To use this study guide:  Read each chapter in Keepers of Salt and follow along in the Keepers of Salt Study Guide.  The Study Guide works with Keepers of Salt in a companion-like format and contains the same titles and headings.  Questions for thought are designed to help you reflect upon certain topics.  It is suggested that you look up all references and if possible use several different translations.

This guide may be used for personal use or group study.

All Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Holy Bible.

Chapter One

Covenants Forever

T.L. Osborn once said, “All heaven stands ready to enforce every Covenant Right of yours when you dare to be bold in claiming them.”  How can we even begin to claim our Covenant rights if we don’t know what Covenant is?

What does the word Covenant mean to you?

Have you ever made Covenants?  If so what kind?

God is a Covenant making and keeping God.  He wants us to be Covenant makers too, but even more than that, Keepers of our Covenants.

Re-read the story of the two men who shared a Salt Covenant at location 198 of Keepers of Salt digital edition.

QUESTIANS FOR THOUGHT

Take a minute and think about the Covenants you have made.  Are you married?  Are you a member in a church fellowship?  Do you have long-term friendships?  What kind of relationships do you have with members of your family?

Have you kept your Covenants?  How has your life been blessed by these Covenants?  If you have broken them how has your life been adversely affected?

What things happen in our lives that strain a Covenant to the point of breaking?

What things can you do to strengthen your Covenants?

SALT COVENANTS

Exchanging grains of salt seems strange to us, but only because we don’t understand the ancient customs of Salt Covenanting.  Still, we exchange salt in many ways.  A common phrase we use today is “Blood, Sweat and Tears”.  We make statements like, “It took a lot of Blood, Sweat and Tears to raise my children”.  “It will take a lot of Blood, Sweat and Tears to see this project completed.”

What does blood, sweat and tears have in common?  Have you ever used the phrase “blood, sweat and tears”?  What was the context and what kind of commitment did you imply?

QUESTIANS FOR THOUGHT

Can you retrieve tears that are shed?  Is a Covenant made when we cry with a friend?  Can you collect blood that is spilt or sweat that has perspired?  What about eating?  Do we make a Covenant by eating salt and sharing food?  If not why?  How does eating together symbolize Covenant friendship?  How strong is that Covenant?  Is it a temporary or a permanent Covenant?  Have you ever given thought to obligations incurred by simply eating with a friend?

Read Leviticus 2:13; Numbers 18:19; II Chronicles 13:5.  What is a Salt Covenant and what does it symbolize?

Are Salt Covenants relevant today?  Why or why not?

Read Matthew 5:13.  We are “the salt of the earth”.  Jesus was literally saying that we are God’s expression of Covenant to the world.  How does Keeping Covenants make an impact on our world?

What about breaking Covenants?  Does this affect our witness while sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ?

Do you believe that curses follow a broken Covenant?  Why or why not?

QUESTIAN FOR THOUGHT

Salt makes things tasteful.  Food without salt is distasteful.  Have we become distasteful to the world by breaking our Covenants, or do we make people thirsty for God because of our kept Covenants?

GOD THE COVENANT MAKER

God is a Covenant making God.  Titus 1:2 tells us that before the beginning of time, God made the Covenant of eternal life.

QUESTIAN FOR THOUGHT

If Covenant is so important to God that it is His primary concern, how much more important should it be to us?

Read Jeremiah 33:20-22; 25-26 and II Chronicles 13:5.  What two Covenants are mentioned in these verses?

Have these two Covenants been kept?  How do they affect us today?

God wanted His Covenant nature to become a part of man.  We read in Genesis that God created man and desired to walk in Covenant with him.  God’s desire was for a deep friendship with Adam.  However, Adam rejected God’s Covenant.  From that day until this day, God has desired a restoration of Covenant Friendship with man.

From Genesis to Revelation what is the main theme of the Bible?

Why is Covenant critical to understanding the foundation of the Bible itself?

How does the Old Covenant affect our lives?

How does the New Covenant affect our lives?

COVENANT FRIENDSHIP

Romans 4:16 Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all.

Abraham was called God’s friend.  How do we, like Abraham, become God’s friend?

In Galatians 3:5-14 and Genesis 12:1-3 we see that Abraham’s Covenant blessings are also for us!  Abraham is our father.  He was the first to be justified by faith.  He paved the way for us, so as his children we have the right to claim his blessings.  List some of those blessings.

What obligations are there on our part to receive these blessings?  Are we obligated to practice circumcision in the same way as Abraham?  Why or why not?

How do we apply Deuteronomy 30:6 to our lives?

Covenant friendships like the one between Abraham and God are few indeed, and these types of Covenants remain scarce even in the church today.  Why?  How do we remedy this problem?

Does God expect us to make Covenant friends in our Church body?

BLOOD COVENANTS

QUESTIAN FOR THOUGHT

The Hebrew word for Covenant means to cut, coming from a time when two men would cut their flesh and mingle their blood to symbolize that they had become one.  As a child, did you and a friend ever cut your fingers and pinch them together hoping to mingle the blood, in order to become “Blood Brothers”?  Why did you do this?  Could it be that at the time, you desired your friendship to last forever?  This comes from the Ancient traditions of Blood Covenanting.  Even our modern day wedding ring comes from ancient traditions that said that the ring represented a man’s blood as his life. (see page 70 The Blood Covenant Trumbull)

Do we make blood Covenants today?

The Essential Ingredients: Words, Sacrifice and Seal

In ancient times, the ceremonies of Blood and Salt Covenanting included all of the essential ingredients needed to establish a Covenant: words, the sacrifice and the seal.

This is true even today.  There are many different kinds of Covenants.  Marriage is one that comes closest to an ancient friendship Covenant.  Let us look at these ingredients in a modern day Covenant, marriage.

Words

Words include the promises of blessing and cursing, terms or obligations of the Covenant, and the oath.

In each marriage we say Words.  As an example: “For better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, therewith I pledge you my faith.”

QUESTIAN FOR THOUGHT

What does it mean to pledge your faith?  From Hebrews 11:1 we know that faith is the substance of things not seen, could it be that we are promising something also not seen?  Are we promising faithfulness to an unknown future?

THE OBLIGATIONS OF COVENANT

Obligations are a critical key to understanding Covenant.  They are simply keeping the promises of the Covenant.  Failure to meet these obligations results in a curse.  What kinds of Covenant obligations are there in a marriage?

In modern American weddings we speak words of blessings, but there are implied curses.  We all know that if this Covenant is broken it will be followed with curses.  There is nothing good about a divorce even when one might argue that his or her divorce was necessary.  Ex-husbands and wives suffer.  Children suffer.  Grandparents and grand children suffer.  Finances are divided and there is seldom enough money.  Sickness often follows because of hurt feelings, worry, strife, bitterness and unforgiveness.  People who have recently been divorced are high risks for sickness, financial problems, accidents and even death.

If you have not suffered a divorce you have undoubtedly seen the results of divorce in the lives of your friends and neighbors.  If you have gone though a divorce, in what ways have you suffered?

If we are honest, we have all broken Covenants and therefore suffered from the consequences.

What Covenants have you made and what are your obligations?  If you have broken them, how have you suffered from curses?

The Sacrifice of the Covenant

This could be blood, salt or wine.  For some people it would be a precious possession.  For Abraham it was Isaac.  For our loving Heavenly Father, it was His only son Jesus Christ.

In many Christian marriages, couples share in the Lords’ Supper.  In Jewish weddings they drink wine.  In some African tribes they exchange salt.  In some places of the world they even drink blood.  In all of these examples, the sacrifice represents LIFE.  Symbolically everyone lays down their lives on that day for their chosen mate.  They then become a living sacrifice. (Romans 12:1)

The Seal of the Covenant

This could be anything that is a tangible witness to the Covenant, such as a bag of exchanged salt, a ring, amulet or the Holy Spirit.

Today all over the world people exchange rings to seal their marriage.  In French speaking West Africa, the wedding ring is even called “The ring of Covenant”.

FROM COVENANT TO CURSE

Are you offended by the word curse?  Curses are the natural consequences following those who do not keep Covenants.  As New Testament Christians, we don’t like to use the word curse.  We think curses don’t apply to us, but they are a real part of Covenant making.  For Covenant breakers, not only will the blessings of Covenant not be available, but also a curse will follow.

Read these verses in several versions of the Bible.

Deuteronomy 11:26,28 Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; and a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known.

Who is this passage written to?

Now read Malachi 2:2; 3:9-12

Malachi 2:2 If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith the LORD of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart.

Malachi 3:9-12 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.   Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.  And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts.  And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts.

QUESTIAN FOR THOUGHT

If we don’t acknowledge the reality of curses in Malachi 2:2 and 3:9, how can we claim the blessings of Malachi 3:10-12?

We should note these are not curses put upon us by others but by ourselves, a natural consequence of our broken Covenants!

Read James 3:9

James 3:9 Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.

Not only do we suffer from self-inflicted curses, but we are also able to curse others.

QUESTIAN FOR THOUGHT

Have you ever cursed another person?  If you are not blessing them perhaps you are cursing them.  Our words are powerful.

You may not realize it but if you speak words like these listed below, you are speaking curses.

Curses:

“My son is so lazy.  He will never amount to anything.

“My husband never does anything right.  He’s so stupid.”

“My wife doesn’t care about me.  She’s always depressed and doesn’t consider how I feel.  She’s just a selfish person.”

“My pastor doesn’t care about me.  If I have anything to do with it, he’ll never succeed in this town.”

We need to change the way we talk and speak blessings instead.

Blessings:

“My son is a blessing from God.  He is discouraged right now because he can’t find a job but he has many special gifts and abilities.  Soon he will find a good job and his place in the community.  He will be a great man because God made him to be great.”

“My husband does a lot of nice things for me.  He may not do everything just the way I would like, but he really does care.”

“My wife needs prayer because she is really discouraged.  I know if she could see God moving in our lives she would be much happier.”

“I know my pastor is a very busy man.  I’m sure he cares about me.  I should have told him that my mother was in the hospital instead of expecting him to know this information on his own.  If he had known he would have come and prayed for her.”

Read Romans 4:17-24 in several different versions.

Romans 4:17-24  As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations, before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were…  He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;  And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.  And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.  Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead.

It takes thought to speak blessings.  Curses are easier to speak than blessings.  Blessings demand faith to see what is not easily seen.  We need to become more like God when He spoke the things that were not as though they were.  Often times we do the opposite.  We speak the things that ARE and wish they were NOT!

Do you habitually speak about what you see with your natural eyes or do you speak as a person of faith declaring what God has promised you?

Take a minute and think about the words you say.  How can you change your words to be more of a blessing?

COVENANTS, THE MINGLING OF OUR HEARTS

What does Covenant mean to you?

Do you believe that God expects you to make Covenants?

