Today’s selected reading continues in the Old Testament prophetic book of Jeremiah, and more specifically, is found in the eleventh chapter of the book. “Hear ye the words of this covenant!” Please don’t move too quickly past the opening set of verses within this chapter, for within them the Lord of hosts reminds the house of Judah of something very specific and very particular. Through the prophet Jeremiah the Lord of hosts called the house of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to hear the words of this covenant. This declaration—this invitation if you will—carries with it tremendous weight and significance, for through this opening set of words, the Lord seeks and desires to bring His people back to the place of covenant. When speaking to and dealing with His people, the Lord of hosts seeks to remind them of the covenant which He entered into with their forefathers. In fact, if you take the study the history of the Old Testament, you will quickly discover that there were a number of covenants the Lord entered into. From the very opening book of the Scripture we find the Lord entering into covenant with the first man—Adam. Pretty much from the beginning of time and creation the Lord of hosts entered into covenant with man, thus suggesting and signifying His willingness to yoke and bind Himself together with and to His creation. From the opening two chapters of Scripture we find the Lord of hosts entering into covenant with the first man and first women—a covenant that would result in their being given dominion upon the entire face of the earth. It was to Adam that dominion and authority was given upon the earth, as Adam was responsible for subduing the earth according to the divine will, according to the divine plan of the Lord of hosts. Consider the covenant the Lord of hosts entered into with Adam after He made him in his image, and after His likeness. “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. And God saw every thing that He had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day” (Genesis 1:26-31).

 From the very first week of time and creation the Lord of hosts entered into covenant with man whom He had personally created and formed from the dust of the earth. WHEN THE LORD MAKES A COVENANT WITH THE DUST OF THE EARTH! WHEN THE LORD TAKES FROM THE DUST OF THE EARTH, BREATHES HIS BREATH OF LIFE INTO IT, AND ENTERS INTO COVENANT WITH IT! How absolutely incredible it is to think that the Lord took of the dust of the earth, formed man from that dust, and then as He breathed His own breath of life, man became a living soul. It was this living soul—this newly created being that had a physical body, a soul and a spirit all working jointly together—that the Lord entered into covenant with. The Lord of hosts took man from the dust of the earth, and not only breathed His own nature and life into that being, but also entered into covenant with it. What an absolutely incredible thought it is to think that the Lord took dust from the earth, formed and fashioned it, breathed His own breath of life into it, and then entered into covenant with it. The Lord of hosts was intentionally and deliberately willing to create and form man from the dust of the earth, and not only breathe His own life and nature into him, but also enter into covenant with him. “The Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul” (Genesis 2:7). The Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, the Lord God put man in the garden which He had planted, and the Lord entered into and established covenant with man. FORMED, PLANTED AND ENJOYING COVENANT! IN all reality, this essentially the divine will and plan of the Lord of hosts for man, for the Lord desires to form man, place him in that place which He himself had planted and prepared, and finally enter into covenant with Him. It is from that place of proximity and that place of covenant man could enjoy and experience relationship with the Lord. Consider in the eighth verse Moses records how “the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there He put the man whom He had formed” (Genesis 2:8). Consider also how in the fifteenth verse of the same chapter, Moses records how “the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it” (Genesis 2:15).

 COVENANT DEMANDS OBEDIENCE! COVENANT DEMANDS HOLINESS! COVENANT DEMANDS RESPONSIBILITY! COVENANT DEMANDS DUTY! COVENANT DEMANDS HONOR TO AND HONOR OF THE WORD AND COMMAND OF ALMIGHTY GOD! If there is one thing we must understand about the Lord’s entering into covenant with us, it’s that covenant carries with it the responsibility and requirement of obedience before the Lord. In the fifteenth verse of the second chapter we read how the Lord God took the man, and put him in the garden of Eden, and did so in order that man might dress it and keep it. In the very next verse, however, we find the command that is directly connected to the covenant. “And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Genesis 2:16). The Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, the Lord breathed His own nature, life and essence into his nostrils, the Lord God took man and placed Him in the garden, and the Lord even gave man dominion over every thing that moved upon the earth, yet even with all of that, there was still a command. In all reality, there can be no covenant without and apart from the reality of command. There are those among us who would seek to enter into covenant with the Lord, and would even think they can do so separate from and without command from the Lord. The truth of the matter is that one of the foundational principles of covenant is command—is the call to obedience to the word and command of the Lord. We dare not, we cannot, we must not and we should not seek to enter into covenant with the Lord of hosts if we are unwilling to accept the command(s) He speaks in our hearing. We cannot and must not seek to live in the reality of covenant relationship with the Lord without also acknowledging and recognizing that at the very heart of covenant is the call to obedience. I began this particular paragraph with the words “Covenant demands obedience,” and this reality is one that has held true since the Lord formed man from the dust of the ground, breathed His own life and nature into his nostrils, and then took him and placed him in the garden He planted. When the Lord took man and placed him in the garden, He not only bestowed upon him dominion over every thing that moved upon the earth, but He also gave him a single command that was to be obeyed with all diligence. I would dare say that dominion demands obedience, and covenant demands obedience. We dare not seek to separate dominion from obedience, and we dare not seek to separate covenant from obedience. We dare not seek to separate dominion from the word of God, and we dare not seek to separate covenant from the word of God.

