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Cutting corners.
To me, this is what the covenant was all about. The people vowed to obey God’s law and swore a penalty on themselves if they broke it. We don’t do this today, but it’s not that much different than praying, “God, do whatever it takes to change my heart!” Both cry out to God with humility and an open heart.
The people vowed to change specific unhealthy habits. Intermarrying foreigners was something that always drew them to the worship of false gods. Buying and selling on Sabbath was a sneaky way to make some extra money, but they knew it was not what God wanted. Paying the temple tax, bringing their firstfruits, and paying their tithes were all of the utmost importance now that they had opened their hearts to God’s Word. The habits may be slightly foreign to us but the principles remain the same.
What are the ways we make small compromises today? There are many. Whether we like to admit it or not, we “rate” sin, and most (if not all) of us have justified our behavior as a smaller or lesser sin.
In the covenant, the people were bluntly honest about their shortcomings. They owned it and pledged to change it. In his book, “Respectable Sins,” Jerry Bridges writes this…
“The assurance of His total forgiveness of our sins through the blood of Christ means we don’t have to play defensive games anymore. We don’t have to rationalize and excuse our sins. We can call sin exactly what it is, regardless of how ugly and shameful it may be, because we know that Jesus bore that sin in His body on the cross.”
Jerry Bridges, Respectable Sins
This is a truth that the people of Israel did not have. Jesus mediates for us and calls our bluff. There is no reason to cover or justify sin. No matter how big or how small we think it is, we can come to Him in repentance and find total freedom and forgiveness!