The Race Set Before Us

There are a number of verses that compares our pursuit of God to a race. Several of these show us how we ought to run. My attempt is to put these text together so that we can run in such a way as not without aim (1Cor. 9:26). Nothing that I write is new [and those who walk in the truth will immediately recognise that everything that God does remains forever. There is nothing to add to it and there is nothing to take from it, for God has so worked that men should be in awe before Him (Eccl. 3:14)]. By putting together the various verses that compares our pursuit of God to a race, my hope is that it will quickly remind us of that which we already know; so as to pursue God the way we ought. 

The first thing we all must know is that if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules (2Tim. 2:5). This is a critical beginning to any race. In much the same way, our pursuit of God also has set rules given by Yahweh Himself. These are contained in the 66 books of the Holy Bible. Through His laws and ordinances and commands He has clearly made known the way we ought to live (Deut. 30:15-20). All one has to do is carefully read the Word with a sincere desire to obey it. The living Word Himself gives understanding. 

Some ‘rules’ in our pursuit of God are already known to us [I write to those who have believed in the Lord Yeshua and have made Him not only their Saviour but also their Lord]. These rules include knowing that no one can come to the Father except through the Messiah Yeshua (Jn. 14:6). It includes recognizing that without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6). It includes living a life that is holy (or set apart exclusively for God) and righteous; knowing that we are made a new creation in Yeshua the Messiah (Eph. 4:24). These expectations from the Father are the foundation to pursuing Him. 

There are more ‘rules’ in this race however [I do not like using the word ‘rules’ but am doing so only because of the context of 2Timothy 2:5]. In our sincere desire to love God and do all that pleases Him we soon come to realise that we have ignored so many simple, basic instructions that our Father has given in love. We then come across people having so many interpretations and counter-interpretations to the same portions of scripture that is read. The father of lies has only compounded the existing confusion by trying to further obfuscate the truth. Yet, thanks be to Yahweh, the truth has continued to prevail down through the ages and though the devil appears to have succeeded in hiding the truth from many, the living Word has ensured that the truth is never lost. Instead He quietly discloses it to the seeking heart that is set on Him with devoted love. 

I deliberately use the word “truth” and contrast it because just as in the days of Yeshua, when He lived on the earth, today too the truth is mixed with deviations of God’s commands brought about by the traditions of men. This was one of the chief things that Yeshua kept admonishing the Pharisees for. He said, “Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honours Me with their lips, but their heart is far away from Me. But in vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’ Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men.” He was also saying to them, “You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition (Mk. 7:6-9). While they sat on the seat of Moses and read from the Holy Scriptures, they mixed that pure word with the traditions and precepts of men (Mt. 23:2-3). In the same way, today too, the pure word of God is mixed with the customs and traditions of men. 

For example, God commands us to keep the Sabbath as a day separated as holy and doing no work (Ex. 20:8-11; Deut. 31:13). The devil has deceitfully got evil men who pretended to be ‘servants of God’ to come up with edicts that made Sunday the day of rest. We only need to look at the history of how Sunday came to be recognised [especially the edicts that proceeded from wolves in sheep clothing in the 5th century] and we will immediately see how they nullified God’s Word. Yet Christians [I too was once among them] have blindly accepted what was passed down the centuries without testing it against the truth that is found in the word of God. Pagan festivals such as Christmas and Easter have crept in by those who perverted the truth of God and exchanged it for a lie; and today Christians glibly practice them without recognising that these pagan feasts are not only far from the truth but they have been created to deceitfully blind men from recognising God’s “appointed days” that He has so clearly commanded us to observe [Read Leviticus 23]. 

In the race that is set before us, we must be careful therefore to run according to the truth that is found in the whole Word of God and test if the practices advocated by those at the pulpit have been subtly mixed with the pure truth that is found in the word of God. Let us beware of those who use portions of Scripture [particularly all the promises of God which are found in the Old Testament] and ignore the commands that are found in the same books. Such selective cherry-picking will be judged by the Righteous One at the appropriate time. But if we truly love God and desire to submit to all of His will without letting our reason interpret the commands of the Holy One, Yahweh Himself will direct our path (Prov. 3:5-6). Let us therefore with single-minded devotion love Him and do all His will without fear of men. 

