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If a patient misses a doctor’s appointment, the doctor just reschedules another. But if a child misses dinner, a parent is alarmed and wants to find out why. That’s because the parent loves the child and is bonded in a way a doctor is not. When God made His covenant with ancient Israel, He gave them the rite of circumcision. This was a sign of their special bond—that they were fully committed to God. This bond was so close that Exodus Chapter 12 tells us God told them only circumcised persons could eat the Passover. Since God had not delivered foreigners from slavery, they would not fully appreciate how and why God delivered His people. Under the New Covenant that God established for us by letting His Son die for our sins, God creates a unique community of redeemed people. When we celebrate Christ’s atoning death at the Lord’s Table, we should do as the Apostle Paul urges us—examine ourselves before we eat and drink. Since the Table reminds us of the Covenant God has made to save us from slavery to sin, Satan, and eternal judgment, we dare not partake carelessly. Rather, we reflect on the high cost God paid to redeem us; we reaffirm our faith in Him for what He did for us. Our love for Him should cause us to rededicate ourselves to serve Him as the Lord of our life.
