THE COVENANT THAT REMEMBERS (3)

GOD DOES NOT CHANGE“I am the Lord, and I do not change. That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already destroyed” — Malachi 3:6 (NLT).This is one of the most comforting and convicting verses in Scripture.God’s unchanging nature – what theologians call His immutability – is not a cold, rigid attribute. It is the warm security blanket of the believer. If God could change, then every promise would be conditional. Every blessing would be temporary. Every “I love you” would come with an expiration date.But God does not change. Therefore, His covenant does not change.The Israelites had repeatedly broken the covenant. They had worshipped golden calves. They had complained in the wilderness. They had rebelled against God’s prophets. By every legal standard, they had forfeited their right to blessing.And yet – “That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already destroyed.”God’s unchanging nature is the guarantee of His covenant faithfulness. He is not unpredictable, fickle, and impulsive. He is not vindictive. He does not lash out in unpredictable rage. Even His judgments are measured, purposeful, and always aimed at restoration, not destruction.This does not mean God never judges sin. Scripture is clear that God is a righteous judge. But even His judgments are covenantal – they are the discipline of a Father who refuses to abandon His children, not the rejection of a deity who has lost interest.God’s character is our security. His immutability is our guarantee. His covenant is our inheritance.THE SEQUENCE OF DELIVERANCE“God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant …” – Exodus 2:24.Notice the precise sequence in this verse. It is not accidental. It is not poetic filler. It is a theological roadmap of how God delivers His people.Step One: God Heard“God heard their groaning.”Before God acted, He heard. Before He moved, He listened. This tells us something breathtaking about the nature of God: He is not distant. He is not deaf. He is intimately, personally, attentively aware of the cries of His people.The Hebrew word for “heard” here is shama – and it means more than passive auditory reception. Shama implies listening with the intent to respond. It is the same word used in Deuteronomy 6:4 – “Hear, O Israel” — which is not merely “listen” but “pay attention and respond.”When you pray, you are not sending a message into the void. You are not leaving a voicemail for a God who checks His inbox once a week. Your groaning reaches the throne of God in real time. Your tears are registered. Your cries are catalogued. Your whispered prayers in the dark are heard by the One who never sleeps.Psalm 34:15 declares: “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are attentive to their cry.”God heard. This is the foundation. Before there is deliverance, there is attention. Before there is action, there is awareness. God is not absent from your suffering. He is not indifferent to your struggle. He hears.Step Two: God Remembered“God remembered His covenant.”This is the tipping point. This is the moment everything shifts.God did not remember because Israel had finally gotten their act together. They were still in slavery. They were still oppressed. They had not repented. They had not offered sacrifice. They had not earned their deliverance.God remembered because of His covenant. He brought His eternal promise into active focus – zakar – and in that moment, heaven legally acted.This is the pattern throughout Scripture: Noah – “God remembered Noah” (Genesis 8:1) – and the waters receded. Rachel – “God remembered Rachel” (Genesis 30:22) – and she conceived. Hannah – God remembered her prayer – and Samuel was born. - Israel in Egypt: “God remembered His covenant” – and Moses was called.Every time God “remembers” in Scripture, something changes. Remembrance is never passive. It is the divine trigger for deliverance.Step Three: God ActedDeliverance began to manifest in the physical realm.Israel’s deliverance did not begin in Egypt with a plague. It did not begin with Moses confronting Pharaoh. It did not begin with the parting of the Red Sea. It began in heaven’s memory.Before Moses ever saw a burning bush, God had already activated the covenant. Before Moses ever stood before Pharaoh, the divine decree had already been issued. Before a single plague fell, heaven’s court had already ruled in Israel’s favour.The physical manifestations – the bush, the plagues, the Passover, the Exodus – were simply the enforcement of a decision already made in heaven.This means your deliverance has already been decreed. Your healing has already been authorised. Your breakthrough has already been approved. The covenant guarantees it. What you are waiting for is not God’s decision – it is the manifestation of a decision already made.Rev. Cheong Yew KwongFaith Church SingaporePlease visit our website at faithchurch.sg#goodtoread ... See MoreSee Less

记念的约 (三)