Does God want us to make Covenants with others in His Body, and would this finally fulfill the prayer of Jesus in John 17:20-23 when He prayed that we would become one?

Do you believe that God wants you to make a Covenant with Him?  Why or why not?

QUESTIAN FOR THOUGHT

Do your blessings seem to be slipping through your fingers?  Have you ever thought that your blessings could be missing from your life because of your broken Covenants?

Have you ever broken relationships with others in the Body of Christ?  If you have, are you actively trying to repair those broken relationships and thereby restore your Covenant?  What are some ways these broken relationships can be restored?

Like the two men who shared salt, we have shared our salt with others in the Body of Christ.  When we separate or break our Covenant relationships it is impossible to gather all of our grains from the other’s pouch.  Our Covenants have mingled our hearts, and the separations have left many in the Body of Christ wounded and bleeding.  Have you separated from others in the Body of Christ and left them wounded and bleeding?

Is it possible that this is why you are not as effective as you would like to be?  Are you missing the authority and power of Christ in your life?

David says, in Psalm 25:14, “The secret of the LORD is with them who fear Him, and He will show them His Covenant.”  Do you want to know God’s secret?  The secret of the Lord can be found when you become, a Covenant Keeper.  As you begin to recognize the power and blessings of Covenant, you will see the blessings you so desire and your curses will fall away.

Become a Keeper of Salt!

Chapter 2

Strong Friendship

In the story of John MacGregor, at location 396 of Keepers of Salt digital edition, something changed his status from enemy to friend.  What was it?

What makes a blood Covenant different from other Covenants?

Jesus taught us that Communion is a Covenant oath of friendship.  We make Covenants each time we participate in Holy Communion.  John 15:15 tell us that after The Last Supper (Communion), Jesus declared “I no longer call you servants, but I call you my friends”.  Although we may not realize it, something happens during Communion that changes our status.  Like MacGregor, whose status was changed from enemy to friend, so we enter into Blood Covenant Friendship with all those with whom we partake Holy Communion.

Have you ever thought about Covenant friendship when you took part in the Lord’s Supper?

Read Galatians 3.  How is Abraham’s Covenant in Geneses 12:2-4 fulfilled in John 15:15?

What do you think of when you see the phrase “Strong Friendship”?

What is the difference between being friendly and being a friend?

THE LANGUAGE OF COVENANT

Has Holy Communion been a mystery to you?

Do you believe that the Lord’s Supper is relevant today or is it just a mandated tradition?  Why?

John 6:53-57 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.  Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.  For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.  He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.  As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.

Luke 22:19-20 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.  Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.

John 6:52 tells us that the Jews quarreled among themselves wondering how Jesus could give His flesh to eat.  Jesus was using the language of Covenant when He said these words. He was speaking in terminology that was common for His day and culture.  Yet in John 6:59-61, we see that even His disciples were confused and offended by these statements.

Are Jesus’ words strange to you?  What do you think of when you read the words “eat my flesh and drink my blood”?

A Blood Covenant requires the life of the one offering the Covenant.  Jesus was offering His life.  Jesus said to His disciples in John 15:13-15, “Greater love has no man than he lay down his life for his friends.”  At the same time He said they were no longer His servants, but His friends.  He was literally saying, “You have become my friends and I am going to prove my Covenant love by giving my life for you.”  He was using, the language of Covenant.

Dr. H. Clay Trumbull states (page 277 The Blood Covenant) that, “In the light of all these local Covenant customs, the words of Jesus in John 6:53-57 have a clearer meaning.  It was as though He said: “Men everywhere long for life.  They seek a share in the life of God.  They give of their own blood… in evidence of their desire for oneness of nature with God.  They crave communion with God, and they eat of the flesh of their sacrifices accordingly.  All that they thus reach out after, I supply.  In me is life.  If they will become partakers of my life, of my nature, they shall be sharers of the life of God.”  (Words in italics added for clarification)  For centuries man had desired to become like a god.  The Jews did not understand, how Jesus had the right or the power to make them one with Him and also one with God in spiritual nature.  (page 277-278 The Blood Covenant)

QUESTIAN FOR THOUGHT

Have you ever thought about becoming “ONE “ with God?  In Covenant, two lives become one, by the merging of the two in a common life.  The two are no longer separate, nor do they become a double but a larger or greater “ONE”. (The Salt Covenant pages 7-8)

This is the true meaning of:

Galatians 2:20  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

(see Gills notes on Galatians 2:20)

Think about being ONE with God.  What authority is now ours because of this oneness?  When we come to the cross of Jesus Christ and lay down our lives in exchange for His we become “ONE “with God.  The life that we now live belongs to Him.  We are His and He lives in us.  We are now “ONE”.

COVENANT GOES BEYOND RELATIONSHIP

Think about all the different relationships you have.  We have relationships with many people and sometimes we don’t even know their names.  This is not Covenant.  Why?

Why is it not enough to simply attend church?  Is it essential that we build relationships with others in our church body?

QUESTIAN FOR THOUGHT

Think about the people you fellowship with in your church, home groups or Bible studies.  Are these people your friends?  How do you interact with them?  Do you know their needs?  Do they know yours?  How often do you pray with them?  Remember, prayer is like invisible glue that helps bind our Covenants together.

Many people say they are willing to die for Jesus, but they have trouble giving their time and money to Him.  How can we say we are willing to give our life if we can’t give our time and money?  How much time and money have you invested for Jesus in the Kingdom of God?

How much time and money have you invested in the lives of others in your church body?

COVENANT, GREATER THAN SIN

Mark 14:17-25  And in the evening he cometh with the twelve.  And as they sat and did eat, Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, One of you which eateth with me shall betray me…  Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body.  And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it.  And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many.

Jesus invited the twelve to take the wine and the bread.  Jesus offered Covenant Friendship even to Judas.  Why do you think Jesus offered Covenant friendship to Judas knowing that Judas would betray Him?

Read Luke 14:12-14.  Do you offer friendship to those who are not easy to love, or do you only offer friendship to those who love you in return?

QUESTIAN FOR THOUGHT

Is it possible to become “good enough” for salvation?  If you couldn’t become “good enough” to be born again, how can you become good enough to take part in the Lord’s Supper?

Does anything disqualify a person from participating in the Lord’s Supper?  Why or why not?

In Matthew 26:50 Jesus called Judas His friend.  Why did he call Judas friend?

Read John 14-17.  These are the last words of Jesus after He and His disciples had eaten their last supper together.  Jesus mentions many blessings because of this new Covenant of friendship.  List these blessings.

Have you ever feared Holy Communion?  Why?

Paul said in I Corinthians 11:27:

“Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.  But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.  For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.  For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.”

What do you believe Paul meant when he said “examine yourself?

When a person examines himself, should he look for sin or faith?

In America, it has become easy to get married with no thought whatsoever.  Couples get married, knowing very little about each other and giving no thought to the consequences of their actions.  They have not examined their heart, for they have little faith for their future.  Prenuptial agreements have become common.  People plan how their divorce will be carried out even before they make their Covenant Marriage vows.

However in the Church many pastors require prenuptial counseling in order to help couples examine their hearts.  They ask questions like: “Why do you want to get married?  What do you expect from this marriage?  Are you aware of the life long commitment you are promising?  Are you willing to pledge your faith and thereby pledge your life to another?  Are you willing to make this kind of Covenant?”

QUESTIAN FOR THOUGHT

Have you ever examined your heart, before taking part in Holy Communion, asking yourself if you are willing to reaffirm this Covenant pledge?  Do you understand all your obligations?

In Holy Communion we are remembering Jesus’ Covenant sacrifice and renewing our Covenant vows.  We acknowledge the laying down of our lives once again, knowing that we are no longer alive, but that Jesus is alive in us.

The King James Version of the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 11:27-30, “For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself.”  Read this verse in several different versions.  What does it mean to eat and drink damnation to yourself?

What actions violate a marriage Covenant?  Why?

It’s not what we do before taking part of the Lord’s Supper that defiles us, but what we do after, as in the life of Judas.  What actions violate our Covenant with Christ?

QUESTIANS FOR THOUGHT

Have you ever entered a new church and felt left out?  Have you wondered if you were really welcome?  Does your church seem unfriendly?  Have you made an effort to welcome strangers into your church-fellowship?

Paul was unhappy with the unfriendliness, the fighting, quarreling and unresolved divisions in the church of Corinth.  Would he be unhappy with your church-fellowship?

What do you believe it means to “not discern the Lord’s Body”?

The key point we should examine, lies in the phrase, “not discerning the Lord’s body”.  From the Greek we know “not discerning” means, “God forbid that we should discriminate, prefer, make judgment, withdraw from, desert, to separate in a hostile spirit, to oppose, argue with, contend with, have doubts, and disputes.”  “Not discerning the Lord’s body” means, “breaking Covenant”.

Are you guilty of this kind of behavior?  After taking part of the Lord’s Supper, do you go home and criticize the choir, the youth department, the pastor’s sermon or his wife?

True communion is a guaranteed oath of permanent friendship.  Why is gossip, criticism, and arguments etc. “drinking damnation unto ourselves”?

James 3:6 6  And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.

How does a person defile his church body?

James says that our speech can defile the whole body.  You belong to a body of believers.  Take a minute right now and search your heart.  Ask God to show you where you have been guilty of defiling your church body?

John 17:20-21  “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.”

Jesus prayed that we would all become one.  How effective are we, in proclaiming the Gospel, when we have divisions in the church?  How much more effective do you think we would be if we truly became “ONE”?

If everyone did their part in keeping their Covenants, what do you believe would be the eternal effect?

If we respected our Covenants, how long do you think it would take for us to reach the whole world with the Good News of Jesus Christ?

QUESTIAN FOR THOUGHT

Justification is a Covenant word.  Being justified means to be restored into a right Covenant Friendship with Jesus Christ.  Do you need to be restored today?  True justification demands a desire for change.  Remember out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  Are you willing for God to change the way you speak?

Why is eating and drinking Holy Communion with Jesus the privilege of friendship?

What about you?  Are you willing to move past the superficial relationships you have in your church-fellowship and honor the Covenant of friendship you have made with the Body of Christ?  What things could you do to develop your friendships?

HIS BODY BROKEN FOR YOU

A Covenant is solidified when Covenant makers demonstrate their willingness to be broken for another person.  What do you believe it means to be broken for another?

What part do you believe forgiveness plays in brokenness?

1 Corinthians 11:24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.

QUESTIANS FOR THOUGHT

In Luke 22:15-20, Jesus used both wine and bread.  Why do you think He used both wine and bread in this Covenant ceremony?  The wine represented the Covenant of blood, an eternal Covenant making them ONE with God.  The bread represented blood, because of added salt, but bread also represented forgiveness.  The Covenant of Bread was commonly known as a truce or forgiveness.  Why did Jesus say “do this in remembrance of me” after he broke bread and not after he gave the cup?  Could it be that we are daily required to offer forgiveness to others but only Jesus blood can make us ONE with God?  How can we relate this to the Shew Bread in Leviticus 24:5-9?

