Scripture reference: 1Samuel 7:26 (NKJV); Psalm 23:6 (NKJV); Ps 86:1-5 (NIV); Ps 86:13,15-16 (NIV), Ps 101:1 (NKJV); 2 Chronicles 20:20-21 (NKJV); 2 Chronicles 20:22 (NKJV); Genesis 24:1-4 (NKJV); Genesis 24:10-14 (NKJV), Genesis 24:26-27 (NKJV); Genesis 12:1-4 (NKJV); Genesis 15:1-2 (NKJV); Genesis 15:4 (NKJV); Genesis 15:6 (NKJV); Genesis 15:9 (NKJV); Genesis 15:18 (NKJV); Genesis 16:2 (NKJV); Galatians 4:21-30 (NKJV); Hebrews 10:16-17 (NKJV

Pastor Sharon Bendixen: Father, today Your word says; “Today, when You hear His voice, today, when You hear His voice,” Your word appeals to us. “Do not harden Your hearts as they did in the time of the wilderness.” Father, today You will not find hardened hearts here. Today, You find receiving, believing hearts. We are ready, Lord, our hearts are ready, Lord, to receive and believe and speak and sow the seed of Your word, of this message that comes to us today through Pastor Christi, Lord. We know that You have spoken to her heart and so we drink it in. We eat, we eat this morning the Living Bread. We feed on the live Living Bread coming to us – live right now. Your word coming to us, the full download. We’re in live lock with You, Lord. Hallelujah. We’re receiving all the data. We’re receiving it. We’re downloading it into our spirit through the messenger, Lord, through Pastor Christi. We thank You that she’s strengthened with mighty power in her inner man, Lord. She speaks the oracles of God, and we thank You for all of this today in Jesus’ name. And we say, Amen. Come, Pastor Christi. We love you, we can’t wait to hear what the Lord is showing you.

Pastor Christi Grobler: Thank you, Pastor Sharon. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Praise the Lord. We are in full agreement with what Pastor Sharon just prayed and we all say, Amen. You may be seated. Good morning, everybody.

Hallelujah. The Lord is talking to us about covenant. So, will you please open your Bibles in 1 Samuel chapter 7 this morning. We’re going to dive in straight away. 1 Samuel chapter 17. We know how David came with covenant talk against Goliath. Let’s read from verse 26 ²⁶ Then David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, (1 Samuel 17:26 NKJV)

David was actually asking, “Who is this man who has no covenant with God?” So, David spoke covenant all the time. Not only this time, but all the time. Please go to Psalms 23 this morning. I want to show you today and talk about a Hebrew word that changed my understanding about covenant. Walking, talking, praying covenant. Many believers really do not know what to do with their covenant. They don’t pray it, and they don’t say it.

So, in Psalm 23 verse 6, David says: ⁶ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me. (Psalm 23:6 NKJV). But, I want to show you this morning, that the word mercy is the word Hesed. Hesed. Will you guys put that verse for me on the screen? The next one. Thank you.

So, David said, “Surely,” and I want you to listen to this. The word Hesed that David used. He said are the obligations and the rights required in a covenant. That’s actually what David said. It’s a powerful word. Some say “ghe-sed”, but most people say Hesed. So, you can choose which one. So, I did and guys, if it’s possible, it will be wonderful. I want to read to you actually what David was praying. David actually said, surely goodness and God fulfilling His covenant promise to me are following me. So, mercy is included, but David was talking covenant here.

Now the word hesed. Do you guys have that definition for me? If it’s on the board, good; if not, no problem.

The word hesed means this. The conduct required in a covenant relationship. There’s actually a conduct required. The obligations and rights that must be fulfilled. Action must happen. Hesed is actually the very content of any covenant – marriage covenant – a blood covenant.

What is being said? What is being agreed upon? Now it must be done. A blood covenant is a relationship that has blood and words. Please go to Psalm 86. Very important. Pastor John shared with us, that there are contracts, people who have agreements, and it has no blood. But our covenant with the Lord is a blood covenant. We are redeemed by the blood of the Lord. Our faith in the blood and God’s words. We’re going to see it this morning. Now, just like Psalm 23, David is walking, David is talking, and I want to show you this morning, he’s praying covenant. Hallelujah.

Psalm 86, verses one to five. ¹ Hear me, O Lord, and answer me. David says, I’m poor and needy. ² Guard my life, for I am faithful. I’m also keeping Your covenant, Lord. But let’s go to verse five. I want to show you. ⁵ You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love. (Ps 86:1-5 NIV) But once again, it’s not the right translation, no, again, it’s the word hesed. So, David is actually saying, Lord, you are forgiving and good, not “abounding in love”. It’s part of the covenant, but you are fulfilling right now Your covenant obligations to me.

