And so we come to the end of the book of Leviticus. Israel is still at the base of Mount Sinai, receiving their instructions from the Lord. This picture, vaguely similar to an image of the Mountain of Doom in Mordor, is somewhat reminiscent of the description of God’s presence on the Mountain in Exodus while the people were encamped around it. (Credit to this picture goes to: BJPA.org.

In many ways this is a difficult book to read through for people in a contemporary context. Yet for the nation of Israel this was very much a part of their spiritual life, which as I have mentioned really means their entire life. We have talked a lot about the Covenant in relation to the nation of Israel. I think it is important for us to know more about what this means for them and maybe for us as well.
A great deal of contemporary Theology has centered around God being a relational God. We’ve even gone so far as to create a relational hermeneutic (way of interpreting) for the Triune nature of God. There is a lot of talk about “the social Trinity” and how we relate to each other based on this idea. While these ideas have merit, we really need to work towards being faithful in how God has chosen to reveal Himself through Scripture in relationship with people, and that is via a Covenantal relationship. We saw the beginning so of this with Abraham, the vision of the smoking fire-pot, and through Isaac, Jacob, and again through Moses. All of these have been times when God has either “established a covenant, “remembered the covenant,” or been faithful to said covenant.
The idea of the Covenant is structured around a relationship that would have been well known in the times of the Old Testament. It is called a Suzerain/Vassal Covenant and has a very specific construct, one that, when understood, makes God’s actions in this relationship abundantly more beautiful and full of grace!! A Suzerain/Vassal Covenant was generally made between nations or groups of people during this time. It would always be between someone of greater power and those of lesser power. It generally looked like this:

Now, if we were to look back over the last three books that we’ve read, we could see each of these things laid out, almost in progression:
1. Prologue: I am the Lord. Later, I am that God of your Father(s)… you shall be My people. This is the Covenant relationship between God and His people.
2. Stipulations: We see statements like Be holy as I am Holy. Other statements like: You will be set a part or a kingdom of priests. This particular section is most notably located in the second half of Exodus and generally all of Leviticus. It will be repeated again throughout the Torah (first 5 books of the Old Testament).
3. Act of Commitment or Witness: This is first seen in the vision of the smoking firepot. It is also seen later in the Passover Meal, and the continual sacrifices offered to God. Generally speaking, this act of commitment or witness has some relationship to the spilling of blood as part of the oath. We see this later in its fullness around the Table of our Lord and the “Blood of the covenant.”
4. Sanctions: Leviticus 26 is the most notable example of this; the text that we just read today. If the people are faithful, God will bless them. If the people are not faithful… well… there’s a whole lot of hurt to come. Notice though, a point that I want to articulate very well… God uses words like “discipline” and “listen to me.” There are some pretty intense punishments that are to come if the people of Israel don’t obey this covenant. We often associate this with the wrath of God… and that wouldn’t be entirely far from the truth. However, the primary language here is not that of a vindictive smiting from God as much as it is God’s attempt to get their attention, to teach them a lesson that they may turn back to Him.
God’s hatred of sin has as much to do with God’s nature, His Holiness and Perfection, as it does with God’s desire for us to live in ways that are best for us. God abhors those things that are not good for us, the poor decisions that we make that serve only to inflict harm unto ourselves. These things that God is telling us not to do are things that, in all reality will hurt us. That is not God’s plan for our lives. Though He is readily willing and able to use our bad decisions to teach us things and help us grow, He also desires for us to make the right decisions that are honoring to Himself and good for us as well.
So what’s the big deal with the covenant then? Why do we care? Well, for one thing, this is the way that God has chosen to relate with us. This hasn’t changed at all. Jesus’ address in the last supper wasn’t “here drink this and the covenant is done.” He says, “this cup is the New Covenant in My Blood.” This extends the covenant, enhances it… but never does it do away with the Covenant. For the Hebrews, we know that they were (spoiler alert) unfaithful to the Covenant. However, what we don’t see is God abandoning them to their idolatry and apostasy. What we do see is a God that is faithfully, and often painfully upholding both ends of the covenant, reminding them time and again what it means to be His people. We see a God that is “gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love” as the Psalmist writes. Yes the people are punished… yes they even go into exile… but they are never forgotten and are always cared for, even when their are scattered… separated from their “center.” God does not abandon the people and remains faithful to them, showing them grace upon grace. This is the nature of God’s covenantal relationship with Israel, and also with us. Through Jesus, we are made a part of this covenant, something we celebrate in baptism. This picks up on our doctrine of election, the idea that we have been chosen by God through no merit of our own. Through baptism we are included into Christ, through the Blood of the covenant, made a part of God’s people to whom He is eternally loving and faithful.
This idea of the Covenant, and the four movements in it is not something that only pertains to that time either. The Church, in its tradition and worship have picked up on this and modeled our worship services after it as well. We can see this best depicted here, in an expanded version of the earlier table.

In worship we Gather together, God greets us and we respond in praise. Often times this is (or rather should be) a time in which we can also reflect on where we are in our relationship with God. Corporate worship, and times of individual worship/devotions are times when we encounter God. In doing so we are reminded of our own sinfulness. Whether by the Word of God or the moving of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, we are convicted of those things which we have done against God (and others) and are moved to repentance. HOWEVER… we DO NOT remain in this stage of guilt but are reminded again and again of our forgiveness, the redemption that we receive through the Blood of Jesus Christ. Remember friends, we live on the other side of the resurrection… the other side of the Cross… Our sins are atoned for (which is why we do not offer sacrifices).
From here we move into a time of the Word (stipulations section) in which God speaks to us. This isn’t simply a time that is relegated to the teaching of moralistic living, but has to do with the proclamation of God, glorifying Him through the reading and teaching of the Word, and being transformed by it as well. We enter then into a time of response to the Word… here we see written “Table.” The cerimonial meal is one of the main ways in which we respond to God’s Word, by coming to the Table and eating… communally saying “We will do everything the Lord has commanded.” There are other reasons for this as well which we will discuss at another time… this is one relation though.
Finally we are sent out with a blessing. This is a time of more than just some nice words to end the service. We believe it to be an empowering time when we are charged to go into the world and live out what we have heard. We are (or should be) sent out in the one name of God: “Father, Son, Holy Spirit” knowing that our God is not confined to the walls of our worship space, but that God goes with us empowering us each and every day, faithfully walking with us as He has always done, as we live our lives for Him.