Jesus showed us what it means to be broken for one’s friends.  While the symbolic act of Covenant Friendship in bread breaking is a beautiful metaphor, the reality of being broken is much more sobering.  In what ways have you been willing to be broken for your Covenant Friends?

Isaiah 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

Is there a connection between offering forgiveness to those who have offended us and healing?  If there is, what is it?

Are there similarities between brokenness and forgiveness?

Do you see a connection between healing and Holy Communion?

Why is offence the enemy of Covenant?

Is it possible, that the reason some in the Body of Christ are weak and sick, is because they have not been willing to be broken for their Covenant Friends.

Have you been unwilling to offer forgiveness and therefore have forfeited the benefits of Christ’s broken body for yourself?

Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

What does it mean to be a living sacrifice?

Jesus offered Himself as our sacrifice that we could become “ONE” with Him.  He willingly laid down His life that we could become like He was…broken!

QUESTIAN FOR THOUGHT

Are you willing to be broken for those with whom you have come into Covenant?  Are you willing to be a living sacrifice?

A COVENANT CHURCH

What kind of commitment do you have with people in your church body?

Why is the New Covenant more than just the remission of our sins?

QUESTIAN FOR THOUGHT

What do you expect from Holy Communion?  Do you wonder why you are not walking in all of the blessings promised to those who walk with Jesus?  Do you fear that your life is cursed?  Are you lonely?  Consider searching your heart daily.  We must guard against words and deeds that betray our Blood Covenant Friendships.

Reread the three oaths mentioned at location 615 in the Keepers of Salt digital edition.  Have you ever considered these oaths before?

Now that you are aware of this Covenant how will this change your attitude towards Holy Communion?

When we take part in the Lord’s Supper, are we in a Covenant with only those who also took part, or did we symbolize a Covenant with the whole body of Christ regardless of who is there?

QUESTIAN FOR THOUGHT

Have you ever broken your Covenant of friendship by roasting your pastor for lunch?  Have you left the Holy Communion table and gone home to criticize your friends and brothers and sisters?

If you have ever taken part of Holy Communion you have already taken these oaths, even if you have done so unknowingly.  When you gave your heart to Jesus you started on a path of Blood Covenant Friendship with Him and His whole Body.  Perhaps you need to spend some time right now asking the Holy Spirit to reveal to you how you have failed in keeping your Covenants.  Then ask Him to give you direction in how to make your Covenants right.  God has given you this opportunity to justify your Covenants.  Call your estranged friend, your pastor or family member.  Settle your differences.  God will help you make a stronger more lasting friendship.  Buy a gift to show your sincerity.  Do something to justify your friendship and then watch and see what miracles God will do.  Your self-inflicted curses will fall away from your life and you will begin to walk in victory.

You will become a Keeper of Salt.

Chapter 3

You Can’t Offend Me!

True Covenant friends say, “You can’t offend me.”

Proverbs 18:24 A man that hath friends must show himself friendly.

What does it mean to be a friend?

Are true friends ever offended with each other?

People who are easily offended have very few friends.  Why?

Do you struggle with offences?  What hurtful experiences have kept you from making new friends?

Do you have friends you can count on?  How would you describe their commitment to you?

Read Romans 12 in several different versions.

Romans 12:4 For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:  So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.

QUESTIANS FOR THOUGHT

We all need friends.  The Body of Christ is made up of many members and we need each one.  Since we need each other, how do we resolve our hurt feelings?  Is it possible to forget the past and remake friendships?  Is it possible to make a friendship even stronger then it was before the broken relationship?

Have you experienced the pain of broken friendships in your local church?  How did you respond?

Do you have lasting friendships?  Think of some of your friends, how long have you been friends?  Have you been through crises that could have broken your friendships?  How did you resolve them?

If you were able to resolve the issues that threatened to break your friendship, do you feel your friendship is now stronger than it was before?  Why or why not?

If your friendship is still suffering from unresolved problems, what can you do to resolve them?

How do offences break friendships?

QUESTIAN FOR THOUGHT

Have you ever offended someone and not even realized that you had?  Is it possible that you too have offended others and didn’t realize that you had hurt them?

In John 6 Jesus taught some very hard things that rubbed a lot of people the wrong way.  After He was finished speaking, many of His followers left Him.  He then turned to His closest disciples and asked them if they would leave him too.  Jesus was looking to see if they were also offended.  He wanted to see if their commitment to Him was stronger than offence.

Are you easily offended?  Do you struggle with long-term friendships?

What kinds of things offend you?

Peter responded to Jesus by saying, “No, we won’t go.  Where else could we go?  You alone have the words of eternal life.”  Peter didn’t let the hard words of Jesus strain their friendship and he certainly would not be offended by a few difficult words.  It was Covenant that drew Peter into a closer relationship when others retreated in offence.  Is your commitment stronger than offence?

What do we need to apply to our lives in order to guard ourselves from being offended?

In every relationship there are opportunities to be offended.  Even the disciples had the opportunity to be offended with Jesus.  Many people are not willing to pay the price often required to keep their relationships intact.  Covenant friends stay when everyone else walks away.  They see all situations through the eyes of Covenant.  They look at people and see what no one else sees, a relationship that is worth dying for, a prize greater than any offence.

QUESTIANS FOR THOUGHT

Spend a few minutes and think about offences.  Have you been offended?  Has your pastor, your friends, family members, or even God offended you?  Are they even aware that they have offended you and if so do they know how deeply?  Are you hiding resentment in your heart because of an offence?  Is it possible that the other person doesn’t even know they have offended you?  If you are offended how has that affected your relationships with others?  How has it affected your relationship with God?

THE SIN OF OFFENCE

Read 1 Corinthians 13:4-8.  Compare love and offence.

LOVE or OFFENCE

Love is patient - Offence is impatient

Love is kind - Offence is cruel

Love does not envy - Offence is jealous and full of resentment

Love does not boast - Offence proudly declares his own virtues

Love is not proud - Offence is arrogant and conceited

Love is not rude - Offence is disrespectful and mean

Love is not self-seeking - Offence seeks self-gratification

Love is not easily angered - Offence is anger fueled by bitterness

Love keeps no record of wrongs - Offence is unforgiving, a record keeper of wrongs

Love does not delight in evil - Offence desires others to suffer and feel his pain

Love rejoices with the truth - Offence hides the truth

Love always protects - Offence seeks revenge

Love always trusts - Offence fears the future

Love always hopes - Offence has no faith for reconciliation

Love always perseveres - Offence gives up

Love never fails - Offence produces death

After comparing Love and Offence it is easy to see that being offended is the opposite of love.  Considering this, what is the sin of being offended?

It is unrealistic to think that there will never be differences and perhaps even arguments in Covenant relationships.  How can we protect our Covenants in the midst of a disagreement?

Do you know anyone who is separated from other family members because of offences, hurts or disagreements?  What about you?  Is there anyone in your life that you do not speak to because you are offended with them?  What should you do to remedy this situation?

Is there anyone who does not speak to you? What can you do to remedy this situation?

What is the Covenant response to offences?

QUESTIAN FOR THOUGHT

How can the work of the Lord reach its full accomplishment if we are continually offended with others?  How can we walk in the power and authority of Jesus Christ if we withhold forgiveness?

Ask the Lord to reveal to you areas in your life where you are acting out of offence.  Is there someone you are offended with?  How should a person of Covenant respond?  Think about what you can do to repair your broken Covenant and then go do it.  Ask the Heavenly Father to forgive you of your sin in being offended.  He will, because His Covenant with us is stronger than any offence.

Be willing to walk in Covenant and you will enjoy the blessings of Covenant for the rest of your life.  You will then be a Keeper of Salt!

Chapter 4

Covenant Breakers (The Spilling of Salt)

In the story of Abby, the author thought Abby (location 747 Keepers of Salt digital edition) was the only Covenant breaker in their relationship.  Yet the Lord revealed to her that she too was at fault.  She blamed the broken relationship on Abby since Abby was the one who had done the original breaking away.  The author wallowed in self-pity and sorrow, allowing the years to deepen the gap in their relationship.

What is the responsibility of a Keeper of Salt?

Why is neglecting our responsibility to Covenant in itself a violation of Covenant?

Read Matthew 18:12-13.  Have you let friends disappear from your life?  Do you make an effort to find lost friends?

QUESTIANS FOR THOUGHT

Have hurtful situations caused you to retreat from your friend?  Are you so distracted by the problems and failures of your lost friend that you forget your Covenant responsibilities?  Do you spend more time feeling sorry for your self than you do praying for and looking for your lost friend?

The author said, that God told her that he would heal her broken heart if she prayed for Abby.  Why do you think God said this?

What effect does prayer have on us when we pray for another person?

Why is it easier to pray prayers of revenge than prayers of blessing?

Isaiah 54:17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.

Since God is our vindicator, according to Isaiah 54:17, why shouldn’t we pray prayers of revenge?

What is bitterness?  How does the act of “feeling sorry for one’s self”, make a person bitter?

Proverbs 18:19 A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city: and their contentions are like the bars of a castle.

What does Proverbs mean when it says that an offended brother is harder to win than a strong city?

Have you ever had an offended brother?  Are you the offended brother?

Read Psalms 41.  King David had to learn how to trust God when he suffered from broken Covenant friendships.  King Saul and his son Absalom both rejected him.  David felt the pain of losing close friends.  In his life he had opportunities to become offended and bitter.  What was his response?  What should be our response?

QUESTIANS FOR THOUGHT

A brother is someone with whom you have a close relationship.  When love turns to hatred, such as in the example of Cain and Able, Jacob and Esau, often the hatred seems more intense than the original love.  Being hurt by someone who is your friend is very painful and often results in bitterness and offence.  Have you had this experience?  Has bitter offence made you into a resentful, distrustful and lonely person?

Matthew 5:23-24 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee, leave your gift there in front of the altar.  First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.

After having broken Covenants, some people offer God a gift because they feel guilty.  Having given their gift they feel justified.  Matthew 5:23-24 shows us that it is impossible to offer an acceptable gift to God if you are offending others or being offended.  Why?  Because you have broken your Covenants.  If someone hurts you, is your relationship healed by their sacrifice to God?  Why or why not?

WALLS OF BROKEN TRUST

We often close our hearts after we have been hurt.  Wounded people, slowly close their hearts to others and then eventually close their hearts to God.  We do this when we build up walls to protect us from future hurt, insulating us from emotional pain and isolating us from those we fear.  What we don't realize is, these walls shut out those we love, including God.  Then we wonder what has happened to the presence of the Lord.

