Tuesday 12 February 2008
- Bible Book:
- Exodus
"He was there with the LORD for forty days and forty nights; he neither ate bread nor drank water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the ten commandments". (v. 28)
Background
The Ten Commandments are really quite remarkable, as the contextin which they are given is a covenant. They give the framework inwhich we can live out our faith and understand our relationshipwith God. They were originally given to the Israelites who werefloundering about in the wilderness struggling to be God'speople.
A covenant is all about rights, responsibilities and opportunities- an agreement among partners. We are in partnership with God. Thisis a wonderful to way to explore different ways of understandingpower and control within relationships. It is also a positive wayto explore our relationship with God.
Many of our serious relationships are understood in terms of beinga covenant - long-term partnerships and marriage being goodexamples. In the best relationships there is a building up andenhancement of those in the partnership - not one-sided, but mutualand enriching for both. Our covenant with God is one where we aregiven the scope to become richer, rounded people. We have somethingthat guides our way of living and forms the values which shapeus.
This relationship with God flows into the way we relate to otherpeople, in the manner we exercise power and in the control weattempt to exert over people. It reminds us that we live in a worldwhere rights and responsibilities together govern ourrelationships.
To Ponder
Where human rights are at the forefront of debatehow do we exercise proper responsibility?
How can we use our understanding of 'covenant' tocreate a fresh understanding of how power in relationships needs tobe exercised?
Does our covenant with God ever bring us intoconflict with other covenant relationships?