Mon.’s Devo - God’s Covenant

Read: Genesis 16:18-19; Matthew 6:1-24; Psalm 7:1-17; Proverbs 2:1-5
It is hard to read the Bible with western eyes and understand the mentality of the people. It was very common to have concubines during that day to bring about children even though it was not right in the sight of God.
The story of Sarai and Hagar reads like a soap opera. Sarai thought she was running out of time and needed to help God. We can all relate to that! She took Hagar and gave her to Abraham to make a baby.
Hagar was the innocent party, but once she got pregnant thought less of Sarai and Sarai felt her hostility. When Sarai couldn’t take it any more, she blamed Abraham for having the silly notion of having a baby at their age. To keep the peace, Abraham told her to do whatever she wanted to do with Hagar. She made it so uncomfortable for Hagar that she finally left penniless and pregnant.
The angel of the Lord found Hagar by a spring in the desert. He told her to go back and submit to Sarai and that God would increase her descendants so that they would be too large to count. He told her that the name of the child was Ishmael and he would be a wild man who even his brothers would hate. What a prophecy!
She returned to Sarai and had her baby. Abram was 86. Thirteen years later God appeared to him again to confirm his first covenant with Abram. He changed his name from Abram to Abraham because he enlarged his word. He would not just be a father of a nation but many nations. Kings would come from his people, the whole land of Canaan would be his possession and he would be their God. Then God gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision. Every make who is eight days old was to be circumcised, including those born in his household and those he bought with money.
God recommitted his covenant that Sarai would have a son and he would be the son of the promise, not Ishmael, though Ishmael would become great and have many descendants also.
Abraham obeyed and circumcised his whole family.
In Matthew, Jesus continues his sermon on the mountain. They got a lesson on what true humility is and on how to pray. He summed it up with this: “You cannot serve two masters.”
Lord, help us to turn our ears to wisdom and apply our heart to understanding. Help us to understand the fear of the Lord and find your knowledge.