This is completely different. Like I said – I really believe, I see it in the Bible school as well – believers do not know what to do with their covenant. Look at verse 13. From the start in verse 13, this is actually amazing. “¹³ For great is your love” (Psalm 86:13 NIV) No. Yes, it’s part of the covenant, but that word again is hesed: So, Lord, great is Your protection and Your blessings. Now, Lord, act on it. I’m needy. I’m needy. I come to You. Now You must perform my covenant rights. You to me, towards me.

Look at verse 15. How many times is he coming with covenant to God in only this one Psalm? I’m going to show you. Verse 15. “¹⁵ But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love.” (Psalm 86:15 NIV) No, it’s wonderful. Yes, God is abounding in love, but in hesed, he says, No, You abound in doing, performing right now Your covenant promises to me. It’s a completely different conversation happening here. Look at verse 16. “¹⁶ Turn to me and have mercy.” (Psalm 86:16 NIV) No, mercy is hesed. Once again, Do Your promises, Lord. Let them come to pass right now in my life.

Go to Psalm 101, verse one, please. And you know what? Immediately, I know by faith you can hear, you can hear right now. This is us like Pastor Sharon said this morning. We are singing the covenant words of God. We are singing the covenant promises of God. No Lord, right now, everywhere we look, blessings. As You sit there Lord, this is our planted place. We are wealthy-ing. We are laughing, Lord, right now. Bring it to pass, our Covenant Partner, in the name of Jesus. Psalm 101, verse one, ¹ I will sing of your love (Psalm 101:1 NKJV) No. Yes, Your love brought about Your covenant, but that word, love, I will sing, I will hesed. I will come and ask You while I’m singing, Perform Your blessings. You are obligated Lord, to bring it to pass right now. Hallelujah.”

You can hear and I mean this is already happening to me, just like Pastor Sharon taught us. You know, I know it’s the same for you in the mornings when I fellowship with the Lord in the Book of Psalms. You can imagine I’m going to a whole different place now. The same with you. Covenant talk, praising God, intertwined, having fellowship with Him. Praise the Lord. This is very, very beautiful. I’m just going to, before I switch over in my message today, the way the Lord led me for this morning. I want to show you how powerful it is that the Old Testament people, well, the New Testament as well, but I want to show it to you here, how they talked covenant.

Second Chronicles 20. Let’s go to Second Chronicles 20:20, a scripture that we all love so much. I mean, I do. I know you do. And it’s a very powerful scripture in my life to occupy and to receive, especially the prophetic word that God’s got for us. Second Chronicles 20:20 till 22. So. this is Jehoshaphat’s army. All the other tribes are really coming against them. Verse 20. ²⁰ So they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; … Jehoshaphat stood and he spoke to them and he said, “Hear, O Judah. Look at verse 21. He said to them what we know, Lord, be established in the Word of God and believe the prophets and you will prosper. But I want you to focus on verse 21. ²¹ And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who would sing. (2 Chronicles 20:20-21 NKJV)

Actually, what he did, was he appointed sound and song. He appointed sound and song to the Lord who should praise the beauty of holiness. Look what they said when they started to sing. ²¹ “Praise the Lord, For His mercy endures forever.” (2 Chronicles 20:21 NKJV) No, mercy endures forever is not the right translation. They started to sing, hesed. They started to attack with covenant singing. They were singing, announcing just like David did.

You do not even have a covenant with God. Singing, singing, coming to the enemy, but we come in our covenant with the Lord and He loves keeping covenant. He’s doing it right now. He is acting on it. They came singing. That’s the word hesed. Talking, praying, singing covenant. Hallelujah.

Oh, and you know what? When I just made these notes, I said, “Lord, in this ecclesia, might we receive revelation upon revelation regarding Sound and Song.” To put our foot in Sound and Song. To attack with our covenant rights. Look at verse 22. “²² Now when they began to sing and praise, the LORD set ambushes against the enemy.” (2 Chronicles 20:22 NKJV) So, what’s happening, not only on a Sunday morning when you and I are singing? So, we put our foot in Sound and Song. The Lord is destroying the enemy. So, we understand the principle, but God is talking about covenant to you and me this morning.