God has called us to be Covenant builders not wall builders.  How are self-protective walls a sign of broken Covenants?

QUESTIANS FOR THOUGHT

Have you ever withdrawn from others in the Body of Christ?  Do you feel that God is far away and you wonder why you don’t have the joy you once had?  Instead of building Covenant relationships perhaps have you become a master wall builder?

At the end of the 1980’s former President Ronald Reagan stood looking at the Berlin Wall.  He desired reconciliation between East and West Germany.  The country had been divided and there were decades of hurts and offences.  He understood that before there could be true healing and an end to the Cold War the Wall had to come down.  Do you have walls built around your life that keep others out, even God?  Today God is saying, “Tear down these walls!”  Why is it hard to tear down self-protective walls?  Do we need the help of the Holy Spirit?

Read Psalms 18:2; Psalms 28:8; Psalms 31:2-3; Psalms 46:7,11; Psalms 48:3; Psalms 59:9; Psalms 59:16; Psalms 59:17; Psalms 62:2; Psalms 62:6; Psalms 71:3; Psalms 91:2; Psalms 94:22; Psalms 144:2; Proverbs 14:26 and Jeremiah 16:19.  What is the common theme of these verses?

2 Samuel 22:2 And he said, The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer;

King David understood that the Lord was his wall of protection.  Why is it wrong for us to build our own walls of self-preservation?

Is it possible for us to defend ourselves?  Why or why not?

When we build walls of self-protection we unknowingly shut out those we love.  How?

Why is pride the source of self-preservation?

QUESTIANS FOR THOUGHT

Without trust it is impossible to establish and maintain a Covenant.  Self-preservation says, “I can’t trust you.  I can’t trust anyone.  I can only trust myself.  Is your heart closed?  Are you warped in your thinking?

Covenant dictates that we lay down our right to be offended.  How do we apply forgiveness to someone who has hurt us?

What if the offender repeatedly hurts us?  What should our response be?

QUESTIANS FOR THOUGHT

Does forgiveness and trusting God demand that we stay in hurtful situations?  What about people living in abusive situations?  Is leaving an abusive person the same as unforgiveness?  If a person leaves an abusive situation is it possible to be separated from the abuser and still walk in forgiveness, trusting God to be the protector?

Psalms 20:7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.

What does it mean in Psalms 20:7 to “remember the name of the Lord”?

If we can’t trust others, whom can we trust?  Is it safe to trust our own ability to protect ourselves?  Why or why not?

Psalms 147:3 He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.

Luke 6:35  "But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High.

Covenant says, “I will trust God to heal my heart.  I expect nothing in return from my former friend.  It is my responsibility to tear down my walls of self preservation and trust God to protect me in all situations of my life.  I lay down my right to be offended.  I don’t demand restitution or even my friend’s acknowledgement of wrongdoing.  I simply and freely offer forgiveness.”

Does healing happen overnight?  What about forgiveness?  Is forgiveness something that happens as soon as you offer the words of forgiveness or is it a decision you make that requires something from you?

What kind of actions does God expect from us in regards to forgiveness.

Is trust earned?  Has God earned our trust?  In all Covenant relationships there are opportunities to be hurt.  Do hurts provide a valid excuse for unforgiveness or bitterness?

THE CONSEQUENCE OF BROKEN COVENANTS

Many people suffer and struggle in their church.  Feelings of loneliness overwhelm many.  Yet we know that Jesus was touched in the same way as we are.  He suffered for us so we wouldn’t have to.  One of the key plans of the devil is to make us think we are alone and that no one cares or understands us.  Have you felt all alone in the house of God?  Do you wonder if there is anyone who understands how you feel?

QUESTIANS FOR THOUGHT

Do you often say these words, “No one understands me.  I am alone, and I just don’t fit in with anyone else.”  Do you feel alone in a church full of people?  Have you been hurt?  Have relationships left you disappointed?  Do you look at people with suspicious eyes, wondering if you can trust them?  Have people broken their Covenants with you?

Thinking “I am the only one” is a very effective plot of the enemy.  It closes us off from others, and it keeps us from making and honoring Covenants.  Why?

Why is loneliness the fruit of a closed heart?

Why is there safety in a renewed Covenant?

How does bitterness swindle a person into becoming a Covenant breaker himself?

How does hopelessness deteriorate faith, destroy trust and build walls of unforgiveness?

God is not as interested in the fact that you were offended as He is interested in how you will react to the offense.  Those who seek revenge are the same as those who break their Covenants.  Are you courageous enough to look past your pain and let God heal you?   Don’t give in to the temptation of offence.  Experience the power of Covenant in your own life.  Be a Keeper of Salt!

Chapter 5

The Things Too Wonderful

In the book Keepers Of Salt, the author writes that she is amazed by the amount of criticism she hears from Christians towards people in leadership.  Is this something you also have experienced?  Are you guilty of this kind of criticism?

Why is it easy to criticize leadership?

In reality what kind of things are “Too wonderful” for us?

CRITICISM, THE ENEMY OF COVENANT

We know from Daniel 2:21 that the Lord determines “the course of world events” and “removes kings and sets others on the throne”.  Further, we know from Titus 3:2 that we are not to “speak evil” of any man, including people of authority.  Since these things are true, what is our responsibility as citizens?

Do we have a Covenant with our Government?  Is it a blood Covenant?

QUESTIANS FOR THOUGHT

Have others shed their blood to purchase your freedom?  Have you been willing to sacrifice your life for your fellow countrymen?  The Pledge of Allegiance is the Covenant oaths of citizens of the United States of America.  The National flag is the symbol of that Covenant.  In many Covenants it is customary to exchange names (an example is marriage).  Do you call yourself an American, Canadian or any other nationality?  Considering this, does citizenship symbolize a Covenant?

Is it possible to disagree with political leaders and not break our Covenants with them?  How?

What is criticism and what makes it so dangerous?

Do we have a right to criticize the government?  If so, how?  Is voting a responsible way to express our disapproval?

If we disagree with our government leaders, what can we do to change them or the situation?  Is prayer our only option?  What about educating yourself, sacrificing your time and working for change?

QUESTIANS FOR THOUGHT

Do you believe that God can save even the most wicked of our world leaders?  Do you believe that God loves them and that Jesus shed His blood for them?  If so, do you pray for them?  We serve a God of the impossible; do you have faith for the impossible?  Is your faith inspired by dedicated prayer or is it damaged by years of unbelief and criticism?  Have you put on critical glasses, criticizing everything you see?  Have you put on a garment of criticism instead of a garment of righteousness?

Why is lost faith in God criticism of God?

According to Hebrews 11:6, why is faith so important?

How does our faith in God apply to our Covenant to those in leadership over us?

INDEPENDENCE, THE ENEMY OF COVENANT

Independence does not work without Covenant.  Why?

How does the spirit of freedom and independence become the enemy of Covenant?

QUESTIANS FOR THOUGHT

Have you seen a spirit of independence in your local church body?  Have you become a church hopper going from church to church badmouthing pastors as you go?  Are you so independent that you don’t need anyone?  Have you lost respect for authority and don’t understand submission.  Has dependence become a bad word to you?  Has Covenant become your enemy?  Is pride at work when we refuse to keep our Covenants and hop from church to church?

There are many reasons why people go from church to church.  One of the most common but least expressed, is the fear of dependence and transparency.  Why are people afraid of being dependant on others?

Why are people afraid of being transparent with others?

QUESTIAN FOR THOUGHT

Many people see the needs in their lives and want their lives to change, but they are afraid that if they expose their failures and their needs, others will reject them.  It seems easier to leave, then to face the possibility of rejection.  Have you been so afraid of rejection that you have become the rejecter, leaving your Covenant friends?

David understood that it was God who placed Saul in the kingship position, and that God was in control of the leadership of Israel.  God is also in control of the leadership of our local church bodies.  Often, because we think we know better or we think we have the right information, we sit in judgment of our leaders and allow ourselves to become frustrated.  Has this happened to you?  Are you often frustrated with those in leadership over you?

Matthew 7:1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.

Luke 6:37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:

How does Matthew 7:1 and Luke 6:37 apply to our attitude towards leadership over us?

Are we in a Covenant with our church leaders?  Why or why not?

What is our Covenant responsibility to those in Leadership over us?

Absalom sat at the gate of the city and whenever someone entered with a question or criticism for the king, Absalom had a people-pleasing answer.  He knew just what to say, and he offered his opinions freely.  Why was this wrong?

How can expressing our opinions undermine those in authority over us?

Sometimes people with good intentions are deceived into thinking they can offer their opinions and advice not realizing that in doing so, they are rejecting their Covenant relationship with their leadership.  The end result is often the same as it was for David and Absalom, a divided kingdom, a divided church.  How do we guard ourselves and our church from these kind of divisions and broken Covenants?

TRUST, THE FRIEND OF COVENANT

Sometimes there are issues and personal details in the church that are none of our business.  Bearing this in mind, how does trust become the friend of Covenant?

What is a Covenant of trust?  Is it blind submission?  Why or why not?

Do we have to know all the details of a situation to walk in faith and trust with a Covenant friend?

Are Pastors and others in leadership our Blood Covenant friends?

What is our Covenant responsibility towards them?  How should we respond if they break their covenant with us?

Covenant is much more than blind submission.  It is a willingness to work together, pray together and trust each other.  Do you find trust something difficult to do?

Trust is a learned gift.  When we trust, we are telling God, “I have confidence because You are in control.  You are working out all things in my life for my good.”  Trusting gives us peace.  We don’t have to worry about things that are “too wonderful” for us.  We are resolved to the fact that many things just aren’t any of our business.  If we don’t understand something, we can pray and trust God to work it out.  But when we are finished with our prayer, we must determine to leave things in God’s hands.  If there is something we can do to fix the situation, then God will tell us.  But if the Lord doesn’t say anything, maybe it’s “too wonderful” and we should leave the situation with Him!

How does prayer change situations?

Is it possible to pray prayers of faith if we are not walking in Covenant relationships?

Why is trust essential for peace?

One of the blessings of Covenant is peace.  Do you have peace?  If you trust, you will be blessed with peace knowing that God will honor your Covenants.  Even if your friend is wrong, your pastor is wrong, or even if the leader of your nation is wrong, God will honor you if you are faithful to your Covenants with them.  Perhaps there are things you don’t know, and all these things are “too wonderful.

Choose to be a Keeper of Salt!

Chapter 6

Covenant Makers

Luke 6:12 And it came to pass in those days, that he (Jesus) went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.

Something happens when we pray.  Jesus found prayer to be a great strength.  In prayer, He was spending time with the Father.  He said that He and the Father were one.  They were in Covenant together.  There is Covenant power in prayer.  How does this Covenant power affect us?

