- Mindful of Covenant
Psalm 111:5
He hath given meat unto them that fear him:
He will ever be mindful of his covenant.
The Lord has bound Himself to fulfill hundreds of promises inherent in the covenant He has made with His people. Covenant promises are littered throughout the pages of the Bible (the Old Covenant and the New Covenant [OT and NT]). (This blog is dedicated to ferreting out and explicating all the promises in the Psalms. Think about how many more promises are given in the NT.) A Covenant is more than a solemn pledge or legal contract between two parties; the two persons binding themselves to the covenant are also bound together in a mutual relationship of unconditional love and faithful commitment. A true covenant is not forced or coerced, but both parties voluntarily enter into a reverend commitment to each other and to the covenant relationship. Love for the other compels each party to make and keep the promises.
A Two-Way, or Bilateral, Covenant binds both parties to abide by the stipulations; if one side breaks the Covenant Agreement (Ten Commandments) the other side is no longer obligated to keep its promises; God doesn’t have to be our God and save us any longer. The Mosaic Covenant begun in Exodus 20 has been broken millions of times by the people; but God still loves the people so He sent His Son to become a human (live on that side of the covenant) and keep the Covenant Stipulations (The Law) for us, in our place. Now God is obligated to keep His promises for believers in Christ.
A One-Way, or Unilateral, Covenant binds one party to keep the stipulations of the covenant regardless of the response of the second party. The Abrahamic and Davidic Covenants are Unilateral, that is, God makes the covenant and promises to keep His promises whether the second party (Abraham, David, you and me) keeps his or not.
On the one hand, Grace has been earned by Christ and given to us in order that we believers may hold God accountable to keep His promises. On the other hand, God unilaterally takes matters into His own hands and works all things out for good according to His many promises as written in the Covenant (the Bible).
Here the Promise is that the Lord will always be mindful of His Covenant; every promise of the Covenant will constantly be on His mind and remembrance to bring them about in our lives and our eternity.