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Then all Israel … stood on either side of the ark.… And afterward [Joshua] read all the words of the law” (Josh. 8:33–34a). Thus, the people of Israel renewed God’s covenant with them.
But what’s the point in a renewal of the covenant? Aren’t His promises in the covenant eternal? These questions sound like those of the man who says: “Anniversary? Why should I bother trying to remember our wedding anniversary? Didn’t I tell my wife I loved her on the day we got married?”
Renewal of God’s covenant with us should be a time of joy, a celebration of love, a reaffirmation of trust. But it must include a searching of your soul to find where you have broken your pledge to keep the commands of the covenant. It involves a sacrificial rededication of all you are to Him who freely gives you all you possess. Yes, it is a big business, but it’s something you ought to do, according to God’s appointments, every week for the rest of your life.
Covenant Renewal In the Right Place
You might think any place would be fine for the renewal of covenant pledges to God. But no. Before Joshua had even begun the conquest, God designated a specific place for His chosen people to renew their covenant vows. It was to be at the natural outdoor amphitheater formed by two mountains, “ ‘on the other side of the Jordan, toward the setting sun, in the land of the Canaanites … beside the terebinth trees of Moreh’ ” (Deut. 11:29–30). From Mount Gerizim the blessings must be read, and from Mount Ebal the curses.
What was so significant about this place? It was where God appeared to Abraham for the first time in the land that had been promised to him. At that very place God said, “This is the land, this is the place that I am giving to you.” So Abraham built an altar and offered his first sacrifice in the land of promise at that very place (Gen. 12:7).
So what does this ancient fact mean for believers in Christ today? Does it mean we must make a pilgrimage to the place called Shechem, at the foot of Mounts Gerizim and Ebal, and there renew God’s covenant?
Not quite. For the right place for worship has been radically changed. We do not come to the foot of a mountain that can be touched with human hands. We assemble at the foot of the heavenly Mount Zion, where myriads of angels worship in joyful assembly (Heb. 12:22).
Covenant Renewal in the Right Way
Not only must the covenant be renewed in the right place, it must be renewed in the right way—according to God’s law. The way Joshua was to lead the people in the renewal of the covenant was so important that specific directions were given through Moses before Israel entered the land (see Deut. 27:4–8). Three elements in these directions should be noted.
First, the renewal of the covenant was to be celebrated at an altar made of uncut stones (Deut. 27:5–6). Why common field-stones that had not been touched by an artisan? Because of man’s natural tendency to idolatry. Once a person begins chipping at a stone, there’s no telling what may come of it. By contrast, an unhewn, undecorated altar speaks of self-humiliation. An altar on which a bloody sacrifice must be offered means that the worshipers are confessing their sin, acknowledging that they deserve the wrath and curse of God.
In a new covenant context, the distinctive point of covenant renewal is the table of the Lord. By eating at this table, a person acknowledges he needs the sacrifice of the Son of God on his behalf. The right way to renew the covenant is by humbly partaking of the body and blood of the Lord by faith at His table.
Second, the renewal of the covenant was to include a rehearsal of the law of God. Under God’s directions, Israel was required both to write out the law at the time of the renewal of the covenant and to have it read publicly before the people (Deut. 27:8; Josh. 8:34–35). The writing indicated the permanence of the law; it had remained unchanged since the day it was given. The reading of the law involved the pledge of the people. As each law was read, the people shouted out their “Amen! So be it!” Both the blessings and the curses of the law were read to the people, and they responded with their “Amens!” In effect, they were calling down curses on themselves if they were to break the law to which they had declared their “Amen.” But they also were rehearsing the prospect of blessing that would come with the keeping of the law.
One additional element was necessary for a renewing of the covenant in the right way. This aspect of covenant renewal was not spelled out in Joshua, but it was clearly written in the book of Deuteronomy to describe the proper process of covenant renewal—the people were to rejoice (Deut. 27:7). They were not to regard God’s covenant as a burden they must endure, but as a source of blessing that should make them rejoice.
So let us rejoice in the covenant God has made with us. Let us not begrudge the time or the commitment involved in covenant renewal. Instead, let us joyfully come before the Lord every Sunday. Let us delight in the privilege of renewing God’s covenant with us.