QUESTIANS FOR THOUGHT

The by-product of a successful Covenant is the invisible glue that makes our relationships strong and Covenant prayer is one of the strongest and most effective ways of applying that glue.  You can’t see it, but you can feel it.  Have you ever felt an invisible bond between you and some one you pray with on a regular basis?  Are there people with whom you pray regularly?

Covenant prayer is effective.  Jesus said in Matthew 18:19-20, “Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.”  No wonder Jesus said if two or more are gathered in His name He is in the midst.  Gathering in Covenant prayer is a reflection of who He is.

What makes a Covenant intercessor different from people praying with others randomly?

COVENANT OF COMPASSION

What does Covenant Compassion and Covenant intercession have in common?

John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

How does selfless devotion to people who could never repay you show the love of Christ?

Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

How do we become a living sacrifice?  Is this the nature of a Covenant maker?

THE HEART OF A COVENANT MAKER

King David was a Covenant maker.  However, David did not keep all his Covenants.  Read II Samuel 11-12.  What was David’s greatest sin?

What Covenant did David have with Uriah?

After David’s sin against Uriah, the Word of the Lord came to Nathan the prophet.  Why was God angry with David and what did He say would be the result of David’s broken Covenant?

Read Malachi 2:16 and II Samuel 12:10-12.  How do the words of Malachi compare to the words of Nathan?

How is someone who breaks a Covenant like someone who is covered with violence and puts on a garment of treachery?

Read Psalms 51.  What was the secret that David found?

When David said in Psalms 51:17 that the sacrifices God desires are a broken and a contrite heart, what did he mean?

QUESTIANS FOR THOUGHT

What is a Covenant heart?  Is a Covenant heart a heart that searches after the heart of God?  Is it a heart that is wounded when faced with the reality of sin?  God is looking for people who will admit their mistakes and long for a restoration of their Covenant relationship with Him.  Is your heart a Covenant heart?

The Bible says in Acts 13:22 that David had a heart after God’s own heart.  How do we obtain, like David, a heart after God?

How does having a bad attitude give the devil glory?

I Samuel 26:23-24 The LORD rewards every man for his righteousness and faithfulness. The LORD delivered you (Saul) into my (David’s) hands today, but I would not lay a hand on the LORD’s anointed.  As surely as I valued your life today, so may the LORD value my life and deliver me from all trouble."

How did David’s life reflect a Covenant heart?

Why wouldn’t David harm Saul?

QUESTIANS FOR THOUGHT

Have you experienced the consequences of a violent and bitter life?  You can forgive those who wronged you and ask forgiveness for your own sins.  You can be like David and humble yourself.  Covenant makers realize that they are not perfect and inevitably, sometimes they will break a Covenant.  Has pride kept you from asking for forgiveness and renewing your Covenants?  Do you want a heart like David’s, whose one fear was that he might be “cast away” from God’s presence?  Restoration of your original Covenant might be impossible.  However, you can choose to be like David who “did no harm” to Saul.

Take some time right now and ask God to forgive you for the times you have broken your Covenants.  God wants to restore you into right Covenant relationship with Him and with others as well.  Give God a chance to speak to your heart and heal you of the pain you have been suffering.  Yes, you can be a Covenant maker.  Don’t let past failures stop you.  Be like David.

Be a Keeper of Salt!

Chapter 7

The Promises of Covenant

Sowers in the Kingdom of God

Read II Corinthians 9:6-10.  How is sowing in the Kingdom of God a Covenant principle?

How do we sow into the Kingdom of God and why is it so important?

Why is sowing an example of who God is?

QUESTIANS FOR THOUGHT

Is it possible that unknowingly we sow every day, sowing either good things or bad?  Are you sowing discontentment and criticism, or love and joy?  Are you reaping a harvest of discord, stress, bitterness and sickness or are you reaping a harvest of peace, unity, health and contentment?

Read Luke 6:38.  Is it possible to out-give the Lord?  Why or why not?

What does it mean to be a people of Covenant?

What kinds of things can we sow into the Kingdom of God?

Have you ever given things away only to discover that it was multiplied back to you?

Read Matthew 19:21; Mark 10:21; Luke 18:22.  Why is giving to the poor like giving to Jesus?

How does it show Christ’s compassion for them?

QUESTIANS FOR THOUGHT

The principle of “sowing and reaping” is a key element of Covenant.  When we sow in Covenant relationship with our Lord, He is bound by Covenant to multiply what we have sown and give to us a “blessing we cannot contain.”  The same is true in our earthly Covenants.  Whatever we sow into the life of another person, we reap.  If we sow love, we reap love.  If we sow friendship, we reap friendship.  What kind of things do you sow?  Are you reaping love and friendship?  Proverbs 18:24 says, “A man that hath friends must show himself friendly”.  Are you a friendly person?  Do you sow friendship into the lives of others?

Read II Corinthians 9:6-15 and Luke 6:38.  The four principles of giving are:

1.      What you sow is what you reap.

2.      What you sow you reap later.

3.      What you sow is multiplied.

4.      You reap in proportion to what you sow.

How can we apply these four principles to the Covenant of friendship?

QUESTIANS FOR THOUGHT

Have you seen the principles of sowing and reaping at work in your life?  Is it reasonable to expect a harvest?  Has God always been faithful to multiply your harvest?  We should note that sometimes God takes our seed and turns it into something that money and things can’t replace.  Have you given much thought to the times God has protected you from accidents, disease and broken relationships.  We need to realize that these are things that in the garden of God, can be produced using any seed God wishes to use.

Read Deuteronomy 28:1-13.  This passage shows us the many blessings the Children of Israel were offered if they would walk in Covenant.  These blessings can be ours as well.  The passage even says that these blessing can “overtake” us!  What does this mean?

If our blessings are supposed to be available even before we need them, why do we run after blessings?  Is it a lack of faith and trust?

Covenants and contracts have many similarities, but to many people they are very different.  What are the differences between Covenants and contracts?  What are their similarities?

According to Deuteronomy 28, in order to receive the blessings of Covenant, what does the Lord require of us?

Read Deuteronomy 30:11-16 and Romans 2:12-29.  How do these verses help us understand our obligations as New Testament followers of Christ?

Jesus said in Matthew 5:17, that He hadn’t come to earth to destroy the Law, but to fulfill it.  What does that mean for us today?

Paul said in Romans 13:8-10 that “love” satisfies all the commandments and the requirements of the law.  How?

The Covenant love of God is the most difficult, yet the simplest thing we can do.  Covenant love with God demands our love for others.  What can you give to show the Covenant Love of God?  Would you like to walk in Covenant and reap a great harvest?  You can.  The Covenant is not too hard to fulfill.  Be a blessing, and you will reap a bountiful harvest.

You will be blessed when you become a Keeper of Salt!

Chapter 8

Covenant Grace

Read Judges 13-16 and I Samuel 1-2.  List the similarities between Samson and Samuel.

What distinguishes Samuel from Samson?

Read Numbers 6:1-8.  What were the requirements for a Nazarite?

A COVENANT “SET APART”

What does it mean to be “set apart” for Christ?

Often when we think of people who are “set apart”, we think of monks and nuns who have set themselves aside wholly for religious work.  A Catholic nun is “married” to the church.  She is set aside.  How do we as the bride of Christ become set apart to Christ?

How is the Nazarite Covenant a symbolic picture today of what it is like for those who wish to be separated unto the Lord?

QUESTIANS FOR THOUGHT

Have you ever felt “set apart” like a Nazarite?  Is your life different from others around you?  1 Peter 2:9 tells us that we are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood and a holy nation.  We are God’s special, Covenant people.  Once you have entered into a Covenant with God and your life is now His, you are much the same as a Nazarite and you are dedicated to Him.  You were chosen to be God’s holy people.  You are in a Covenant with Him.  How does that influence choices in your life?  How does that make you different?

NO RESPECT FOR COVENANT

Samson violated his Covenant again and again and his whole life seemed to be one of contempt for the Covenant.  What can we learn from his disrespect?

QUESTIANS FOR THOUGHT

Judges 16:20 tells us that Samson awoke out of his sleep and didn’t know that the Lord had left him.  How could that be?  Had he always depended upon his own strength and not on the presence of the Lord?  Is it possible that Samson had almost no personal relationship with the Lord?  Could it be that he had no sense of God’s presence in his life and therefore didn’t know that the Lord had left him?  What about you?  Are you like Samson relying upon your own resources, or do you depend upon the Lord to be your strength?  Samson didn’t walk in the Covenant; he walked in the power of his gifts.  As a result, he forfeited the grace of the Covenant.  Are you forfeiting the grace of your Covenant?

Psalm 74:20 Have respect unto the covenant: for the dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty.

The psalmist recognized the need to respect the Covenant?  What did he mean when he said that the dark places are full of the habitations of cruelty?

Would you say that Samson lived in the dark places of cruelty?  Why or why not?

Read Judges 16:28, I Samuel 3:4-14,19; 12:18; and Psalms 99:6.  How would you compare the prayer life of Samson and conversely the prayer life of Samuel?

How would you characterize your prayer life?  Is it one of revenge or of loving worship?

Do you spend most of your time praying for others or only for yourself?

Imagine the confusion and discomfort Samuel must have felt when his mother left him in the care of Eli the priest.  Did he become bitter or hard-hearted because of the seeming injustice of his situation?

How did Samuel respond to God when He called him?

What is unusual about the Nazarite vow of both Samson and Samuel?

QUESTIANS FOR THOUGHT

While Hannah’s “kept Covenant” changed a nation, Samson’s “broken Covenant” destroyed his life, and he died alone with his enemy.  Is your life like Samson’s and motivated by anger?  Many forfeit the grace that could be theirs for the momentary satisfaction of bitterness and resentment.  Our excuses often seem justified by the inequality of our lives.  Are you the spouse of someone in ministry?  Are you a pastor’s or missionaries child?  Do you resent their Covenant and what it seems to cost you?  Do you wonder why there are few blessings in your life?

COVENANTS OF SLAVERY VS COVENANTS OF FREEDOM

Galatians 4:24-31 …These are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage…  But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.   Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.

Explain the two kinds of Covenants in Galatians 4:24-31?

Make a list of the different kinds of Covenants you have been bound to.

Why do all broken Covenants leave scars?

Do all Covenants desire to consume our lives?  Explain your answer.

Do you have scars that are a memorial to something that wanted to kill you, but is no longer a part of your life?  Have you experienced some violent separations from the Covenant of Slavery?  How did this impact your life?