The next thing we learn about the race is to run with endurance (Heb. 12:1). It is so easy to tire, grow weary (Gal. 6:9) or get discouraged (Lk. 18:1). Yet Scripture has repeatedly warned us that if we lose heart, God will not be pleased with us (Heb. 10:38). The same verse in Hebrews 12 also warns us to be careful that we are not slowed down or encumbered by every weight and the sin which can so easily entangle us (Heb. 12:1). The child of God knows that he has been called no longer to live for himself but for Him who died and rose again on his behalf (2Cor. 5:15). The man of God knows that like Paul, it is no longer he that should live [with all its lusts and desires] but that the Messiah must live in and through him; and the life that he lives he must live by complete trust and faith in total dependence on his Saviour (Gal. 2:20). Walking in righteousness—constantly desiring and living to always do all that pleases God—and with perseverance are key elements in the race that is set before us. Let us never lose sight of it. 

The third aspect of the race that the Bible talks about involves discipline. Paul writes, “Now every athlete in training submits himself to strict discipline, and he does it just to win a laurel wreath that will soon wither away. But we do it to win a crown that will last forever” (1Cor. 9:25). He then illustrates further by showing us what he personally does. He says, “I don’t run aimlessly but straight for the finish line; I don’t shadow-box but try to make every punch count. I treat my body hard and make it my slave so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified” (1Cor. 9:26-27). The verses that immediately follow makes it clear that the Apostle is not talking of physical boxing, or physically treating his body hard [like some ascetics believe]. Rather Paul recognises that just as Israel was guided by the pillar of cloud in the wilderness; and walked through the parted waters of the Red Sea; and ate the manna that fell from heaven; we too, in Yeshua, have been baptised in the cloud and the sea and are eating the same spiritual food that they ate. Yet just as many of them perished in the wilderness because of their constant grumbling and disobedience (1Cor. 10:5-11), we also may lose out on the rest that God has prepared for us to enter into (Heb. 4:11). 

With regard to this discipline that we must have in the race that is set before us, the Apostle says to Timothy that “no soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier” (2Tim. 2:4). John says in his letter that “if anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1Jn. 2:15). James is more blunt calling such who serve two masters (Mt. 6:24), “adulteresses” (Jas. 4:4). It becomes imperative therefore in the race that is set before us to run in such a way as not beating the air. There must be a single-minded focus on the things which are above where the Messiah is seated and not on the things of the earth (Col. 3:2). 

This aspect of running the race with an undistracted devotion to Yeshua, the Messiah is beautifully described in three terms that Paul uses when he talks about his desire to know the Messiah. For after he says that he counts all the physical attributes that are seen as ‘great’ in the eyes of the world as “dung or rubbish” (Php. 3:8) he then tells us: “I press on”; “I reach out” and “I lay hold of”. In the race that is set before us, we must “keep pursuing the goal in order to win the prize offered by God’s upward calling in the Messiah Yeshua” (Php. 3:14). We must reach forward towards what lies ahead (Php. 3:13); and we must lay hold of that for which also we were laid hold of by the Messiah Yeshua (Php. 3:12). 

It would be important for me to state here that our running the race would be a vain exercise if in the course of our race, we do not bear fruit. If the life of Yeshua is not seen in us in the way we speak and behave, it is quite likely that at the end of the race we may find our Master say, “I do not know you” (Mt. 24:12) just as He did to the five foolish virgins who did not have any oil in their flasks. If gentleness and kindness and patience and the other fruits of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22) cannot be seen in me then all my tom-tomming about running by the rules would be nothing short of a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal (1Cor. 13:1). If I do not have love, it profits me nothing. My race is in vain. It would be like running in such a way as without aim and as one beating the air (1Cor. 9:26). 

