them no room to doubt of his approbation of the act they had performed; for we are told, “He was found of them.” And will he not be found of us also? and has he not still many ways of manifesting himself to us? Yes; by the secret operation of his Spirit he will reveal himself to our souls, and shed abroad his love in our hearts, and “say unto our souls, I am thy salvation.”]
For a long period afterwards,
[There was peace to the land; for “God gave them rest round about.” By comparing different dates in this chapter, we find that the land had rest twenty years [Note: ver. 10. with ver. 19,]. It is true, in another part of the inspired volume, we are told, that “there was war between Asa and Baasha all their days [Note: 1Ki_15:16.]:” but this, for the space mentioned in our text, was only in small contentions or skirmishes on the borders: there was no serious assault upon him from any quarter. This exhibits in a most striking point of view the rest which God will give to his believing and obedient people. Our spiritual enemies will not be so put down as to leave us no occasion for vigilance: their enmity will remain the same as ever; and there will still be occasional skirmishes on the borders [Note: Gal_5:17.]: but they shall not so come against us as to overwhelm us, or even to destroy our happiness: we shall “know in whom we have believed;” and feel safety in his protection. “Weapons may be formed against us; but they shall not prosper:” and “men may fight against us; but they shall not prevail against us.” It is surprising to what an extent some are delivered from painful conflicts for a considerable time after they have devoted themselves in a solemn covenant to the Lord: their very lusts which once led them captive seem almost to be slain, and “Satan himself to be bruised under their feet.” True it is, that this will not always continue; but the more frequently and cordially we devote ourselves to God, the more abundantly will he fill us with grace and peace, and give us a foretaste of that rest which remaineth for us in a better world.]
We shall conclude with two proposals, in reference to the covenant we have been considering; and we shall make them to two distinct classes:
1. To those who think such an entire devotion of themselves to God unnecessary—
[If God do not require this service at our hands, we need not render it to him: and, if we need not render it to him, we may resolve, and even covenant to withhold it from him. We propose then to those who think there is no necessity to seek after God with their whole hearts, Let us make a covenant together, that we never will seek him thus: let us confirm it with an oath; and let us swear aloud that heaven and earth may hear. Let us go further still, and covenant to prevent every one to the utmost of our power from seeking him, in this way. let us hate, and revile, and persecute them, and, by every means that the law of the land will admit of, let us deter them from such unnecessary, fanatical, and injurious proceedings. The law will not suffer us to put them to death; but let us at least shew, that we would do it if we dared; and by the whole of our conduct towards them let us say, “Away with such fellows from the earth, for it is not fit that they should live!” Or, if any of you think that we ought to leave others at liberty, then we will wave this part of our proposal, and only covenant that we will never seek after God ourselves. Now then let us begin: let us address ourselves to the sacred Majesty of heaven: let us tell him that he has no such claim upon us as he pretends to in his word, and that we are determined never to render him the service he requires. — — — What! Do you hold back? Do you shudder at the proposal? Do you tremble at the thought of entering into such a covenant? Yes; methinks, there is not one person present that is bold enough to give it his sanction: yet there are many who act agreeably to the tenour of that covenant; many who seek God in a mere formal way, or at best with a divided heart. Know then, all ye who violate your duties to your God, that you stand condemned in your own consciences; and, “if your own hearts condemn you, God is greater than your hearts,” and will condemn you also. Attend then with becoming reverence to the proposal which we next make,]
2. To those who desire to approve themselves to God in the way that he requires—
[The making of covenants in our own strength is in no respect advisable: but in humble dependence on the grace or Christ we may make them, and ought to make them. We read of the Christians in Macedonia, that, previous to serving God with their properly, “they gave their ownselves to the Lord [Note: 2Co_8:5,].” And this is what the Prophet Jeremiah foretells as characterizing the godly under the Christian dispensation; “Come, let us join ourselves to the Lord in a perpetual covenant, that shall not be forgotten [Note: Jer_50:4-5.].” Now then let us do it: let us all be of one heart and one mind in this particular [Note: Here the persons confirmed might be particularly addressed.]: let us look up to God for his grace, that we may be enabled to keep the vow which we are about to make: and may “God be found of us,” whilst we are thus seeking him; and “give us rest” in our souls, even that rest which our blessed Lord has promised unto all that come to him in truth [Note: Mat_11:28-29.]!
O thou gracious and ever-blessed God, “who hast formed us for thyself,” and hast moreover redeemed us by the blood of thine only dear Son, thine we are by every tie. We are conscious that “we are not our own; and that, having been bought with a price, we are bound to glorify thee with our bodies and our spirits, which are thine.” We desire then now to consecrate ourselves to thee; and engage, as in thine immediate presence, “no longer to live unto ourselves, but unto Him that died for us and rose again.” May we never forget this vow, or act for a moment inconsistent with it! We avouch thee this day to be our God; and we give up ourselves to thee as thy people: and we desire, that “thou wouldest sanctify us wholly; and that our whole spirit, and soul, and body, may be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ [Note: 1Th_5:23.].”]