The following is taken from The Royal Invitation, a new online devotional available at the BLB. The Royal Invitation is one of five books contained in a collection written by Frances Ridley Havergal in the 1880s. This book embraces the many requests from God’s word for us to ‘come’ to Him. (Click here for previous posts)
“Come, and let us join ourselves to the Lord in a perpetual
covenant that shall not be forgotten.” (Jer 50:5)
This is no external joining of church or congregation. “He that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.” To this we are invited (1Co 6:17), to be so joined that nothing shall separate, to be made one with Christ in blessed and eternal union (Jhn 17:23). The instrument, so to speak, of the joining, is our consent, in faith and obedience, to the perpetual covenant that shall not be forgotten (Jer 1:5).
Herein lies the answer to all the distressing doubts about persevering in which we “err, not knowing the scriptures, nor, the power of God” (Mat 22:29). For see what the terms of the new covenant are! “I will put My laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to Me a people” (Hbr 8:10). This seems all one-sided. It is all what God undertakes to do. Not a word about what we undertake to do! How different from any human covenant!
Ah, the Lord tried us with the other way, and we failed; and so the old covenant of works came to nought (Jer 31:32).
We are prone to wander.
It was not only the children of Israel who “continued not” (Hbr 8:9) in God’s covenant; we have done just the same. We have proved in our own experience that we cannot keep any one condition of it, let alone the whole (Rom 3:19, 23)! And so the Lord makes a new covenant, in which the marvelous terms are that He undertakes our part as well as His own, by promising to put His laws into our minds and write them upon our hearts, so that we may keep them and really obey them.
He is our God, and we are His people.
And when He says He will be to us a God, He has promised in that one word more than mortal thought or mortal desire can reach (Rev 21:3). And when He says we shall be to Him a people, He guarantees us all the safety and happiness (Deu 33:29), and all the privileges and blessings, in all certainty and perpetuity, which He promises to His people (2Co 1:20). He knows our total weakness, and our utter inability to persevere, and so He stoops to undertake the whole thing for us, if we will only “come, and join ourselves to the Lord,” consenting to His perpetual covenant, and accepting these wonderful provisions in simple faith.
There is no such thing as drifting into this covenant.
We shall never “happen” to find ourselves included in it by waiting to see what turns up, or by dint of admiringly contemplating it. We must “come;” and we must join ourselves to the Lord in it by our own voluntary act and deed. Each must “subscribe with his hand unto the Lord” (Isa 44:5). This covenant requires the free individual signature of each participator, so that each shall be able to say, “Yet hath He made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and sure” (2Sa 23:5).
Our only hope rests in God, not ourselves.
Do you ask for some proof that you may thus come and share its blessedness? Some distinct evidence that the covenant is meant for you? The Lord, who has given all the rest, has given this too. You know the freeness of the call, “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters” (Isa 55:1). That is only the beginning of the Invitation. It goes on, without a break, still to every one, “Incline your ear, and come unto Me; hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you” (Isa 55:3)!
Oh, happy day that fixed my choice
On Thee, my Saviour and my God!
Well may this glowing heart rejoice,
And tell its raptures all abroad.
‘Tis done! the great transaction’s done:
I am my Lord’s, and He is mine;
He drew me, and I followed on,
Charmed to obey the Voice Divine.
—Doddridge
Tess says
June 5, 2013 at 3:07 pmAmen! Jeremiah 3:22-25;Hebrews 11:39-40
Mark Hayes says
June 5, 2013 at 5:03 pmHallelujah – that the covenant is perpetual. Thank you Chris
In Numbers 5:11-28 we see the wife tested for unfaithfulness to her husband. The test of any hidden sin of unfaithfulness was for her to drink from a clay vessel, water mixed with dust from the floor of the tabernacle Numbers 5:17
This is a picture of unfaithfulness to our Lord in Jeremiah 17:13. All the unfaithful, their names will be written in the ground (dust).
When the priest pronounced the oath of the curse in Numbers 5 the wife was to say in agreement to it. Amen Amen Numbers 5:22
If indeed she had been unfaithful her abdomen would swell and bodily illness would occur.
Jeremiah 50:5 “Come let us be joined to the Lord”
Praise God for the Lord Jesus Christ who through His body, the shedding of His blood enables this, FOREVER.
As we partake in holy communion, let us remember we partake in Jesus body, the bread and in Jesus blood, the wine.
As we eat of the bread let us respond with Amen Amen
As we drink of the wine let us respond with Amen Amen
(Praise God Tess, your Amen has prompted this response from me to todays text from Chris and Mr Havergal).
I encourage all to consider just as a curse was brought upon an unfaithful wife under the Old Covenant, pointing us to the unfaithful, their names to be written in the ground in Jeremiah 17:13, so when we faithfully, or worthily we partake in holy communion, we partake in a perpetual covenant that is not forgotten, we are partakers in Jesus’ heavenly body and partakers of His heavenly blood, the same blood that purchased us.
The Lord God, not long after the earth’s creation cursed the ground due to Adam & Eve’s trangression.
Under the Old Covenant an unfaithful wife would become ill in her body through drinking of the cursed ground.
When the Lord Jesus broke the bread at the last passover, He being the Son of God, who is God, blessed the bread.
When the Lord Jesus took the cup He, who was God and is God, blessed it also. Hence Paul calls this the “cup of blessing”
1 Corinthians 10:16.
Is not then a blessing to be won in faith, to the opposite effect of the curse on the unfaithful wife, won for all who “Come to be joined to the Lord” faithfully in holy communion??