Finally, the race that is set before us as we pursue God is meant for us to complete (2Tim. 4:7). This speaks of a relationship with God that must be sustained until the very end. This is why Jude extols the sustaining hand of Yahweh that is able to keep us from faltering saying: “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy; To God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever” (Jude 24-25). Oh how we need the strength of the Most High to walk and not grow weary; to run and not faint (Isa. 40:31). Knowing that in this life there will be many troubles (Jn. 16:33) we must ask God—who commanded Joshua: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Jos. 1:9)—to keep us strong and very courageous to love Him and fearlessly stand with the truth, even if it means to stand alone. No athlete competes in a race only to leave it incomplete. We too must “finish the course” that is set before us. Behold He says, “In a very little while, He who is coming will come, and will not delay. But My righteous one shall live by faith; and if he shrinks back, My soul has no pleasure in him” (Heb. 10:37-38). May God help us so that we do not shrink back to destruction, but are like those who have faith to the preserving of the soul (Heb. 10:39); for in the end, “there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing” (2Tim. 4:7-8).

The Covenants of God

Anyone who has read and understood the Bible will probably know that there are various covenants that God made with man down through his history. Yet everyone who knows Yahweh would immediately recognize that He is eternal in wisdom; faithful in all of His ways; and consistent in all that He does. For God Himself says, “I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me. At the beginning I announce the end, proclaim in advance things not yet done; and I say that My plan will hold, I will do everything I please to do” (Isa. 46:9-10).

Keeping this in mind, one would then see that each of the five covenants that God made with man are not contradictory to the other but rather builds on the previous. Another thing that one will understand, while reflecting on the covenants, is the unmistakable common thread that runs through all of them—relationship with the Most High God, who is Creator of all things. Through all of the covenants one will see this desire of God for man which can be so beautifully encapsulated in what He told Abram, “I am El Shaddai. Walk in My presence and be blameless” (Gen. 17:1). It is the very thing we are told as to why God chose us before the foundation of the world—“that we would be holy and blameless before Him” (Eph. 1:4). It is also the very thing we are told that the Messiah is doing while preparing His bride—“that she would be holy and blameless” (Eph. 5:27). In this context, I have said this before and will continue to say it over and over again: that the meaning of holy or sanctified is “set apart”. So when one looks at the five covenants that God made with man down through the ages we not only see this purpose uniting all of them but we also see continuity; how the later covenant is built on the earlier. Needless to add that a covenant is an agreement that requires two parties and in each of the covenants, the one party was Yahweh Himself.

In the Adamic covenant we first read of the clear cut, unambiguous command that Yahweh gave Adam (Gen. 2:16-17). Disobedience and rebellion to this specific command brought sin; banishment from the Presence that man enjoyed; and curse. But therein God makes a covenant with Adam and Eve and promises redemption saying to the serpent, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel” (Gen. 3:15). Nearly 4000 years later, Yahweh fulfilled that covenant by sending His only begotten Son, born of a virgin, who bruised the serpent on the head (crushing and defeating him thoroughly); though He Himself was bruised on the heel by suffering on the cross before rising from the grave to live forever. Further, by putting enmity between the seed of the woman and the serpent, Yahweh made a clear distinction between the sons of light and the sons of disobedience.

In the Noahic covenant, Yahweh simply built on the covenant He had made with Adam. At this point we need to understand that though the Bible does not explicitly tell us how man—from Adam until the giving of the Law through Moses—knew what it was that pleased God; yet we know for certain that even in the absence of a written law, men walked in obedience to all of God’s commands by keeping His statutes and instructions (Gen. 26:5). Enoch walked with God (Gen. 5:24). Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time and walked with God (Gen. 6:9). Knowing therefore what Yahweh desired and what displeased Him; we read that for the burnt offering Noah offered up to Adonai he “took of every clean animal and of every clean bird” (Gen. 8:20). Being the righteous man that he was, God saved him and his family along with every living creature. At the end of the flood, Yahweh promised that He would not destroy the earth with a flood nor cut off all flesh by the waters of a flood (Gen. 9:11). He also promised that seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night would never cease as long as the earth remains (Gen. 8:22). He permitted man to eat not just from the green plant but now also from the animals with the clear command that they should not eat its blood (Gen. 9:3-4). [Here again we must understand that God, who never changes and is always consistent in what He says (Lev. 11), would have permitted Noah and his family to eat of only the clean animals; for if Noah knew which animals were the ones to sacrifice to Yahweh, he also knew which ones were acceptable by God to eat. Compare Gen. 7:2-3] Finally, Yahweh also put the terror of man in all the beasts of the earth (Gen. 9:2); and warned of the consequences of murder (Gen. 9:6).