Then I want you to go to Genesis 24 with me this morning. Now, I need to say this to you. This is where the Lord showed me these things about covenant many, many years ago. You know, I’ve shared this with Grobbies, even before Pastor John started to minister about covenant, I’ve always, for a long time in my life, seeking the Lord to teach me about His covenant because we have such a Western mindset. So, we will never stop learning and walking in our covenant.

Genesis 24. This is a precious passage of scripture. Here we see Abraham sending his servant to go and get Isaac a wife. “¹ Now Abraham was old, and well advanced in age, and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things. ² So, Abraham said to the oldest servant of his house, who ruled over all that he had,” (Genesis 24:1-2 NKJV) I’m not going to talk about this morning, but the Bible has a lot to say about this faithful servant. We will talk about that again.

²…Abraham said to him, “Please put your hand under my thigh ³ and I will make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites among whom I dwell.” (Genesis 24:2-3 NKJV). Verse four. ⁴ But you will go, my servant, to my country and to my family and take a wife for my son Isaac” (Genesis 24:4 NKJV) there. Now we see this faithful servant in action, but God actually had to show me the operation of covenant here that I was not aware of. Let’s read from verse 10. ¹⁰ “Then the servant took 10 of his master’s camels and departed for all…” And listen to just how faithful this servant is. “For all his master’s goods were in his hand.” This is powerful. “And he arose and he went to Mesopotamia to the city of Nahor and he made his camels kneel down outside the city by a well of water at evening time” (Genesis 24:10-11 NKJV). Guys, this is this is a very important thing, an assignment that he must do here. He’s not taking this lightly. Abram made him swear. You do this thing and he’s taking it seriously before the Lord.

Look at verse 12. “Then he…”, the servant, says, “Oh, Lord of my master, Abraham, please give me success this day and show kindness” (Genesis 24:12 NKJV). That’s not the right translation. Show me, hesed. So, what was this servant saying? It’s not kindness. He prayed, Lord, perform now the obligation rights of your covenant to Abram. This is huge. He knew covenant, he knew hesed he knew that if he’s asking God this now, it’s not a maybe Lord, Covenant partner of Abraham. You must do this. You must do this. Show me success and show me kindness. Well, once again, kindness is part of it, mercy and love. But he was he was speaking and demanding the action of the Covenant to be fulfilled. Verse 13, ¹³ “Behold, here I stand at the well of water and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water.” (Genesis 24:13 NKJV).

Verse 14. He made a very specific covenant request. Now let it be. ¹⁴ Now let it be that when the young woman to whom I say, “Please let down your pitcher that I may drink,” and she says, “Drink,” that it will be so. And then at the end of verse 14, he says, ¹⁴ And by this I will know that you have shown kindness. (Genesis 24:13-14 NKJV)

He is not like Pastor Sharon said this morning, he is not pleading for kindness. Kindness is hesed. He said, “Lord, show me that you are performing the covenant rights by doing this.” Wow. Wow. So, this is changing everything for us to understand. I want to ask you this morning because the Lord, we are advancing with the Lord. Do you speak covenant? Is this really something that you understand or need to study? Be in the Word of God for yourself to understand the rights that you have in the covenant, your covenant, blood covenant with God. I mean, he had to do a very important task, and he said, “Lord, fulfil your promises to my master.

Verse 26 is beautiful. He does not stop talking about covenant now. The Lord did what he asked, even exactly. Verse 26. ²⁶ Then the man bowed down his head and worshipped the Lord. Verse 27, ²⁷ And he said, “Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken His mercy. (Genesis 24:26-27 NKJV) That word mercy is, hesed, Once again, you did not stop and not do and perform your promises. You were acting out the very covenant, thank You, Lord. I praise the Lord this morning. You have not forsaken performing Your covenant rights to me and Your truth towards my master.

So, as I’ve said in the beginning, this is very important for all of us. Remember, a blood covenant, our covenant with God is a relationship. It’s a relationship with blood and words, agreements, and very specific things that are coming from the Lord.

Pastor John shared with us last week; that I can always say with confidence that the church is the place that God has got a covenant with us as a people. Very, important to be planted. Pastor John continued. He said; it’s not about buildings. It’s not about events. Listen, very carefully. But it’s about the many relationships that God can use to reflect Christ. Covenant can only unfold in a relationship. You don’t make covenant with yourself, covenant is a relationship.

Guys, can you put that picture for us on the board? Thank you. It’s behind me. Some of the verses that I was looking for are behind me. I’ve asked them to do this for us. This powerful revelation that the Lord gave Pastor John.