Covenant: An Unbreakable Promise

The word ‘covenant’ in our modern world tends to sit in contracts, the ‘legalese’ of property and finance and other such spheres. It would bore most of us to death but would likely cause us huge issues if we didn’t understand them or didn't read the fine print. In the areas where this word is used in modern life, I think most of us would try to find an excuse to be somewhere else.

But it’s a beautiful word in the bible! Covenant. In Scripture, Covenants are unbreakable, unshakeable, eternal even and it’s because throughout the bible the most important of these Covenants are initiated by a Sovereign and Almighty God who loves us.

In our own history in Aotearoa New Zealand, there are also many instances of Covenants that are more spiritual than legalistic. One of these is known as the founding document of our nation, Te Tiriti O Waitangi. Oh, the tension and ill-will that this often engenders in our nation. Betrayal, loss, theft, oppression, jurisdiction, tokenism, dispossession, uncertainty, disunity. These are some of the words that are often used today to describe anything Te Tiriti O Waitangi. But I think for many at the time of the signing, there might well have been very different words used. Words like whakapono (faith/trust), kotahitanga (unity), manaakitanga (care/hospitality), peace (rongo), sacredness (tapu), whanaungatanga (family-like bond), kaitiakitanga (guardianship of the land), and hauora (well-being for the people).

You see, the contrast in the sentiment or perception of The Treaty of Waitangi is whether or not a third party is truly acknowledged in the signing. Today, God might be mentioned, but is God truly acknowledged in the engagements between the two parties? I would say, ‘No.’ I wonder what NZ history would be like if both the Crown and the Tangata Whenua (the people of the land) were in real submission to God, a sacred marriage of two peoples under our Sovereign God.

You might know that the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa NZ acknowledges a bicultural commitment. And so as we sit in this heritage and grapple with the ‘divine relationship’ that is offered to us as individuals, as a nation, and as a church, maybe placing God at the heart of it all is the answer to all of our issues.

This Sunday we explore 'Covenant' through the lens of Genesis 15:1-21, and again, a topic like this can only be an overview. Take a moment to read our passage if you can.

Many blessings

Josh