Perhaps even now you realize that like Samson you are trapped.  Something in your life wants to have preeminence over your relationship with Jesus Christ and you struggle with the Covenant of Slavery.  Bad habits and the lack of self-control have caused many to be bound in a Covenant of Slavery.  It could cost you your life.  Spend a few minutes and ask the Heavenly Father to reveal to you the areas where you are bound and not free.  He wants to reestablish His Covenant with you and set you free.  The promised New Covenant is the Covenant of freedom that sets you free from sin and death.  You don’t have to live in the bondage of slavery anymore.

EMBRACE THE GRACE

QUESTIANS FOR THOUGHT

We all live under Covenants.  We have Covenants with our spouse, our children, our employer, our pastor, our friends, even to our bank.  Perhaps, like Samson and Samuel, you had no choice in the Covenant.  Do you respect these Covenants?  Do you honor the Spirit of Grace?

Do you know pastor’s children who have walked away from the Lord?  Give examples why you think they chose to separate themselves from God and or full time ministry?  Is it possible they are offended with the Covenant their parents made?  Have they been wounded because of the many broken Covenants in the church?

Put yourself in their shoes.  How would you feel in their situation?

Many people, who refuse to honor the Covenants in their lives, become bitter.   This is especially true for those who did not make the Covenants for themselves.  How does this bitterness happen?

Sometimes we become involved in Covenant situations that have been made for us, that are not good.  Give some examples of these.

How do you deal with these Covenants?  Do you suffer from scars in your life as a result of breaking these Covenants?

What is bitterness and how do you avoid bitterness?

Isaiah 54:10  For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee.

What does Isaiah 54:10 mean to you?

There is wonderful grace and peace that is ours when we reconcile with our Godly Covenants, even those that we didn’t choose.  Are there situations in your life that are beyond your control?  In our Covenant with God, there is grace beyond measure and blessings that cannot be counted.  There is an anointing that far surpasses even what others may have.  Samuel was the greatest judge Israel ever had and he wasn’t the one who made the Covenant, his mother did.  All he did was honor the Covenant and walk in the grace that was his.

How do we embrace the grace of Covenants?

How do you make Covenants that others have made for you, your own?

Be at peace with your Covenants of Freedom.  Ask God to heal you from the scars you have received from your Covenants of slavery and renew your Covenant with Him.  In doing so, you will be surprised by the supernatural grace and peace in your life.

Be a Keeper of Salt!

Chapter 9

Madness

Read I Samuel 15:26 and I Chronicles 10:13.  Why did King Saul lose his blessings?

From I Samuel 15-16, what event happened just before Saul began to lose his mind?

Deuteronomy 28 explains the blessings received by following God’s Covenant.  It also describes the curses for breaking the Covenant.  Read Deuteronomy 28:28,65-67.  Describe the curses that are listed here.

How was Saul tormented?  After having read the above verses, why do you think he was tormented?

Did Saul’s broken Covenants affect his children?  How?  Why or why not?

Saul’s broken Covenants caused the throne to be passed on to another family.  His son Jonathan should have been the rightful heir, but he lost his place on the throne forever, because of his father’s unfaithfulness.

Deuteronomy 5:9-10 Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me, And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.

Did the children and grandchildren of King Saul suffer generational curses because of his disobedience?  Why or why not?

Did the children of David receive generational blessings because of his faithfulness?  Why or why not?

Do you know families where the same problems, poverty, sickness, failure, seem to follow from children to grandchildren?  Do you think this could be a generational curse?  How can this curse be broken?

QUESTIANS FOR THOUGHT

Of course not all people who suffer from mental distress are Covenant breakers.  Still, constant mental distress is a curse and not a blessing.  Proverbs 26:2 says that a curse that is undeserved will not come.  Curses come because there is a cause.  Saul did something that caused an open door for the curse.  Do you suffer from constant mental problems?  Are you anxious, confused and fearful?  Perhaps there has been a cause and a curse is attached to you.  Have you broken your covenants?  Are there people you hold a grudge against and have not forgiven?  Perhaps your curse is generational and you need to renounce and break that generational curse.  The blood of Jesus is greater than any generational curse.  Sometimes we are like the proverbial ostrich and we bury our heads in the sand ignoring the truth when it is the truth that will set us free.  Have you been afraid to admit you might have a curse attached to your life?  Why not consider the possibility of a curse, repent from wrongdoing, reaffirm your Covenants and see what God will do in your life.  You could be free this very minute.

David was under the impression that he was in a Covenant with King Saul.  What events caused David to consider that Saul had no respect for his Covenant with David?

Read I Samuel 19:1-7.  Why do you think David stayed with Saul even after Saul tried to kill him?

In I Samuel chapters 24 and 26 you can read examples of when David spared Saul’s life.  David honored his part of the Covenant, however he lived through the heartrending experience of having it unreciprocated.

QUESTIANS FOR THOUGHT

Have you ever suffered because of a Covenant relationship you thought you had, only to discover that you were the only one who valued the relationship?  David stayed and dodged the spears for quite some time until eventually he had no choice but to leave.  David never fought back, and he never threw a spear.  When David left Saul, he left alone.  He didn’t even take his wife or his beloved friend Jonathan with him.  How have you responded to similar situations in your life?  Have you done your best to restore your Covenant friendship?  Have you stayed when others perhaps would have given up and left?  If you had to leave your friend, did you go alone like David or did you take part of the church with you?

In 1Corinthians 13:7, what did Paul mean when he said, “Love, Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things”?

The author said that David lived the truths of I Corinthians 13:7.  How did David live this out in his life?  How can we do the same?

THE ONLY EXPLANATION, MADNESS

Not only did David suffer an unreciprocated Covenant with Saul, but later he experienced the same pain with his own son.  Absalom turned against his father and tried to take the kingdom from him.

Have you ever suffered the heartbreak of having a family member turn against you?  How did you respond?

Read II Samuel 18:33 and Luke 15:11-24.  How do these two stories compare?

The Covenant of love is so great that there is no sin that can separate you even if one person in the Covenant walks away.  What explanation can you give for walking away from such a great love?

In the business world people are given a chance to make things right.  But often in the church we write people off and then never give them the opportunity for restoration.  Why does this happen in the church?  How can we change this bad reputation?

Do you have past situations and relationships that have broken your heart?  Can they be restored?  If they can be restored what are you actively doing to restore them?

If they can’t be restored, do you guard what you say about your lost friend?  Or are you breaking your Covenant as well by trying to hurt their reputation?

QUESTIANS FOR THOUGHT

Matthew 18:21-22 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?  Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.

Should we apply these words of Jesus to unreciprocated Covenants?  How many times should we try to restore a broken Covenant?  When can you say, “I have had enough.  I quit!”  Should you ever say that?  How do you resolve situations where restoration of the Covenant is impossible?

DON’T THROW SPEARS

Have you found yourself throwing spears of criticism against those who have hurt you?  Are you skilled in the art of spear throwing?  David never retaliated against Saul.  He even considered the possibility that he might be wrong and that Saul was right.  That is why he was careful not to harm or make any accusation against Saul, or even against his own son Absalom.  God honored King David for his faithfulness to the Covenant with Saul and Absalom, even though his Covenant of love was not reciprocated.

What does the author mean by being skilled in the art of spear throwing?

How does a person become skilled in the art of spear throwing?

Do you know people who are skilled in the art of spear throwing?  Are you skilled in this art?

If the Body of Christ honored her Covenants what characteristics would she display that would make other religions envious?

Read Romans 16:17-20 and 1 Corinthians 1:10-13, 3:1-4, 11:17-19.  What is the Apostle Paul angry about in these verses?

Would he be angry if he attended your church?

Would a better understanding of Covenant friendships directly effect the amount of divisions and splits in local church bodies?  Why or why not?

It hurts to make a Covenant with someone and then have that person reject us.  How can you guard your heart without building walls, and still keep your Covenant?

Why doesn’t God excuse us from unreciprocated Covenants?

Keep your side of the Covenant even when others don’t.  Remember, God is interested in your response.  He is looking to see what the reaction of your heart will be.  Will you look beyond the hurt and be a Keeper of Salt?

Chapter 10

Spillers of the Salt

Taking sides in the church doesn’t make sense, yet the reality of arguments and divisions is much too critical.  After all, aren’t we all followers of Christ?  Aren’t we supposed to be on the same side?

What should our response be to those who insist that we take sides in a dispute?

Read Romans 12:4-5 and I Corinthians 12:12-14,18-20,27.  Why is taking sides against others damaging not only to them, but also to ourselves?

1 Corinthians 10:17 For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.

What does Paul mean by we being many are one bread in I Corinthians 10:17?

Does this relate to bread being offered in the Lord’s Supper?  If so, how?

Childish Fighting

In Acts 15:36-41, we read of Paul and Barnabas.  They had been a great and anointed team, yet they had a heated argument and got so mad at each other that their friendship was broken.  Do you think Paul was wrong in disagreeing with Barnabas?  Why or why not?

Galatians 5:15 But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.

What does this verse mean?  Is it possible that by our childish fighting we have become Christian cannibals?

A pastor once said that his friends, at his secular job, treated him better than those in his church.  This is a sad testimony, yet it is not a unique one.  Why is this so often true?

Are there people in your church who are hurt and suffering because of quarrels in the church?  Are you one of them?

What can the church do to remedy this situation?  What can you do to bring peace and healing?

QUESTIANS FOR THOUGHT

Colossians 3:13-15  Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.  Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

We should note that Colossians 3:13-15 connects forgiveness with love and unity.  How can you apply this in your own situations?  Do you choose to fight rather than to walk together in peace and find some way to stay in Covenant.  We are to be gentle with our brothers and sisters, not saying unkind things or picking fights over issues that really aren’t important.  This is the difference between maturity and immaturity.  It makes no difference how old you are.  If you are guilty of childish fighting perhaps you are a “Christian Cannibal”!

Do you know of situations where friends, families or churches have split?  What were the reasons?  Looking back on the situation, was it worth the fight?

Have you personally experienced one of these splits?  Perhaps you were one of the perpetrators, angry and guilty of childish fighting.  How does your heart feel today?  Did the split give you victory in your life or are you still suffering?

Do you use your Covenant of Friendship with Jesus as an excuse to avoid unsaved family members?  If so, how will they ever know the joy and freedom you have experienced?

Churches split, friendships split and families split.  Everyday people quarrel, and pay a great price for their right to fight.  Have you paid a great price for your right to fight?

Read 11 Timothy 2:23; Titus 3:9.  What is vain arguing?

Is there a just cause to fight for?  If so what would that be?

Do we have a right to argue?  Do we have any rights at all, or did we nail all of our rights on the cross of Calvary?

As followers of Christ, what are our rights?

QUESTIANS FOR THOUGHT

Are you a fighter?  Are there issues that you are always upset about?  Do you look for and enjoy a good fight?  Have you thought about the cost of hurting, or even losing your friend because of your “right” to fight?

