“And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness… And they shall no more be a prey to the heathen, neither shall the beast of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and none shall make them afraid.” – Ezekiel 34:25, 28

A covenant is an agreement made between God and man. God sets the terms of the agreement, and then man chooses whether or not to abide by the terms. However, if man chooses to be obedient, the Lord then is bound to give certain blessings in return. The Lord sets the terms of covenants in the scriptures, and they are found throughout the Bible. The Lord made covenants with Abraham, Noah, the children of Israel, etc. Although these covenants were made thousands of years ago, I believe that the terms of the covenants can still apply to us today. 

The Prophet Ezekiel in the afore quoted scripture says that the Lord will make a covenant of peace with His people, a covenant that will protect them in the wilderness. This reminds me of a promise made to the children of Israel in Leviticus 25: 18, “Wherefore ye shall do my statues, and keep my judgments, and do them; and ye shall dwell in the land in safety.” Although we are not wandering through a desert, like the children of Israel, we do dwell in a type of spiritual wilderness, a place where spiritual beasts abound. We live in a time where commandments are forgotten, and the adversary has convinced men to act as they please and do what they may with little or no consequence. In this time, I’m grateful for the covenants and promises made in the Bible, for as I continue to live by the commandments of God, I feel a kind of Divine protection over my life. I know this protection comes as a blessing from keeping my covenants with God. I especially love how Ezekiel says, “..and none shall make them afraid,” what a powerful promise that is, to live free of fear. I know that as we act in faith, and hold true to what is right, and keep the commandments that the Lord will watch over us, and no beast, or economic condition, or housing market, or terrorist can make us afraid. 

16″ x 20″ oil on masonite