Tag Archives: covenant

Expectation

The word “Expectation” can be likened to the common but witty saying “No cross no crown”. When one is expecting something, there is the tendency to be focused and be determined towards what one is expecting. To this end, interest and attention are focused while at the same time one’s imagination gets fired up with a view to achieving the object of ones concern. Diversionary situations are disregarded, distractionist views of others are never regarded, self motivation has to be invoked to ensure one does not succumb to self defeat in the face of daunting or discouraging situation. At times there can be conspiracy against one’s honest effort but as one has set his hand upon the plough, there has to be no need for looking back.

Any one eyeing a lucrative job where the employer is sort of “spoiling” employees with fat pay packets, needs to be told that if one is lucky to be invited for interview, the prospective interviewees should think outside the box of the book knowledge acquired in College and tries to familiarize himself with the external and internal terrain of the workplace in view. Reason is that questions that would be asked would not have  College or academic  flavor at such. Rather than academic theories, the focus would be questions geared towards finding who else can bring invaluable knowledge to boost the finances of the company. In which case,every applicant is expected to show knowledge very relevant to the discipline or arm of the workplace the applicant is seeking position.

In marriage, the usual expectation is to build a happy home for a happy family. However, there are steps to be taken in order to achieve the desired objectives from the matrimonial partnership. Genesis 2: 24 states: “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” From google search, the reason for marriage is described as such. “Getting married is a big decision, and it isn’t just about making a lifelong commitment to your partner. Marriage is a legal contract. When you get married, you not only accept rights and benefits, but you also take on legal and financial obligations.” All along we can see the elements of expectation and when such is not met the marriage can break down irretrievably. In 1 Peter 4:8, there is a linkage between serving for God’s glory and marriage institution. Verse  8 states: And above all things have fervent love for one another for love will cover a multitude of sins.”

There isn’t anything man does, that is not based on expectation. The farmer who sows and continuously tend to clearing the weeds and applying fertilizer is expecting a high yield all things being equal. If there is crop failure in spite of all his hard work, no one will blame that such farmer.  The lawyer who pleads in the case for one facing litigation, the wholesaler, contractor handling either petty or industrial contract indeed any professional has done his job in expectation for a remuneration, or dividend from investment ventures. Every national currency is issued in expectation that goods and services equivalent to the face value of the paper money would be given to the holder when tendered.

Besides the  covenant God made between HIMSELF and the children of Israel in Mount Horeb, HE made another one in the land of Moab Deuteronomy 29: 1, all in the expectation that the people of God will ensure worshipping HIM, the God of Israel.

Prize of Deceit is Gibeonites’ Servitude

Be blindfolded and fail before God

Be blindfolded and fail before God

It is an established fact that man continues to deceive others hoping to take advantage of  them. The bible has a lot of stories of deceptions and promised made without being fulfilled as soon as the deceiver gets what he or she purposed to gain. The duality in nature also showed situations in which people engaged in truthful promise or covenant. The children of Israel had the two modes of both deceitful acts and unbeatable truthful promises and covenants that were fulfilled. Neither David nor Jonathan acted in deceit. David gained favor of God and Jonathan’s surviving son, Mephibosheth was found out by David and brought back to the palace. King David restored his father’s inheritance to him and made him to eat at the king’s table. Jephthar paid his vow with what was dearest to his hear but gained much needed victory for the ravaged children of Israel.

Let us quickly see the role the Gibeonites in the life of the Israelites as they continued to bask in the glory of God’s promise of settling them in the land of Canaan having gloriously entered the Promised Land. News had been spreading as Ai and heavily fortified city of Jericho fell. Consequent upon these unassailable victories, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites got ready to attack the returnees. The inhabitants of Gibeon craftily devised a plan that precluded them from the action of their neighbors. They surreptitiously planned strategy of deceit, by presenting themselves as make-belief foreigners and voluntarily pledged to be servants to the Israelites Joshua chapter 9: 1-27. Joshua and the elders gullibly took the lie ‘hook, line and sinker’ and spared them against God’s instruction. They never sought the face of God before deciding to make a covenant with the deceivers. The Gibeonites received the wages of their deceit in the way Joshua made them to be woodcutters and water carriers for both the congregation and for the altar of the Lord Joshua 9: 27. Without researching the veracity of the submission of the Gibeonites, Joshua made peace with them, and also made a covenant with them to make them live and rulers of the congregation swore to it. When the truth of these deceitful neighbors became manifest, the Israelites could not act against the covenant. They had breached the avowed instruction to wipe out those they met in the Promised Land as required by the God of Israel. In conclusion, Proverb 20: 17 says “Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man, But afterwards his mouth will be filled with gravels”, so it was with the Gibeonites.