The author is not a fan of cruel teasing.  Why?  Do you agree?

When you spill salt it is hard to pick it all up again.  If you have hurt another’s feelings, is it easy to regain their trust?  Why or why not?

Sometimes there are hidden motives behind unkind words?  Why isn’t cruel teasing innocent?

Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

How is cruel teasing like death to the person teased?

According to I Corinthians 13, love doesn’t look for a way to quarrel, but looks for a way to prefer others and humble ourselves.  What does it mean to prefer others?

Covenant Accounting

Malachi 3:16-17 says that when those who trust in the Lord speak to their friends about God, about His Covenant love and about His promises, then God writes all these things down in His book.  What kind of things do you talk about when you spend time with your friends?

When times of trouble come, God gets out His book and remembers what was said.  He then rescues those who spoke good things about Him.  Why would God take into account the things we say in our times of trouble?

Luke 6:45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.

Luke says that we talk about the things that occupy our heart.  What thoughts occupy your heart?  Is this what you talk about the most?

If we are people of faith will our speech reflect our faith?

If we do not speak words of faith what does this say about the thoughts of our heart?

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

How does our speech either enforce or betray our Covenants?

What kind of words is God hoping to hear you speak about to your friends?

QUESTIAN FOR THOUGHT

Read Esther 2:21-23; 6:1-12.  Mordecai had honored his Covenant with the king, and as a result, Mordecai was honored and his life was saved.  Can you think of a time when you did something in faith and didn’t see the results you expected?  Could it be that God has written that event down in His book?  Perhaps He is preparing a savings account for your day of trouble.

Malachi 3:16 and Matthew 12:36 tells us that God keeps a record of what we say, both the good things and the bad.  What kind of a record is being kept for you?

God is a Covenant accountant.  He keeps a “bank account” for each one of us, from which we can draw when we have trouble.  This is why spilling salt is so dangerous.  When we argue, criticize or even tease in unkind ways, we are dishonoring our Covenant to God and to our friends.  We aren’t making “deposits” into our account.  When our day of trouble comes, we may have nothing to draw from.  Do you sometimes wonder why it seems God doesn’t answer your prayers?  Could it be that He heard your prayers and quickly went to His book looking to see how much was in your “faith account”?  He was ready and willing to do something quickly to rescue you, but He searched in vain for words of faith that weren’t there.

How full is your Covenant account?  Have your broken Covenants left you vulnerable in your day of trouble?  Has always being “right” left you disappointed?  Maybe you’ve spilled your salt, and lost a few friends and family members along the way.  Maybe the emptiness you feel is because you really are empty.  Have you lost your blessings, peace, and loved ones because your Covenant account is overdrawn.  It doesn’t have to be empty.

You can be a Keeper of Salt.

Chapter 11

One-Sided Covenants

Have you ever made one-sided Covenants?  God does.  List some one-sided Covenants that God has made.

What is unique about one-sided Covenants?

If we make one-sided Covenants does this reflect the nature of God in our lives?  If so, how?

Why is it easy for us to break a one-sided Covenant?

QUESTIAN FOR THOUGHT

Have you ever said you would pray for someone and as soon as you walked away you forgot all about your promise?  You might not have known it at the time, but you had made a one-sided Covenant.  So often we break these Covenants and never give it another thought.  God never breaks His one-sided Covenants, but unfortunately we often do.

What kind of things can we do to actively insure that we don’t break our one-sided Covenants?

One-Sided Covenants Often Lead To Two-Sided Covenants

Read I Samuel 12:13-15, 24-25

Was the Covenant that God made with Saul a one-sided Covenant or were there obligations on Saul’s part to retain that Covenant?  If so, what were they?

Read II Samuel 7:8-16

Were there obligations on David’s part to maintain his Covenant with God?  Why or why not?

Titus 1:2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;

1 John 2:25 And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.

If David’s Covenant was a one-sided Covenant what kind of Covenant is the Covenant of eternal life?

Romans 5:8  But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Why is God’s love for us a one-sided Covenant?

Is the Blood of Jesus made available even to those who don’t accept Him?

What event changes God’s one-sided Covenant into a two-sided Covenant?

Why is the promise of salvation a one-sided Covenant, which can lead to a two-sided Covenant?

Passion

Explain Passion.

Psalms 1:2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

Psalms 37:4 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

Psalms 40:8 I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.

Is it possible to delight in something that we have no passion for?

What does passion have to do with Covenant?

Is it possible to be faithful to a Covenant without passion?

QUESTIANS FOR THOUGHT

Have you been faithful to fulfill the promises you have made to another?  Do you pray when you say you will?  Have you been faithful to your Covenant obligations even when no one else knows that you were or not?

What does it mean to pledge your faith?

How does faithlessness damage a two-sided Covenant?

Why is it important to keep your word?

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could know for a fact that people would keep their word?  What affect would our witness have if we kept our word even when it cost us our time, money and effort?

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we offered one-sided Covenants and, like God, expected nothing in return except the joy of keeping our word?

You can be a one-sided Covenant keeper.  Have the memories of times when people have failed you, kept you from the blessings of Covenant?  Take a step of faith and become a one-sided Covenant maker!  Set your eyes on Christ and let your passion for Him compel you.  Make promises to pray for people, and then do it.  Press on when others give up.  Believe the best and give the best.  Sacrifice without the promise of glory.  Be a Keeper of Salt!

Chapter 12

Through Covenant Eyes

Read Matthew 6:22-23.  Is it possible for a person to have both good and evil eyes?  If so, how?

Read I Samuel 18:10-11, 19:8-10, 24:8-15, 26:8-11,22-24.  What kind of eyes did David have?  Why?

How do you think David felt while Saul was throwing spears at him?

How would you have reacted if you were in David’s position?

David saw that Saul had been anointed as his king.  David’s Covenant with God necessitated David’s respect for God’s anointed.  David looked at Saul through Covenant eyes.  Symbolically, in what ways can you compare spear throwing to situations in your life?

If someone is attacking you, who do you see?  Do you see your friend or your enemy?  Covenant eyes help us see beyond the hurt, past the humiliation and suffering.  Covenant eyes see what God sees.  They see, not the attacker, but someone Jesus died and gave His life for.  Do you have Covenant eyes?

QUESTIANS FOR THOUGHT

What do you do when someone you love and respect starts to throw spears at you?  How do you react?  Where do you hide?  Do you throw spears back?  Do you have a few hidden knives of your own ready to throw?  Are you hurt?  Are you angry?  Has resentment and bitterness found a home in your heart?

Have you ever been the victim of verbal spears?  How did you react?

Has attacking your offender ever given you lasting satisfaction?  What did it do to your heart?

Why is Spear throwing self-destructive?

Is finger pointing just another weapon that can be used like a spear?  Have you ever used this weapon?  Has it been effective for you?  Why or why not?

What other weapons have you used as spears against others?

Why does God demand that we look at people and situations through Covenant eyes?

What part does forgiveness play in refusing to throw spears?

Have you ever been caught up in the fight and lost sight of the Covenant.  See with the eyes of Covenant.  See the person who is throwing the spears.  Remember your Covenant is with them and with God.

GOD IS OUR VINDICATOR

How does God defend us?

What does it mean to be a vindicator?

Compare vindication with justification.

Is it easy to trust God when you are in a hurtful situation?  Why or why not?

Why does God allow us to go through hurtful situations when we are wrongfully accused?

What role does pride play in defending ourselves?

Is it ever all right to defend ones self?  If so, when?

QUESTIANS FOR THOUGHT

Have you ever been in a situation where your friend or your greatest support offended you?  Have you retaliated and thrown spears at them?  Did you wound your friend?  If all you see is an opportunity to get even or to justify yourself, then you may never see the real motive of your friend’s heart.  The opportunity to throw spears is an opportunity for God to work in your heart.  Covenant eyes recognize the hand of God on the offender’s life and realize that sometimes people don’t know what they are doing.  God isn’t as interested in the spears that were thrown at you, as He is interested in how you will react to them.  Can you look beyond the offense?  Can you look past the hurt and see God?  Do you have Covenant eyes?

Have you ever had a situation where God told you to keep your mouth shut?  What did you do?

Read Luke 23:34 and Acts 7:60.  Explain the response of Jesus and Stephan.  What did they “see”?

Why is it a choice to “see” with Covenant eyes?

How does our Covenant with God demand that we “see” with Covenant eyes?

Read Colossians 3:12-14 and Romans 13:14.  What do these verses have in common?  How do they help us understand Covenant eyes?

How do you respond when you are attacked?  Do you see spears as an opportunity to wound those who have wounded you, or have you put on “heavenly contact lenses” and see wounded people who need their Covenant friend now more than ever?  Choose today to see people as God sees them.  Choose to put on Covenant eyes.  Let the offence and the hurt go.  Allow God to be your vindicator.  Allow Him to do His work in your life.

Be a Keeper of Salt!

Chapter 13

Family

QUESTIANS FOR THOUGHT

What was your family like when you were growing up?  Were your parents Covenant people?  Were you able to trust in their unconditional love or did you constantly fear rejection?

Why is there nothing worth fighting about if it divides a family?

Are you careful to maintain friendships?

QUESTIANS FOR THOUGHT

Think about your family.  Is your family always fighting?  Are there people in your family who have not spoken to each other in years?   Family is the home of Covenant.  It is where Covenant should be born, taught and lived.  Is your family a battleground or a secure place of Covenant?  Are you teaching your children how to use the weapons of death or the power of Covenant that brings life?

How would you describe your relationship with your mother and father?

What do you think of when you hear the phrase, “Loving Heavenly Father”?

How does your relationship with your mother and father compare with the relationship you have with God?

Does the idea of a Heavenly Father give you feelings of blessing, or do you have feelings of fear and distrust?

How do family memories influence our future?

Do you believe parents should be friends to their children?  Why or why not?

If so, is there a particular time in which they become friends?

How can friendship and respect be applied to a parent child relationship?

From MASTER to friend

Explain the progression from master to friend as a parenting principle.

Read Galatians 3:24.  How is the Law like a schoolteacher?

QUESTIANS FOR THOUGHT

The law existed for the purpose of bringing us into Covenant Friendship with God.  His goal wasn’t the law; His goal was Covenant!  What was your parent’s goal in their relationship with you?  If you are a parent, what is your goal in your relationship with your children?

Growing up with Covenant gives a child a lot of security.  Conversely growing up without Covenant causes a lot of insecurity.  Have you inadvertently transferred your experiences, good or bad, to God?  Do you have a hard time trusting a Loving Heavenly Father because you never learned to trust your parents at home?  Do you wonder if there is any hope for you?  Do you wonder if you are doomed forever to a handicapped relationship with God because of your past?

