(16) God Binds His Covenant

God has graciously made a covenant between himself and believers and their children. God graciously to care for us; we must trust and obey him. But what happens when we don't? Is the covenant breakable? Can the disobedience of man nullify God's hold on his people?

In Ezekiel 20 a group of elders asked the prophet to inquire of the Lord in Babylon. Perhaps they wondered why they were in exile and what had come of his covenant. But God does not allow their inquiry; instead, he reminds them of their unfaithfulness and what he will do about it. Verse 37 is key to this chapter: "I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant." The term "bond" conveys that the covenant is a binding obligation—for Israel, and for us.