Covenants are for our sakes

I've been getting this inkling to share this for some time: covenants. Truthfully, I do not know where to begin because words seem so insufficient. I will try my best. Hopefully, I'll be able to bless you with what I have learnt.

A covenant is like an agreement. An agreement sealed by blood. It is sealed by blood because if a party breaks it, that parties dies. In the bible, there are many covenants. Some between God and Man and some between man and man.

Examples of covenant today can be seen in many chinese gangster movie. The members each drip their blood into a bowl of water and drink it, symbolises shared blood. A blood covenant the chinese call it. That's why when a brother betrays another, blood is demanded as payment.

Now, when a covenant is made, an exchange took place. In a marriage covenant, the man & wife becomes a unit, becomes one, becomes unity. (One in the hebrew language means just that, unite) In the gang, what is yours is also mine and what is mine is also yours. ( chinese translates loosly to: got money together share joy, got trouble together share burden)

That is why when David and Jonathan cut a covenant, they exchanged robes (status), armor (protection?), sword (power). Jonathan gave all his treasures to David. In essence they took each other's place. David is now united with Jonathan. And Jonathan now is also part of David.

This is what it means to have a divine exchange. The exchange of positions, of power, of posessions, of everything.

Therefore when Jesus died for us, He was the mediator of a new covenant. He is our 'Jonathan'. We took his place as the prince. And He took our place as the sinner, as the man with curses, as the man with a broken body. He became all the BAD so that we can inherit all the GOOD. He DIED so we may LIVE. He (insert anything bad) so that we may get the (insert the opposite). It's a DIVINE exhnage.

In other words, how do we know today that our sickness will be healed be Jesus? Look at his broken body. (Isiah says by his stripes we are healed.... surely he carried all our infirmities) How do we know what we are forgiven, look at his ressurection.

But many a times, we are not convinced. We think that perhaps it's not God's soveriegn will to heal, or to bless... etc. I do not know many things but this I know, God has cut an covenant with Jesus. Jesus represent man, although he is the son of god. So that through him I may take his place. And whoever breaks the covenant dies. I'm not dead cause he died for me. He cannot die because He did that once already.

What about generation curse? He that was hung on a tree is cursed. Jesus was hung on a tree (the cross).

What about health? Look at His broken body. What about wealth? Look at his possesion at the cross. What about peace of mind? Look at His crowns of thorns on the cross. Whatever your needs are, look at Jesus.

It's a wonderful thing to have a blood covenant with Jesus whereby He has fufilled all. Now we can enter that rest.

Now what is more amazing than any of this is to me is what I discovered recently while I was trying to memorise this verse: 2 cor 9

⁹For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich he became poor, so that through his poverty you might become rich.

For the longest time, that was how I remember the verse. Yet the Holy Spirit prompted me that I missed out an important section. And guess what was it? Let me show the whole verse:

⁹For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.

Yes people, it was YET FOR OUR SAKES, that he became a man, a broken, beaten, sinful, ugly, beyond recognition, despise man. So that in exchange we may become like him. I'd imagine looking into his sad eyes at the cross. His lonely eyes- for no one was there with him. Even God forsake him. Every curse possible fell on him. He who has not fall sick for all his life is now tasting death..... yet for our sakes he says. "I'm going to purchase your every good"

It was this verse that touched me so much that night. Yet for OUR sakes, He became (insert your need), so that we may inherit the good.

It was for our sake that He cut the new covenant with us so that we through him may inherit the good.