神永不改变“因我耶和华是不改变的，所以你们雅各之子没有灭亡。”—— 玛拉基书 3:6这是圣经里最安慰人心、也最令人放心的一句话。神永不更改的本性，也就是神学所说的“不变性”，不是一个冰冷、刻板的特质，而是信徒温暖安稳的庇护。假如神会变，那祂所有的应许都有了附加条件，一切祝福都只是暂时，祂的每一句“我爱你”也都有了保质期限。 但神永不改变。所以，祂的约也永远不会变。以色列人屡屡背弃神的约定：他们去拜金牛犊，在旷野不停发怨言，抗拒神差来的先知。依照律法的标准，他们早已不配领受祝福。 但即使如此，经上仍然记着说：正因为神不改变，雅各的子孙才没有灭绝。神永不改变的本性是祂守约信实的保障。祂不是喜怒无常、善变冲动的神，也不会心存报复，骤然降下无端的烈怒。即便施行审判，祂也有分寸、有定旨，且最终目的是修复人与神的关系，而非彻底毁灭。这并不是说神从不审判罪恶。圣经清楚地表明，神是公义的审判者。但祂一切的审判都立足于祂的约：这是一位不愿丢弃儿女的天父所施行的管教，而非一位失去耐心的神对人类的厌弃。 神不变的本性是我们安全感的来源，祂的永不更改是我们信心的确据，祂的约就是我们的产业。拯救的步骤“神听见他们的哀声，就记念他……的约。”—— 出埃及记2:24注意这节经文里精准的次序。这不是偶然，也不是单纯修饰文辞的语句，而是神拯救百姓的理论指引。第一步：神听见“神听见他们的哀声”在神行动前，祂必先听见；在祂动工前，祂必先倾听。这向我们揭示了一个震撼人心的、关于神本性的真理：祂并不遥远，也不耳聋。祂亲密地、亲自地、专心垂听祂百姓的每一声呼求。这里的“听见”一词在希伯来的原文中是shama，它的意思不止是被动地接收声音。shama是带着回应的意图去聆听。申命记6章4节那句“以色列啊，你要听”，用的正是这个词。它的意思不只是“听见声音”，而是留心听从、顺服回应。当你祷告时，你不是在向虚空的宇宙发送信号，也不是在给一位一周才查看一次语音信箱的神留言。你的叹息会在瞬间直达施恩宝座，你的眼泪祂都一一封存，你的呼求都备尽数收录，就连你在暗夜中低声的祷告，那位永不打盹、永不睡觉的神也都立刻听见。诗篇 34:15宣告说：“耶和华的眼目看顾义人，他的耳朵听他们的呼求。”神先听见，这是一切的根基。拯救临到前，祂必先留意；开展行动前，祂早已知晓。神并未缺席你的苦难，也没有漠视你的挣扎 —— 祂都已听见。第二步：神记念“神就记念祂的约”这是转折点，是情势逆转的时刻。 神记念他们不是因为以色列人终于改过自新了。当时他们仍在奴役之下饱受欺压；未曾真心悔改，未曾献上祭物，完全没有凭自己赚取拯救的资格。神记念他们，只因为祂立的约。祂主动唤起那永恒的应许 —— zakar （记念）—— 就在那一刻，天上按着约定开始了行动。这是一条贯穿圣经的规律： - 挪亚：“神记念挪亚”（创世记8:1），洪水就开始消退；- 拉结：“神记念拉结”（创世记30:22），她就怀了孕； - 哈拿：神记念她的祷告，撒母耳就降生； - 埃及的以色列人：“神记念祂所立的约”，摩西就蒙召前去拯救。 每当圣经说神“记念”，局势必有翻转。神的记念绝非无动于衷的回想，而是祂施行拯救的启动信号。第三步：神行动神的拯救开始在物质界彰显。以色列人得救不是始于埃及的十灾，不是始于摩西面见法老，也不是始于红海分开，而是开始于天上来自神的记念。早在摩西看见荆棘火焰前，神就已经主动兑现与百姓所立的约；早在摩西面对法老前，神救赎的定旨早已颁布；还没有任何一灾降下时，天国法庭已经作出了偏向以色列人的裁决。荆棘火焰、十灾、逾越节、出埃及 —— 这些外在的彰显不过是在执行天上早已判定的裁决。这也意味着：你的救赎早已被天国的法律确定，你的医治早已获得天上的授权，你的突破早已被神核准，祂的约担保了这一切的一切。你如今等候的，不是神来重做决定，而是等候那早已定好的旨意显明出来。新加坡信心教会请访问我们的中文播客,faithchurch.sg/牧师手札/#牧师手札 ... See MoreSee Less