The Abrahamic covenant had one distinct element different from the previous two in that it was exclusive. Unlike the Adamic and Noahic covenants which were for all mankind, the one to Abraham was by God’s choosing. Since creation, all men knew what is righteous and acceptable to God (Rom. 1:19). Yet men chose to walk in disobedience and kept rebelling against the King of Glory. Because Noah alone was found doing what was right before God, Yahweh saved him and his family from destruction unlike the rest (Gen 7:1) thus preserving the posterity of mankind. However by the time of Abraham, men chose once again to walk in the depravity of fleshly desires exchanging “the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever.” (Rom. 1:25). It is in this context that Yahweh by His sovereign election and choosing called Abram out and asked him to walk before Him and be blameless (Gen. 17:1). Faith and obedience were the key elements that Abraham showed throughout his relationship with God; the same essentials that Yahweh is looking from us too (Heb. 3:19; 4:6). 

God then made a covenant with this man of faith to raise up from him a nation that would be numerous in number and whose posterity would remain forever (Gen. 17:7). From this patriarch would come forth kings (Gen. 17:6) and through his seed, all the nations of the earth would be blessed (Gen. 26:4). This covenant was eternal and was going to unravel plans that were not just for a period on earth but far beyond human comprehension. This nation would be Yahweh’s ‘display piece’, if you will, for all the nations to see. Because Yahweh could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself; desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose. He interposed His promise with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie; we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us (Heb. 6:13-18).

It is not difficult to see the heart of the Creator in each of the above three covenants. His desire to dwell with and fellowship with man is evident everywhere. The fact that Yahweh’s eyes are on the righteous and His ears are attentive to their cry (Psa. 34:15) further reveals with whom He desires to fellowship with. His longing is for the righteous; those set apart for Him who will walk in submission and obedience to all of His ways. I always think of God’s laws, commands and instructions as an ‘instruction manual’ from the manufacturer, if you will. Because our Creator knows what is good for us—that which will cause us to have life in all its fullness (Jn. 10:10)—He has given us His word and His Torah. Yeshua Himself said when asked about the commandments of God: “Do this and you will live” (Lk. 10:28).

The Mosaic covenant only built on the previous three covenants. While the Torah serves as a guide for man to know what it is that pleases God and how we ought to walk; we only need to look a bit deeper to see that behind this covenant is the heart of God revealing His desire for man to draw near to Him; make Him the central part of their lives; and be a light unto the nations that will proclaim His excellency. The tabernacle in the wilderness and the manner in which they camped; the sacrifice; the temple worship; the blessings and the promises—all these revealed the heart of Yahweh. He showed them that He was a covenant-keeping God that they could trust (The Israelites already knew the covenant God made with their fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob). He showed them that He was a powerful, mighty God who was able to deliver them, lead them and protect them. He showed that He was a caring God who provided for all their needs. But He also showed that He was a righteous God: “punishing the children for the sins of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me, but displaying grace to the thousandth generation of those who love Me and obey My commandments” (Ex. 20:5-6).

Through the centuries that followed, many in Israel understood this covenant. They saw the God of Israel for what He truly is; and they also knew what they needed to do in their relationship with Him. Samuel, David, the prophets and a host of men and women lived their lives before the King of Glory recognizing that one day in the courts of God’s temple was better than a thousand elsewhere (Psa. 84:10). The Mosaic covenant was to lead all those who believed, to this one truth: God wants to tabernacle among men. He wants to be their God and He desires that they would be His precious possession. It was in some ways a stage for the better covenant He was to make in the days that were coming (Jer. 31:31).

The New Covenant, as it is commonly called, has not abolished the Law as some have wrongly misunderstood. As in the previous cases, the New Covenant merely builds on the one made through Moses. While in the Mosaic covenant, men could draw near to God with sacrifices that could not permanently cleanse them, in the New Covenant He brings in a sacrifice that is better and perfect and is able to cleanse forever those who draw near to Him (Heb. 10:14). While in the previous covenant one could only draw near to God through the priests and could not directly go into the Presence of the Most Holy Place; in the New Covenant, He has initiated a better priesthood—one that is according to the order of Melchizedek, with Yeshua HaMashiach as the High Priest (Heb. 6:19-20). In this covenant, He makes us priests to God and for this reason He is not ashamed to call us, “brethren” (Heb. 2:11). Therefore we have confidence to enter boldly into the Holy Place by the blood of Yeshua by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil (Heb. 10:19-20).

