Topical Bible: The Covenant: Caution Against Forgetting

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The concept of covenant is central to the biblical narrative, representing a solemn agreement between God and His people. Throughout Scripture, God establishes covenants with individuals and nations, each serving as a testament to His faithfulness and expectations. A recurring theme in these covenants is the caution against forgetting the terms and significance of the covenant relationship with God.

Old Testament Context

In the Old Testament, the covenant is prominently featured in God's relationship with Israel. The Mosaic Covenant, given at Mount Sinai, is a pivotal moment where God provides the Law to His people. This covenant is accompanied by a strong admonition to remember and adhere to its statutes. Deuteronomy 4:23 warns, "Be careful not to forget the covenant of the LORD your God that He made with you; do not make for yourselves an idol in the form of anything the LORD your God has forbidden."

The Israelites are repeatedly reminded of the importance of remembering God's deeds and commands. Deuteronomy 6:12 cautions, "be careful not to forget the LORD, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery." This warning underscores the human tendency to forget God's past deliverance and the need for continual remembrance and obedience.

Prophetic Warnings

The prophets echo this caution, often addressing Israel's forgetfulness and its consequences. Jeremiah 11:10 highlights the people's failure to uphold the covenant: "They have returned to the sins of their forefathers who refused to obey My words. They have followed other gods to serve them. The house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken the covenant I made with their fathers."

Hosea 4:6 further illustrates the peril of forgetting God's law: "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you as My priests. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children." The prophets consistently call the people back to covenant faithfulness, emphasizing the dire consequences of neglect.

New Testament Fulfillment

In the New Testament, the theme of covenant is fulfilled in Jesus Christ, who establishes a new covenant through His death and resurrection. This new covenant is characterized by grace and internal transformation, as prophesied in Jeremiah 31:33: "I will put My law in their minds and inscribe it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be My people."

The caution against forgetting remains relevant in the New Testament context. Hebrews 2:1 exhorts believers, "We must pay closer attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away." The call to remember and hold fast to the teachings of Christ is a continuation of the Old Testament admonition to remain faithful to God's covenant.

Practical Implications

The caution against forgetting the covenant has practical implications for believers today. It serves as a reminder to continually engage with Scripture, participate in communal worship, and live in obedience to God's commands. The practice of remembrance is vital for maintaining a vibrant relationship with God and avoiding the pitfalls of spiritual complacency.

In summary, the biblical narrative consistently emphasizes the importance of remembering and adhering to the covenant with God. This caution against forgetting serves as a timeless reminder of the need for faithfulness and devotion in the life of every believer.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Deuteronomy 4:23
Take heed to yourselves, lest you forget the covenant of the LORD your God, which he made with you, and make you a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, which the LORD your God has forbidden you.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Chapter ix
... God's remembering is not to be thought of as over against the possibility ... God said
to Noah: This is the sign of the covenant which I ... But he neglected caution. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter ix.htm

The Method of Grace
... I would further premise a caution, that I would by no ... covenant of works, flies directly
to a covenant of works ... when there was enmity in your heart against God. ...
/.../whitefield/selected sermons of george whitefield/the method of grace.htm

Of Councils and their Authority.
... On those who violate this covenant God bestows neither the ... danger, it is to make
us use greater caution. ... which should have been employed against Arius, against ...
/.../calvin/the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 9 of councils and.htm

Book ii. Jerome Answers the Second, Third, and Fourth Propositions ...
... It is a violation of nature to revel in pleasure, and the Apostle gives a caution
against this very thing when he says, [4757] "She that giveth herself to ...
/.../jerome/the principal works of st jerome/book ii jerome answers the.htm

Chapter xxi
... the desert when they need protection against the sun's ... So they made a covenant in
Beersheba, and Abimelech ... Grace," only, of course, with this caution, that the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter xxi.htm

How Christ is to be Made Use Of, in Reference to Growing in Grace.
... him what they need, and by guarding against every thing ... the executor or dispensator
of the covenant, and expect ... to give a few words of caution, for preventing ...
/.../brown/christ the way the truth and the life/chapter vii how christ is.htm

Letter xvi. Charity.
... Our covenant obligations unquestionably make it our duty to watch ... be thankful for
a word of caution, when they ... an Ishmaelite, whose hand is against every man ...
/.../a practical directory for young christian females/letter xvi charity.htm

How Christ is Made Use of for Justification as a Way.
... we shall only premise this word of caution, That we ... to stand in this armour of proof
against the accusations ... rightly and really consent to the covenant of grace ...
/.../brown/christ the way the truth and the life/chapter iv how christ is.htm

Translator's Introduction.
... It is chiefly against these three chapters that Bossuet's ... After this caution and
preface, he begins (c.3) his ... neck, and she had made a loving covenant with Our ...
/.../francis/treatise on the love of god/translators introduction.htm

False Profession.
... thee before I leave thee, as God's covenant with Christ ... This made Paul so caution
the Corinthians that they should ... when he was to go out against Goliath, the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/bunyan/the riches of bunyan/xx false profession.htm