Daily Devotionals
Devotional: 12th of Shevat
ADONAI your God will keep with you the covenant and mercy that he swore to your ancestors (Deuteronomy 7:12).
God will keep his covenant with you. The Hebrew root shamar (keep, guard, or watch) is the same word that was used to describe the watchmen on the ancient walls of Jerusalem. They were responsible for staying alert and keeping the city's inhabitants safe. That is how God will watch over the covenant he has made with us—lovingly and alertly. Our responsibility must be similar; the same Hebrew term is used for our relationship to the covenant in Deut. 7:12a. We must lovingly and alertly treasure and keep God's guidelines.
The covenant spoken of here is the one that God made with our ancestors at Mount Sinai. It is described as a covenant of chesed (grace)—not law! Chesed is a very strong word used to describe God's compassion, commitment and mercy toward us. Perhaps if we regarded this covenant from Sinai as a covenant of chesed, we would be more careful to treasure and follow the Lord's guidelines that were given through it.
In the Sefer Torah (Book of the Torah), this passage is found directly adjacent to the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4). The implication is clear. If I'm serious about the Lord being my God, if I'm serious about loving him with all my heart, my strength and my life, then I will more carefully and gratefully follow his instructions in the Torah.
...be more careful to treasure and follow the Lord's guidelines in the Torah because of my love for him.
JF
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