Psalms 103:18: “To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them.”
Every modern translation I look at renders the word berith as covenant. Only one translation renders this as promises. Still what does it mean to keep His covenant or promises? What is His covenant or promises? How do you keep His promises? Isn’t the idea of a promise that the one making the promises, in this case God, is the one to keep it? At least a covenant is made between two people but then why His covenant, why not our covenant, His and ours?
The word covenant is berith which the word for a pledge or an alliance, it is a political term where two parties come together and agree to abide by certain terms. It comes from a Semitic root word barah which means to bind, to cut and to break bread. The idea of cutting is cutting of bread. In ancient times when chieftains sought to form a treaty they would often have a meal together. The practice still exists to this day in the Middle East. When David said in Psalms 23:5: “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:” he was making a reference to reconciliation with his enemies for when you had a meal together it was to talk peace. Eating a meal together was an excellent opportunity to negotiate terms of a berith or covenant. It was also an excellent opportunity to off your enemy by slipping a little poison in his food. Thus, to share a meal with an enemy was the ultimate in a good will gesture. You were showing that you trusted this enemy’s intentions for peace enough that you would stake your life on it believing he would not poison you.
Elements of that exist today. When was the last time you attended a wedding or some business function and someone offer up a toast. You raised your glass of grape juice and someone was toasted. Actually, this originated with the idea of drinking to one’s health. The drink was really an offering to the gods for the health of the host. We find evidence of this in the Odyssey when Ulysses drank to the health of Achilles. To offer a drink offering to the gods on behalf of another was a show of true respect and honor to the person. So the origins of berith lie in the idea of forming an alliance or reconciliation between two parties or people.
Even today we talk of a contract as a covenant. We say a covenant of marriage which is really a contract of marriage but covenant sounds much more romantic. Throughout the ages on up today, a contract has three elements. There is an offer, an acceptance of the offer and consideration. Consideration meaning that both parties must in some way benefit from this agreement or there is no contract. In marriage there is the offer. The potential bridegroom gets on one knee and proposes or gives an offer of marriage. Then there must be acceptance. The potential bride says “yes.” Then there is the consideration. When I performed marriages I usually asked for a token to express this consideration. It is usually a ring. By exchanging the rings the groom is giving his life to his bride and the bride is giving her life to the groom, which is the consideration. Both parties are getting something.
Years ago they had an ad in the back of a comic book that if you send them one penny they would send you six record albums. I mean, why didn’t they just give you the record album for free? They were making a contract. First there was an offer in that comic book, and then they asked you to sign your name at the bottom of the order form. By signing your name you were accepting their offer which was to purchase more albums at a non-discounted price. You were getting in consideration the six albums. However, the record company needed to receive something in return to seal the contract as both parties had to benefit. That was the reason for the penny. Without that penny you had no contract.
I know some would refer to the covenant in Psalms 103:18 as the Abrahamic covenant. I don’t believe it is referring to that but it does raise an interesting point. A covenant in ancient times was sealed by severing an animal into two parts, laying each part a couple feet apart from each other and then sprinkling the blood in the middle. They would lay each sacrifice out this way forming pathway. Ever see in a wedding where the usher asks if you are for the bride or for the groom as if they want to make sure you get in the right cheering section. There are usually two sections, on the one side are those who are for the bride and the other side are those who are for the groom. Then there is a pathway, sometimes sprinkled with rose petals sometimes just a red carpet, the couple are preparing to make a blood covenant. The couple are ushered down the red pathway and a priest or clergy man is there for them to recite the vows.
It is believed that the cutting of the sacrifices is where the word berith gets the idea of cutting. Some think it comes from the circumcision showing the Jew’s covenant with God (Genesis 17:11-13). We can’t be sure. Anyways check out Genesis 15 where God formed the covenant with Abraham. Abraham brought the sacrifices, split them up but note in verse 12 and 17-18: Genesis 15:12 “And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram;” Genesis 15:17 . And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces. Genesis 15:18 In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram,”
Do you see it? Abraham was asleep and only God passed through the sacrifices to form the covenant. You see if you broke the conditions of a blood covenant you face death from the witnesses to the covenant. God knew His people would not keep their end of the bargain so only He passed through meaning God was bound by the penalty for breaking the covenant and if His people broke the conditions, which they did, they would still retain the benefits of the covenant.
So what has this to do with me personally? Remember Psalms 103:18 says we keep His covenant. We have the same deal. We make a covenant with God and if we break our end of the deal we still have the benefits, only God is held to that standard of keeping to all the conditions of the covenant. I made that covenant with God when I was twelve years old. Jesus offered me salvation and forgiveness of all my sins. I accepted that offer and I was what the Baptist called saved. Well, not quite. There was the offer and acceptance, but where was the consideration? Both parties have to benefit, remember? God gave me his heart and life for my consideration and in return I gave Him my heart and life for His consideration after that the contract was sealed the deal closed and I was saved.
Now there are times I break the conditions of that contract, fortunately, according to Psalms 103:18 it is God’s covenant so I am still able to receive the benefits of that covenant even though I broke the conditions. However, if I keep my end of the bargain, I am the recipient of all those wonderful things mentioned in the previous verses.
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