Daily Retreat 06/27/07
2007 Jun 27 Wed/Cyril of Alexandria, bp, dr
Gn 15:1-12. 17-18/Ps 104(105):1-2. 3-4. 6-7. 8-9/Mt 7:15-20
From today's readings: "The LORD made a covenant with Abram.... The Lord remembers His covenant for ever.... By their fruits, you will know them."
Cutting a Covenant
Anyone who has read even a small portion of the Bible will note the particular significance attached to the word "covenant," which is much more than a mere promise or a contract. Basically, a covenant is a solemn pledge to establish a permanent relationship, such as a marriage covenant, by which a man pledges himself for all his life to his wife, and she does likewise.
In English translations, the verb associated with establishing a covenant is usually "make," as in "the LORD made a covenant with Abram." However, the literal translation of the Hebrew verb is "to cut a covenant," which helps highlight the permanence of the covenant. Abraham's strange ritual of cutting the animals and separating the halves was, in fact, the customary way to solemnize the "cutting" of a new covenant, because the people making the covenant would promise to be faithful to it, then walk together through the middle of the separated animal halves, with the curse of being split in two themselves if one of them should violate the covenant.
God thus was impressing upon Abraham the permanence of His covenant promise, so "Abram put his faith in the LORD, who credited it to him as an act of righteousness." Even more so, in the New Covenant, God has pledged Himself to us, and adopted us as His children, so, like Abraham, we need to put our faith in the Lord, and be faithful to our part of the covenant!
Gn 15:1-12. 17-18/Ps 104(105):1-2. 3-4. 6-7. 8-9/Mt 7:15-20
From today's readings: "The LORD made a covenant with Abram.... The Lord remembers His covenant for ever.... By their fruits, you will know them."
Cutting a Covenant
Anyone who has read even a small portion of the Bible will note the particular significance attached to the word "covenant," which is much more than a mere promise or a contract. Basically, a covenant is a solemn pledge to establish a permanent relationship, such as a marriage covenant, by which a man pledges himself for all his life to his wife, and she does likewise.
In English translations, the verb associated with establishing a covenant is usually "make," as in "the LORD made a covenant with Abram." However, the literal translation of the Hebrew verb is "to cut a covenant," which helps highlight the permanence of the covenant. Abraham's strange ritual of cutting the animals and separating the halves was, in fact, the customary way to solemnize the "cutting" of a new covenant, because the people making the covenant would promise to be faithful to it, then walk together through the middle of the separated animal halves, with the curse of being split in two themselves if one of them should violate the covenant.
God thus was impressing upon Abraham the permanence of His covenant promise, so "Abram put his faith in the LORD, who credited it to him as an act of righteousness." Even more so, in the New Covenant, God has pledged Himself to us, and adopted us as His children, so, like Abraham, we need to put our faith in the Lord, and be faithful to our part of the covenant!
posted by FrPitstick | 6/26/2007
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