 AUTHORITY DEMANDS AUTHORITY! DOMINION DEMANDS AUTHORITY! COVENANT DEMANDS AUTHORITY! The Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, breathed His own life and essence into man, and placed him in the garden of Eden to exercise authority upon the earth. The truth of the matter is that the authority which Adam was given to exercise upon the earth was not mutually exclusive, nor could it be separated from the authority of the Lord of hosts. Within the creation of Adam we not only see the dominion given unto and bestowed upon him, but we also see the authority of the Lord as evident and manifested in the command given unto him. Oh that we would recognize that any authority we are given by the Lord of hosts cannot be separated from the authority which originates and flows from the Lord of hosts. Adam could only have dominion upon the earth because it was an extension and manifestation of the dominion the Lord of hosts had over all creation. Adam could only have authority upon the earth because that authority flowed and originated from the Lord’s own authority. When Adam was taken and placed in the garden of Eden, he was planted there to dress and to keep the garden. When Adam was taken and placed in the garden of Eden, he was planted there to exercise dominion over every thing that moved upon the face of the earth. What’s more, is that when Adam was placed in the garden of Eden, he was placed there to enjoy and experience fellowship and relationship with the Lord through covenant, as the Lord walked with man in the garden in the cool of the day. Man’s single greatest responsibility upon being placed in the garden of Eden was not necessarily the exercising of the dominion which the Lord had bestowed upon him. Man’s single greatest responsibility after being placed in the garden of Eden was to obey the command which the Lord had given and spoken unto him. In fact, I would dare say that at the very heart of fellowship and relationship with the Lord is obedience to His word and that which He has commanded and spoken. We dare not think for one minute that we can separate fellowship and relationship with the Lord from obedience to His word, and that which He has commanded.

I can’t help but be reminded of the words which Jesus spoke—words which the apostle John recorded in his gospel account of Jesus’ life and ministry. “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you” (John 15:7). “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in His love” (John 15:10). “Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you” (John 15:14). WE DEMONSTRATE FELLOWSHIP THROUGH OBEDIENCE! WE DEMONSTRATE INTIMACY THROUGH OBEDIENCE ! WE DEMONSTRATE LOVE THROUGH OBEDIENCE! WE DEMONSTRATE COMMUNION THROUGH OBEDIENCE! Consider also the words which Jesus spoke and are recorded in the fourteenth chapter of the same New Testament gospel—“If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). In the same chapter the apostle John records Jesus speaking these words—“He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest thyself to him” (John 14:21). Later on in his first epistle, the apostle John writes “for this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments: and His commandments are not grievous” (1 John 5:3). The apostle Matthew writes in the twelfth chapter of his gospel account how Jesus declared “For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother” (Matthew 12:50). It is absolutely imperative and necessary that we recognize and understand that obedience and love for the Father are not mutually exclusive to each other. It is necessary that we understand obedience—the keeping of the words and commands of the Lord—are indicative and paramount to displaying, demonstrating and manifesting our love for the Father and the Son. Think about it—how can we truthfully and honestly declare that we love the Word if we do not love that which proceeds from the Word? How can we say we love the Word which came down from heaven if we do not do that which proceeded forth from His mouth? Remember the words which Jesus spoke at the end of His famous Sermon on the Mount? “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock” (Matthew 7:24-25).

