Covenant Concerns Series

“There was this one day during May of 2018. I woke up. It was a Saturday morning, and I was 100 dollars in overdraft. I had 20 dollars in my pocket. I had enough food to last a day. I had no checks in sight. I had no work in sight. I had maxed out my credit cards. I literally didn’t know how I was going to exist.”

He kneeled and poured out his heart to God, asking him, “What happened?” He had been under the impression that God helps those who help themselves—he later realized that the Lord helps those who rely on him.

For years, my prayer was, “If there’s something else I should be doing, please show me what it is, because this is really hard,” I literally said the words “I surrender. I surrender.” I realized in that moment that in many other areas in my life, I had allowed God in. But when it came to my career, I thought, “I know better. I got this God, I’m the actor here. Don’t worry—it’s Hollywood; I know Hollywood, God.”

Roumie left his apartment and went for a walk to collect himself, buying a breakfast sandwich with the money he had left. Later that day, he found four checks in the mail. Three months later, Dallas Jenkins, the writer/director of The Chosen, called and offered him the role of Jesus (Kelsey Marie Bowse, “Jonathan Roumie: I First Portrayed Jesus in My Long Island Backyard,” Ekstasis Magazine, 12-21; www.PreachingToday.com).

Give up the idea that God helps those who help themselves. That’s Old Covenant thinking. Instead, just rely on the Lord, who blesses you unconditionally. You see, those checks were already in the mail when Roumie surrendered to God. As a believer, God is fully and completely committed to you. Therefore, commit yourself fully and completely to Him. Then commit yourself to those things He cares about.

The Book of the Covenant in Exodus 21 to 23 contains a lot of specific rules and regulations. Now, I don’t want to bore you with the details, but I do want to point out the themes in these chapters that reflect the heart of God. And one of those themes is justice. So, in your commitment to God…

COMMIT YOURSELF ALSO TO JUSTICE.

Give yourself to pursuing what’s right. Devote yourself to the fair and equitable application of the law to everyone, rich or poor, black or white, enemy or friend. Look at Exodus 21:22.

Exodus 21:22-25 “When men strive together and hit a pregnant woman, so that her children come out, but there is no harm, the one who hit her shall surely be fined, as the woman’s husband shall impose on him, and he shall pay as the judges determine. But if there is harm, then you shall pay life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe (ESV).

This prevents arbitrary punishment, which can be excessive. Rather, the punishment should fit the harm done to the victim. If a man takes the life of another (in this context, “a pregnant woman” or her unborn child), then he forfeits his life. If he knocks out a tooth, he forfeits a tooth. If he wounds another, then the authorities should wound him in the same way.