Covenants and Prophets

Covenants & Prophets
Andries B. Louw

Good morning Brothers and Sister, today I want to talk about covenants and why they are so important to us as followers of Yeshua (Jesus).

But first let as look at the word covenant and what does it mean.
According to the dictionary a covenant means the following:
1. a usually formal, solemn, and binding agreement
2. a: a written agreement or promise usually under seal between two or more parties especially for the performance of some action the deed conveying the land contained restrictive covenants
b: the common-law action to recover damages for breach of such a contract

Let us also see what the original Hebrew word means that was given to the Hebrew people.
Strong’s Concordance nr 1285 it gives us the word:

berith: a covenant
Original Word: בְּרִית
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: berith
Phonetic Spelling: (ber-eeth')
Definition: a covenant

In Genesis 6:18: But with thee will I establish my covenant (Berith).

The Hebrew word for a covenant is ברית (berith, Strong's #1285 ), a noun derived from the verb ברה (B.R.H(bereh), Strong's #1262), which means "to select the best."

The Hebrew language is a root oriented language, meaning that every Hebrew word is derived from a root word and that root word is the foundation to other Hebrew words. Each word derived from one root will be closely related in meaning to all the other words derived from the same root.

In the case of the word ברית (berith) we found that it was derived from the root verb ברה (B.R.H), but also derived from this verbal root are the nouns ברות (barut, Strong's #1267) meaning "choice meat" and בריה (beri; Strong's #1274) meaning "fattened." Livestock that will be slaughtered are fed special grains to make them fat and thereby making the meat of the fattened livestock the choicest.

God also said to Isreal: Jerimiah 30:22
22 And you shall be My people, and I will be your Elohim
This is his covenant with Israel forever.

In Biblical times people made covenants between each other almost daily and God (Yehovah) also made covenants with people.

A covenant was instituted by the two parties of the covenant who would take a fattened animal, the best of the flock or herd, and "cut" it into two pieces. Then the two parties of the covenant would pass through the pieces symbolizing their dedication to the covenant and by this action are saying, "If I do not hold to the agreements of this covenant, you can do to me what we did to this animal."

This methodology of "making" a covenant is clearly recorded in Jeremiah 34:18-20:
18 And I will give the men who have transgressed My covenant, who have not stood on the words of the covenant which they have cut with Me when they cut the calf in two, and passed between its pieces*
19 the rulers of Judah and the rulers of Jerusalem, the eunuchs and the priests, and all the people of the land who passed between the pieces of the calf;
20 I will even give them into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those seeking their life. And their dead bodies shall be for food to the birds of the heavens, and to the beasts of the earth.
*After cutting the animal in two, the 2 parties stand back to back and do a figure 8 through the pieces and
wind up facing each other to take their covenant vows.
To sum up a covenant is a very important contract that God makes with his chosen people and if it is broken he does to us what was done to the animal, we may not be cut into pieces but he takes away what was given to us.
I also want to talk about The importance of a prophet
The Hebrew word for prophet is נָבִיא Navi

The word ‘na•vi’ is one of two used in the Bible for a prophet.
The other is ‘cho•ze,’ which is translated as ‘seer.’

The word ‘na•vi’ is a derivative of the root verb ‘bo.’ The root ‘bo’ means ‘coming.’ ‘Na•vi’ then is the one who sees what is coming.
Here, Hebrew merely does not give a specific indication of how the ‘na•vi’ knows the future.
The narratives of the prophetic chapters do that explicitly. The other name is ‘cho•ze,’ ‘seer.’ This word originates from ‘cha•zon,’ ’vision’ or ‘seeing the future.’

In its classical form, prophecy is conveyed by a prophet or a seer. This prophet acts in the name of God. He is a messenger who delivers a specific message from God for an individual or an entire nation. He usually serves as a herald, town crier, announcer, or interpreter who mediates between God and men or between men to God.
When a prophet attempts to evade his mission (such as in the case with the prophets Jonah or Elijah), God forces him to return to prophecy.
God reveals himself to prophets in a dream at night or in a vision during the day. Of all Old Testament prophets, only Moses saw God in direct sight and, therefore, he is considered the greatest prophet:
“And there has not arisen since in Israel a prophet like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face…”
Deuteronomy 34:10
Bible scholars distinguished between two groups of prophets:
‘Prophets of acts’: Samuel, Nathan, Elijah, Elisha. These prophets are mentioned in the Bible’s historical books with a focus on their actions and not their words.

The others are the ‘Classical Prophets’, also called the ‘Writing Prophets’ or the ‘Book Prophets’. Their prophecies are told in books that carry their names. They prophesied between the 8th century BC and the 5th century BC, the Return-to-Zion era. Among the great prophets to whom many prophecies are attributed are Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel. There are also the twelve minor prophets: Hosea, Amos, Micah, Joel, Obadiah, Jonah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi.

Coming back to the question: What is the importance of a prophet?

As stated earlier a Prophet is a seer, someone who can see the future but also the main job of a prophet is to preach repentance. Next month we will be having general conference and the Prophet and Apostles will be giving us more instructions for the future, messages from God, we sustained them all as Prophets (navi) and Seers (Choze). By listening to their counsel we will learn more of what our Father in Heaven wants us to know.

According to Biblical and Book of Mormon accounts only a few Prophets have ever seen God (Yehovah) face to face:

Moses on Mount Sinai when he received the two stone tablets containing the 10 Commandments also know and the 10 words or 10 statements or 10 facts.
The Brother of Jared when he saw the finger of God in the Book of Ether
Joseph Smith jr when he saw Jesus (Yeshua) and God the Father

I would like to urge everyone to watch or listen to General Conference and the head the instructions of the prophets and seers and to also PRAY about it to know that what is said is true.
Remember what God (Yehovah) told the people of Israel in Deuteronomy 13:1-5:
1 If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams rises among you, and gives you a sign or a wonder,
2 and the sign or the wonder which he spoke to you occurs, saying, Let us go after other Elohim which you have not known, and let us serve them,
3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams. For Yehovah your Elohim is testing you, to know if you love Yehovah your Elohim with all your heart and with all your soul. (Deu 18:22)
4 You shall walk after Yehovah your Elohim, and you shall fear Him. And you shall keep His commandments, and you shall hear His voice, and you shall serve Him, and you shall cleave to Him.
5 And that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall die, because he has spoken apostasy against Yehovah your Elohim, who is bringing you out of the land of Egypt, and has redeemed you out of the house of slaves, to drive you out of the way in which Yehovah your Elohim has commanded you to walk. And you shall put away evil from among your midst.
In your spare time please go and read Deuteronomy 13. We are now in the last days and we must hold fast to the word of God (Yehovah). If we fail to do that, like Joseph Smith jr said after he lost the Book of Lehi “I have lost my soul”
We are in a war between the forces of Good and Evil and at the end of the day we have to use our agency (free will) and our knowledge of the Scriptures and admonations from the True Prophets to decern what is true and what is not true. Jesus (Yeshua) himself said that in the last days false prophets will arise and will even be able to mislead His elect, we are the Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and we with Israel (not just the Jews) are the elect of God.
I pray for us all that we will be prepaired for what is going to be said in the coming Converence and I leave you with this in the name of Jesus Christ, Yeshua HaMassiah the announted of God the Father.

Amen