I must emphatically declared once more that covenant demands and requires obedience—obedience the words and commands the Lord our God has spoken. When you turn your attention back to the eleventh chapter of the Old Testament prophetic book of Jeremiah, you will find the Lord declaring “Cursed be the man that obeyed not the words of this covenant, which I commanded your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, Obey my voice, and do them, according to all which I command you: so shall ye be my people, and I will be your God: that I may perform the oath which I have sworn unto your fathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day” (Jeremiah 11:3-5). Through the prophet Jeremiah the Lord emphatically declared that that man which obeyed not the words of the covenant would be cursed. Notice also that in this passage the Lord declares that obedience is a requirement upon being delivered out of slavery, out of bondage, and out of oppression. I have written before, and I firmly believe that we have not, we are not, and we were not delivered and set free for the sake of freedom in and of itself. The Lord of hosts didn’t deliver the children of Israel from their slavery, bondage and oppression the land of Egypt merely so they could experience freedom in and of itself. Notice in the fourth verse of this chapter the Lord declares how from the day He brought their ancestors forth out of the land of Egypt, He commanded them, saying, “Obey my voice, and do them, according to all which I command you.” DELIVERED TO OBEY! SET FREE TO OBEY! REDEEMED TO OBEY! When the Lord of hosts delivered the children of Israel out of their slavery, their bondage and oppression in the land of Egypt, He delivered them in order that as a result of that obedience they might walk in and be a people of obedience. Tell me—what good is a free people if they are not also an obedient people? What good is a people delivered if those same people are not obedient? What good is a redeemed people if they do not also walk in obedience to the command of the Lord? What good was a people delivered and set free from their slavery, their bondage and their oppression if those same people could not learn and be taught how to walk in obedience to the commands, the statutes, the law and the word of the Lord? What good was a people walking, or perhaps even wandering through the wilderness if they could not learn and/or be taught how to walk in obedience to the word and command of the Lord?

It’s both necessary and vital that we recognize and understand that the Lord didn’t merely want to bring a delivered people into the land flowing with milk and honey. The Lord didn’t merely want to bring a ransomed and redeemed people into the land of promise and inheritance. The Lord undoubtedly could have delivered the children of Israel out of their slavery, their bondage, and their oppression in the land of Egypt, and brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey, yet that people would not have been an obedience people. Pause for a moment and think what could have happened had the Lord delivered the children of Israel out of their slavery, their bondage and their oppression in the land of Egypt, and immediately brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey. That people which entered into the land of Canaan would have been a people that neither knew the command of the Lord, nor walked in obedience to it. In all reality, the Lord of hosts did the very same thing with the children of Israel that He did with Adam when He placed him in the garden. The Lord God planted a garden in the east, and there He took and placed Adam in order that he might dress and keep the garden, and exercise dominion over the face of the earth. With that being said, however, the Lord placed Adam in the garden of Eden knowing full well there were two trees which had also been planted in the garden prior to Adam’s arrival. When Adam transgressed the command of the Lord in the garden, the Lord drove both he and his wife Eve out of the garden of Eden, and placed at the entrance of the garden cherubim which prevented further access—both to the garden of Eden itself, as well as the tree of life which stood in the midst of it. In a similar manner, the Lord took the children of Israel from the iron furnace of the land of Egypt and brought them into the land of Canaan where He would plant them. The Lord of hosts Himself had planted that land, and had even watched over that land until the day would come when He would bring His people up into the midst of it. The Lord took the children of Israel out of their slavery, bondage and oppression in the land of Egypt, and brought them up into the land flowing with milk and honey. That said, however, the children of Israel could neither have inheritance apart from obedience, nor could they have promise and blessing apart from obedience. YOU CANNOT HAVE THE LAND WITHOUT OBEDIENCE! YOU CANNOT HAVE THE BLESSING WITHOUT OBEDIENCE! YOU CANNOT HAVE THE PROMISE WITHOUT OBEDIENCE! YOU CANNOT HAVE THE INHERITANCE WITHOUT OBEDIENCE!