Read Isaiah 65:17; Ezekiel 18:31, 36:26; Romans 6:4; and Revelation 21:5

Ezekiel 11:19 And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Ephesians 4:23-24 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

What do these verses tell us about our past?

What does God mean when He says He will put a new spirit within you?

How does renewing our mind affect the thoughts of your past?

You can rise above the sins of your parent’s generation.  You can have a Covenant heart.  Not only can you change the affects of your past on your life, but you have the power to influence the next generation.  You have an obligation to teach the next generation Covenant principles.  What are you teaching your children and your grandchildren?  Who is instructing the next generation?  If it’s not you, than who?

QUESTIANS FOR THOUGHT

Have you forgotten to remind your children about their Covenant with God.  Tell them about the Covenant when they come into your house and when they go out.  Tell them over and over again, when they sit down to eat and when they go to bed.  Don’t forget, or like the Children of Israel, your children may be sold into slavery.  Their enemy, the devil, wants them to be bound to him the same way you were.  He wants them to forget the Covenant and all it’s great promises.  Don’t let them forget.  Help them to stand on your foundation.  God has a great plan for their lives and you hold the key that will unlock the door to this great future.  That key is Covenant!

Deuteronomy 11:19-22 Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.  Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land that the LORD swore to give your forefathers, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth.  If you carefully observe all these commands I am giving you to follow— to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways and to hold fast to him—

How do we apply this verse to our lives?

Of all the things we can teach our children, a Covenant with God is the only thing that is eternal.  Make your home the place where your children learn about Covenant.  Give them an eternal gift.  Teach them to train the next generation and the next.  Family is a wonderful place to teach Covenant.  It is where you learn to be a Keeper of Salt.

Chapter 14

Covenants of Affliction

How do troubles prove a friendship?

Why do people feel connected to someone who has suffered in the same way that they have?

Take a minute and think about friendships you have.  Do you have any that were birthed out of some kind of affliction?  How do you feel about that friend?

Is this friendship stronger than others?  Why or why not?

Does enduring troubles together solidify friendships?

Have you ever had a friend who you thought was a Covenant friend, only to discover they disappeared at the first sign of trouble?  How did that make you feel?

After your friend left, did you question the depth of their friendship?

Every Covenant suffers some kind of trouble.  When Jesus was on trial and faced crucifixion, the Covenant His followers had with Him was tried.  Would they stay with their Lord or would they cower away in fear?  Peter broke his Covenant by denying Jesus three times.  His Covenant was tried in the fires of affliction.  Jesus prayed in Luke 22:32 for Peter, that his “faith would not fail”.  What did Jesus mean when He prayed that Peter’s faith would not fail?

What does this prayer say about the kind of friend Jesus was to Peter?

Have you ever loved someone so much that while your friendship was being tested you prayed for their faith?  How is that a reflection of your friendship?

After Jesus rose from the dead, He called for Peter to reestablish their Covenant.  Nothing would ever tempt Peter to deny this relationship again.  He went to prison and suffered greatly because of his Covenant, but he never denied Jesus again.  What kind of difficulties have made your Covenant friendships strong?

Proverbs 18:24 …and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.

What kind of friend sticks closer than a brother?

Proverbs 17:17 A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

If a friend is faithful even in adversity, does this mean he is as or more faithful than a brother?  Explain your answer?

Proverbs 27:6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend…

What does this verse mean?  Why would a friend wound you and it be seen as faithful?

How do bad attitudes and offences break Covenant friendships?

THICKER THAN MILK

If your friend is committing continuous sin, is this sufficient reason to break your Covenant?

What does the expression “Blood is thicker than water” mean?

In the text (Keepers of Salt digital edition location 1882) the author talked about the phrase “Blood is thicker than milk”.  Explain the difference between “Blood is thicker than water” and “Blood is thicker than milk”.

How strong should our Covenants be?

How do you love someone enough to help them change?

Does keeping your Covenant mean you love someone enough to tell them the truth no matter how much it hurts?

Does Covenant require that you sacrifice for someone, so that they may receive Christ, even if they are ungrateful?

How do we apply Covenant to someone who is committing self-destructive acts?

Christ-like people refuse to separate from their friends they restore them.  Why?

How do Christ-like people restore their friends?

QUESTIANS FOR THOUGHT

The ancient Orientals understood that no one, not even a relative, could break Covenant.  No matter the difficulty, no matter the sin, nothing could separate those in Covenant.  If your Covenant friend is living in a sinful lifestyle or is committing self-destructive acts, you may (and probably should) disagree with them.  Tell them that you disapprove of their actions.  But someone has to love them enough to help them change.  Are you that person?  Someone is waiting for your words of love and acceptance.

Why is restoration a part of the Covenant?

According to Romans 2:4 it’s God's kindness that leads us to repentance.  How does kindness affect our witness and our stand against sin?

How do you balance a healthy hatred for sin and your love for your friend?

It has been said that it is the stormy weather that makes a tree strong.  Maintaining our Covenant friendships through the storms of life is not easy, but they make our friendships strong.  Are you in the middle of a storm?  Don’t give up!  Unexpected blessings could be just around the corner.  Are you looking for opportunities to love someone?  Your act of love could turn into a wonderful new Covenant friendship.  Don’t allow affliction to steal your Covenants; rather allow it to make them stronger.  Only during adversity do we see who truly is, a Keeper of Salt!

Chapter 15

The Place of Covenant

Explain the Threshold Covenant.

Read John 10:1-9; Revelation 3:8, 20; Matthew 21:42; I Peter 2:6; Ezekiel 47:1; Exodus 12:21-23

What is the significance of each of these verses in light of the Threshold Covenant?

Read Genesis 7:16 in several versions.  Was Noah, and everything else in the ark, in Covenant with God?  What act of God symbolized this Covenant?

The Bible says that Jesus stands at the door of our hearts and knocks.  Will you let him over your threshold?  Will you be His Covenant friend?  Are you willing to give your life for him?

The POWER OF COVENANT

Read the story of Lot in Genesis 19:1-11.  What is the significance of Genesis 19:3,8?  Why?

The laws of hospitality were considered sacred and unchangeable.  Once the Angels of the Lord were in Lot’s house Lot was bound by Covenant to care for them even at the expense of his own life.  What about Lot’s Covenant with his own daughters?  Didn’t he have a Covenant with them?  What was the Covenant relationship Lot had with his daughters?

As Lot’s daughters were they bound to the same Covenant duty as Lot?

Lot wasn’t being a cruel father, sending his daughters off to be molested; Lot was performing His Covenant duty.  In effect, he was saying, “These men have come through my doorway.  They have stepped over the blood of the Covenant.  I must protect them, even at the expense of my most precious possession.  I have two daughters who are pure.  And so, I offer them to you.  Take them, but do not harm my guests because I have given them my Covenant of protection.”

In Lot's culture, the obligations of Covenant were so highly valued that they even superceded the relationship between a man and his children.  If Lot offered and made the Covenant, then so did his daughters.  Lot represented the family.  They were ONE with him.  His Covenant was their Covenant and they were all under the same obligations.

How do your Covenants effect others in your home?

II Peter 2:7 tells us that Lot was righteous.  Why?

Read Genesis 19:10-11.  While Lot respected the Covenant, how did God honor him?

Is this story similar to Abraham willing to offer Isaac in Genesis 22:1-14 for the sake of his Covenant?  Why or why not?

These stories illustrate how God Himself sacrificed His Son (Jesus) for us in Covenant.

QUESTIANS FOR THOUGHT

The power of Covenant, it’s strong enough to make God give up His Son.  God’s Covenant love pursues us, even in our sin.  His love is entirely committed to us.  Is your Covenant stronger than any offense, any storm, any sickness, any problem you face?  If you will keep your Covenants you will enjoy abundant blessings and vibrant lives.  If you break them you will suffer depravity in your relationships with God and man.  Covenant is powerful, and it has the power to bless or curse your life.  Deuteronomy 11:26-28 says that God has set before us a blessing or a curse.  It is your choice.  What will you choose?

Hebrews 10:29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?

In oriental custom, a man who stepped on the blood of the Covenant instead of over it was said to have insulted the man who offered the Covenant.  (See Threshold Covenant page 199 By Trumbull)  What does Hebrews 10:29 mean?  Is this a similar thought to the oriental custom?

Matthew 24:3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

Matthew 24:10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.

How is the church today a sad illustration of the end times?

God is calling His people to mend their differences, and reconcile with their offenders.  It is time for people who are isolated, offended and hurting to realize that their commitment to Christ is also their Covenant to their brothers and sisters.

What is the missing key to the “fruitful and victorious” Christian life we so often hear about on Sunday morning?

How can Covenant change your church?

How does Keeping Covenants distinguish the people of God from all others?

How does Covenant breathe peace into our homes and lives?

How will Covenant reunite our families and friends?

Jesus promised we would do “greater things” how can Covenant enable you to do that?

In what ways will Covenant change your life and give you purpose?

Why is Covenant Powerful?

Now it’s time for you to be a Keeper of Salt.

Conclusion:

Who is the originator of Covenant?

Read Genesis 6:18, 15:18; 17:2; II Samuel 23:5; Jeremiah 31:31-34 and Isaiah 55:3, 61:8.  What aspect of God’s Covenant nature do these verses reveal?

Read Deuteronomy 7:9; II Chronicles 6:14; Psalms 111:5,9 and Romans 1:31.  What aspect of God’s Covenant nature do these verses reveal?

Read Psalms 25:14 and Deuteronomy 4:13.  What aspect of God’s Covenant nature do these verses reveal?

Read Ephesians 2:4-13, 3:16; Isaiah 41:10 and I Thessalonians 3:13.  What aspect of God’s Covenant nature do these verses reveal?

Why is it important that we understand the nature of God in understanding Covenant?

What is the Covenant name that we received when we entered into the New Covenant?

Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

How do Covenants give us authority against the powers of darkness?

What reasons are there for making a Covenant?

1 Corinthians 10:17 For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.

What does it mean to be one bread?

How are we broken for another?

How is brokenness like forgiveness?

How do we become a living sacrifice?

Is brokenness the same as being a living sacrifice?

John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends.

How do we lay down our lives for our friends?

What can you do in a practical way to lay down your life for your friends?

Why is Keeping Salt a way of life?

What does the word Covenant mean to you?

Is this answer different than the answer you gave on page 1?  Why or why not?

Have you ever wondered how you can keep your Covenants?  Does it seem like you are continually breaking your Covenants?  God is an enabling God who gives us the power to not only make our Covenants but also to keep them.  Never fear Godly Covenants.  They will change your life.  They will bless you.  They will give you authority against the powers of darkness.  If you trust God He will give you the ability to keep your Covenants.  You will be a Keeper of Salt.

Deuteronomy 29:9 Keep therefore the words of this Covenant, and do them, that ye may prosper in all that ye do.