My answer is Yes, ‘Come to be joined to the Lord’ eat of His body, drink of His blood, real food and real drink John 6:55-56, and believe in the Holy Spirit whom Jesus has given us to make real God’s promises in Jeremiah 17:14 “Heal me, and I shall be healed, save me and I shall be saved; for You are my praise.”
Amen Amen
In Christ
Mark H NZ
Tess says
June 5, 2013 at 8:18 pmThat really blessed me Mark. Thank you so much for sharing it.
In Jewish culture the family would arrange the marriage. The father of the bride to be would set the bride price and the ketubah (marriage contract) Which is signed by two witnesses.
Once the contract is agreed upon the groom would offer the young woman a cup of wine. She had the right not to agree to marry him. If she declined the offer of marriage she would not drink from the cup. If she drank from the cup that signaled she agreed and the betrothal became an official covenant between them.
The groom then leaves to go and prepare a place for her in His fathers house. She begins to make herself ready and stays alert for she does not know when he will return and the marriage will take place. When the father tells the son all is prepared and ready then the groom and groomsman and a procession go (usually in the middle of the night) with a shout to get the bride.
The wedding feast lasts seven days.
What a beautiful picture of Christ offering us the cup of salvation which is His blood on the cross that all who drink of it become His bride. We have the right to refuse and many do to there eternal sorrow.
Mark Hayes says
June 5, 2013 at 10:45 pmAmen Tess. Hallelujah.
“Come Lord Jesus, come!” Maranatha! [I think this is the correct way to say it in Hebrew?]
In Christ
Mark H NZ
Mark Hayes says
June 7, 2013 at 2:13 amTess, Hallelujah
I’m not sure if you’ll see this post. At the Spirit’s prompt I’m sending your words together with parts of what we had read from Mr Havergal and what I was led to write to my mum.
Her faith has backslid through a doctrine not our Lord’s being preached where she worships.
It’s going as a love letter for our Lord. Please pray for the Lord Almighty’s mercy and for the grace of Christ to be poured forth to save, by the conviction and illumination of the Holy Spirit.
Blessings in our God and Saviour Jesus Christ
Mark H NZ
Tess says
June 5, 2013 at 8:37 pmhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWSBraKK8nQ
breaux says
June 6, 2013 at 7:04 amWow,thank you Chris,Tess,Mark and Mr Havergal.I find this quote absolutely amazing. “And so the Lord makes a new covenant, in which the marvelous terms are that He undertakes our part as well as His own, by promising to put His laws into our minds and write them upon our hearts, so that we may keep them and really obey them.”
This is a free gift of God, but must be received by faith, not mental assent. I am truly blessed and walk jn perpetual blessing.
Amen and Amen.
joy says
June 6, 2013 at 2:10 pmThe covenant references you make are for the Children of Israel. Can you transfer those things onto a Christian environment if Christianity has “done away” with the Torah that was given to the Children of Israel to follow? Christianity does not look anything like what Christians do in their worship. Jews would never worship a man and yet Christians worship a “Jesus”.
Tess says
June 8, 2013 at 5:12 pmI take a “Whole Council of God” perspective Joy. I see the Old and New Testament as one book and Jesus Yeshua as the Messiah. He is on every page of the Bible and fulfilled every prophecy of the Messiah.
Jews reject Jesus as Messiah but they cannot give one reason why they do. Can you give me one reason why Jesus is not the Messiah the prophets said would come? The church compounded the problem when they blamed the Jewish people rather than man in general for His death on the cross. Satan used anti-semitism in the church to seperate God’s people. It’s a travesty that we need to stop allowing satan to perpetuate upon us all.
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Galatians 3:19-29
You might find the following link helpful if truth is what you are looking for. I pray that it is and that God will lead us all to it and to salvation through His Son who died for us.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAeuMDuuBRU&list=PLDD250C9E6BDEEAAC
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Satan is very crafty Joy. He would love to have us believe in our traditions and our “religion systems”. To divide us and separate us. Ask God to show you His truth not just your preconceived idea of truth based on what you’ve been told or what you’ve heard or what you expect God to be. Ask Him to show you who He is with anticipation not expectation and He will honor that request but we have to set aside self and preconceived notions. I pray that God leads you to all truth. Not my truth, not your truth but His truth. Be blessed and may God’s light which IS light shine upon you and His peace be with you. May you seek Him always and may He shine His face upon you.
Jerry S. says
June 10, 2013 at 5:39 amJoy may have some valid points worthy of considering as much as they may hurt the traditions the Christian religion has of its own, not to mention our pride. No time now, but will write more later.
J.
Tess says
June 11, 2013 at 1:32 pmJoy,
You might want to read Romans 10; Romans 11. Especially the last part of Romans 11; 25-36.
What a wonderful, special and glorious love God has for His people and how marvelous are His works. Christians should honor and respect their Jewish brothers and sisters and understand the Jewish culture. I know I have gotten SO much insight by studying eastern vs western thinking.
Jews miss out when they do not seriously consider that Jesus is indeed the Messiah but Christians also missed out in a huge way when they intentionally rejected and persecuted the Jewish people.
In regards to the Torah, Christianity and Judaism have both not observed it. Judaism elevates oral tradition above the Torah. Christianity views it as being replaced by the new covenant and what the bible actually says about it is that NO MAN could keep the law. God chose Abram, Abram did not choose God. God made him and his descendants His chosen people. God made a covenant with Abram and God was the only One who passed through the blood covenant. Genesis 15:17
Jewish tradition was that both parties would pass between the sacrifice, stomp in the blood and state this be to me if I break our covenant. The following link goes into much greater detail and describes a beautiful truth. I hope you get as much from it as I did.
God bless you!
http://www.bibletools.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Topical.show/RTD/cgg/ID/6870/Smoking-Oven-as-Symbol.htm