One of the single greatest causes of trouble within our lives is that we attempt to have the land without and apart from obedience. We are grateful to the Lord for delivering us out of the iron furnace of Egypt, yet we somehow think and believe the lie and deception that we can have the land without obedience. The encounter and interaction between the children of Israel and the Lord at the mountain of God in the wilderness was incredibly significant, for it was there at the mountain of God where the children of Israel would receive both the Law and the Tabernacle! If you study the encounter of the children of Israel and the Lord of hosts there in the Sinai wilderness, you will discover that upon departing from that mountain they not only had the Law of the Lord, but they also had the Tabernacle of the Lord. In all reality, upon their departure from the mountain of God in the wilderness, the children of Israel left with both the Law of the Lord and the presence of the Lord. The children of Israel left with both the written account of the Law of the Lord, as well as the visible demonstration and manifestation of the presence and glory of God upon the earth. The children of Israel left the mountain of God in the wilderness with the tablets of stone, as well as the tabernacle of the Lord. LEAVING THE MOUNTAIN WITH THE TABLETS OF STONE AND THE TABERNACLE OF THE LORD! It was there at the mountain where worship of the Lord is joined together and meets obedience to the command and word of the Lord. It was through the Tabernacle present among them in their midst the children of Israel would truly and properly worship the Lord, while it was through the tablets of stone the children of Israel would walk in obedience to the commands and Law of the Lord. The children of Israel were delivered out of their slavery, their bondage and their oppression—not merely so they could enter into the land of Canaan, for if that was the single greatest ambition and aim of the Lord of hosts, He would have certainly brought them straight up in the land upon delivering and bringing them up out of the land of Egypt. The Lord didn’t bring the children of Israel into the land of Canaan immediately after delivering them out of their slavery, bondage and oppression, for before they could enter into the land, they first needed to encounter the law of the Lord. Before the children of Israel could enter into the land, they first needed to learn how to truly and properly worship the Lord, as is manifested and revealed through the pattern and design of the Tabernacle of the Lord.

THE LORD HAS DEMANDED OBEDIENCE FROM THE MOMENT OF DELIVERANCE! Consider the words which the Lord of hosts continued to proclaim in the hearing of Jeremiah concerning the children of Israel—“Hear ye the words of this covenant, and do them. For I earnest protested unto your fathers in the day that I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, even unto this day, rising early and protesting, saying, obey my voice” (Jeremiah 11:6-7). Through these words the Lord makes it perfectly and abundantly clear that He began speaking to the children of Israel from the moment He delivered them of their slavery, their bondage and their oppression in the land of Egypt. The Lord goes so far as to say that He would rise up early and protest in their hearing that they not only listen to, but also obey the commands which He had spoken. When we consider and think of our own deliverance from sin, it’s necessary that we acknowledge that from the moment we were delivered from sin, the Lord began speaking to us concerning obedience. Deliverance from sin is wonderful, yet that deliverance in and of itself is not enough, for deliverance must meet obedience to the law and commands of the Lord. The children of Israel were delivered up out of their slavery, bondage and oppression in order that He might teach them how to obey His commands, His Law and His statutes. When the children of Israel were brought up into the land flowing with milk and honey, they weren’t brought into that land simply to conquer and dispossess the enemies and adversaries which dwelt in the midst of the land. What good was a land dispossessed of the enemies and adversaries which once dwelt within it if the people of God who now occupy it neither walk in obedience, nor follow the Law and statutes of the Lord of hosts? One of the single greatest marks of the people of God in the land which they now occupied was the covenant they enjoyed and experienced with the Lord their God—a covenant that demanded and required obedience to His commands, statutes and Law. The tablets of stone and the Tabernacle of Moses were visible evidences of a people who were delivered out of Egypt and brought into the land of promise, yet were called to be both a worshipping people, as well as an obedient people. When we come to Jeremiah’s day and generation, we come to a generation that had altogether turned themselves backward from the commands, statutes and Law of the Lord. What we read in this particular passage is a denunciation and outcry against a people who had turned their backs on obedience, and had given themselves over to the worship of idols and images.

When I read the words of the prophet Jeremiah in this particular passage of Scripture, I cannot help but get the strong sense that the Spirit of the Lord is speaking concerning our attempt to enjoy the inheritance without and apart from obedience to the voice and commands of the Lord. If there is one thing the words of the prophet Jeremiah reveals, it’s that we dare not and must not attempt to dwell in the inheritance without and apart from obedience to the Law of the Lord. Even before the children of Israel entered into the land of Canaan, the Lord reminded Joshua of the obedience He demanded and required of them. “Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast. There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them. Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou. Mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest” (Joshua 1:2-9). This reality is further demonstrated and manifested in the seventh chapter when as a result of Achan’s disobedience, sin and rebellion in the midst of the camp, the children of Israel were defeated before and defeated by their enemies. At Ai—as a result of one man’s disobedience and rebellion—the children of Israel were defeated, and it wasn’t until that disobedience and rebellion was dealt with that they could once more walk in victory. This particular account reveals that even victory and triumph demand and require obedience to the voice and command of the Lord, and we dare not attempt to isolate and separate victory over our enemies and adversaries from our obedience to the voice and command of the Lord. Let us this day agree within all our hearts that the law of the Lord will neither depart from our mouth, nor from our heart. Let us rise up this day and agree on being an obedient people, and not just a free and delivered people, or even a people who have entered into the place of promise, blessing and inheritance.