The previous expectations from us, as in the earlier covenants, remain the same. These expectations are faith in God; (and by faith I mean absolute confidence in Him demonstrating this by trusting all that He is and what His Word says; clinging to Him through all phases in life; and relying on Him as the only source for all our needs.) The second expectation is obedience that stems from love for Him. Remember Yeshua’s words? “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word” (Jn. 14:23; 14:21). Meeting both these expectations results in us living righteous lives that pleases the Father. God is holy and all who draw near to Him must be holy. There is only one way to draw near to God and that is through the blood of Yeshua (Jn. 14:6). The instruction for righteous living has already been laid out for us in the Torah. What we additionally have in the New Covenant is grace to help us walk in accordance with these laws—for we recognize that though our spirit is willing, our flesh is weak (Mt. 26:41; Rom. 7:21-23). Further, the promises made in the previous covenants remain the same. God has never replaced any one of them. He has merely built on them bringing it to the fullness of the covenant that we now have in Yeshua.

Oh that we would see the heart of God throughout scripture. Oh that we would understand how the Most High is longing that we abide in Him and He in us; that we could fellowship with each other. Oh that we would see the love and mercy and compassion with which He deals with us as He patiently, untiringly works within us to realize His awesome plans and purposes. If we can understand the heart of the New Covenant we will see the beauty that lies within (Jer. 31:31-34). For one, there is such a love relationship between the man who has entered into this covenant and Yahweh, that whatever God desires is embedded within the man’s heart and mind. The child of God knows precisely what it is that pleases His Master and now makes it his ambition to do just that (2Cor. 5:9). For another, the New Covenant is the promise that we are not alone. The Most High who sits in majesty and splendour says, “I will be their God.” Herein lies great comfort. Herein lies our confidence: “Adonai is my helper; I will not be afraid — what can man do to me?” (Heb. 13:6). Herein lies peace that surpasses understanding (Php. 4:6-7). The third aspect of the New Covenant is the declaration of God: “They shall be My people”. The privilege of knowing that I am God’s elect; His chosen, precious possession gives me the confidence of who I am in the Messiah. The fourth aspect of the New Covenant highlights the intimacy of relationship: “None of them will teach his fellow-citizen or his brother, saying, ‘Know Adonai!’ For all will know Me” (Jer. 31:34; Heb. 8:11). Finally God promises that He will forgive our sins and remember them no more; backing this promise with the assurance that “where there is forgiveness for these, an offering for sins is no longer needed” (Heb. 10:18). Can we see the New Covenant overflowing with clauses that focus on relationship?

Of course, as with every covenant, it requires that both parties honour their commitment to it. Now we know that God is faithful and though we would be faithless, He remains faithful; for He cannot deny Himself (2Tim 2:13). So it remains for us to be true to our part of the covenant lest we be found to become covenant-breakers. To such there is only “a certain terrifying expectation of judgment, and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries” (Heb. 10:27). 

There is a great calling for those who want to enter into such a relationship with God—to the Jew and to the Gentile. We can enter into covenant with the One who has purposed great and mighty things—things which eye has not seen, ear has not heard nor that which the heart has understood; all that God has prepared for those who love Him (1Cor. 2:9). [I appeal to you not to miss out on the last four words of the verse for it pertains to a condition—“those who love Him.”] There is great beauty in this relationship that one can enjoy with the God of all creation and what is more, it is the fundamental core to life in all its fullness. The covenant is for us to enter into if we believe. Let us not miss out on it.

Note: Here I assume that the reader recognizes that the New Covenant, as with the Abrahamic and the Mosaic covenants, is made with Israel. If you are not a descendant of Abraham (or are a Gentile by birth, as I was) and have believed in Yeshua the Messiah as your Saviour, then you need to recognize your place in this covenant. For a better insight into what I am referring to, please read my writing on “The Israel of God”.