The ABCDs of Fulfilling God’s Covenant

In 2015, a single search for parenting books would have yielded over thirty-five thousand results on Amazon. And that was over ten years ago. Since then, countless more books have been written about parenting, child development, discipline, emotional intelligence, routines, systems, and strategies for raising children well. There are experts, therapists, counselors, teachers, and specialists all over the world devoted to helping parents navigate the work of raising children.

And honestly, I think there is a place for all of that.

There is nothing wrong with benefiting from the common grace wisdom God allows mankind to discover. If science discovers something that genuinely helps families, we should be thankful for it. Where would we be without modern medicine and the many mercies God has allowed us to experience through it? There is value in wisdom, guidance, counseling, and practical help.

But we must understand something clearly: if we neglect the way God has called us to parent and raise the next generation, then no amount of worldly wisdom will ultimately produce a generation that walks with God.  

As I studied this passage this week, I became increasingly convinced that good parenting does not begin with parenting itself. Good parenting does not begin with parenting techniques, behavior systems, or educational philosophies. Good parenting begins with a framework for how God has called us to live as His people in this world.

For us to be good parents, we must first be faithful Christians.

We are not isolated individuals living disconnected lives. We are covenant people living under a covenant relationship with God. And that covenant is meant to shape everything about how we live.

What Is a Covenant?

A covenant is a binding agreement that defines the relationship between two parties. Marriage is a covenant. Business agreements are covenants. Governments operate through covenants and treaties.

And throughout Scripture, God relates to mankind through covenant.

In the Garden of Eden, God established a covenant with mankind, which mankind broke through sin. Later, God made a covenant with Abraham. Then He made a covenant with Moses and the nation of Israel. Today, believers live under the New Covenant established through Jesus Christ.  

Every instruction God gives His people is rooted in covenant relationship.

That is why Deuteronomy matters.

The book of Deuteronomy is essentially a series of sermons preached by Moses near the end of his life. Israel was preparing to enter the Promised Land, and Moses was reminding them not to forget the covenant God had made with them. Every part of their lives in the land was to be governed by that covenant.  

Now, we are not under the Mosaic Covenant today. Hebrews makes clear that the Old Covenant has been fulfilled in Christ and passed away. We live under the New Covenant, secured through the blood of Jesus Christ.

But the principles Moses teaches here still apply.

Our lives are also meant to be fully shaped and governed by the covenant God has made with us through Christ.

The Shema: The Summary of Covenant Life

Deuteronomy 6 contains what is commonly called the Shema. The word shema means “hear” or “listen.”

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:
And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children…”  

In these verses, Moses gives Israel four ways they were to live faithfully within the covenant God had given them.

And because we are talking about parenting and covenant faithfulness, I laid them out as the ABCDs of fulfilling God’s covenant.

A — Acknowledge the God of the Covenant

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD.”  

The very first thing Moses does is remind Israel who the covenant is with.

The covenant is not merely a set of rules. It is a relationship with the living God.

Notice that Scripture uses the covenant name of God here: LORD — Yahweh. This is the name God revealed to Moses at the burning bush when He declared, “I AM THAT I AM.” He is not one god among many. He is the true and living God, unlike any other being in existence.  

And yet He says, “The LORD our God.”

That is covenant language.

He is not distant or detached. He binds Himself to His people. He delivers them. He walks with them. He commits Himself to them.

Israel did not rescue themselves from Egypt. God chose them, delivered them, and brought them out by His own power. Throughout Deuteronomy, He continually reminds them: “I am the God who brought you out of Egypt.”  

The same is true for us.

God delivered us from the bondage of sin. He brought us out of darkness and into light through Jesus Christ. And He did not do that because we deserved it or because we were searching for Him. He did it because He chose to love us.  

If we are going to live faithfully as covenant people, then our lives must begin by acknowledging who our God is and what He has done for us.

Your day should not begin with thoughts about your schedule or your stress or your responsibilities. The first thoughts of your day should be directed toward the God who redeemed you by His grace.

If we are covenant people, then we must acknowledge the God of the covenant.

B — Be Shaped by the Covenant

“And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.”  

Once we understand who our covenant is with, the natural response is love.

God has loved us, redeemed us, and shown us grace. Therefore, our lives are to be shaped by wholehearted love for Him.

Jesus Himself identified this as the greatest commandment. When asked to summarize the law, He quoted this very passage:

“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.”  

Everything God calls us to do flows from this.

Love God.
Love others.

That is the summary of covenant living.

And notice the totality of the command. We are to love God with all our heart, soul, and might. Moses is not trying to divide human nature into categories here. This is Hebrew language emphasizing completeness. Every part of our lives is to be shaped by love for God.  

Christianity is not meant to be a compartment of your life.

It is not a Sunday activity. It is not fifteen minutes of devotions squeezed into the morning before work. It is not a religious category sitting beside all your other priorities.

The covenant is meant to define everything.

Every thought.
Every word.
Every action.
Every decision.

Our lives are to become acts of worship flowing from love for the God who first loved us.

And how does that happen?

“These words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart.”  

The Word of God must be written into us.

Not merely sitting on a shelf.
Not merely heard occasionally.
Not merely carried to church.

The covenant words must dwell in our hearts and minds so deeply that they shape how we think and live.

Because when life confronts you in real time — when the pressure comes, when the temptation comes, when the frustration comes — you are going to default to whatever has filled your heart.

If the Word of God is not dwelling richly within you, your flesh will take over in those moments.

We must be shaped by the covenant.

And yet even here, there is grace.

None of us fulfills this perfectly. We all fall short. But the glory of the New Covenant is that it is secured not by our perfection, but by the blood and faithfulness of Jesus Christ.  

C — Commit the Covenant to Your Children

“And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children…”  

The word “teach” here carries the idea of repetition and recitation. This is not merely formal instruction in a classroom setting. Moses is describing a way of life.  

The covenant is first written into our own hearts, and then we pass it on to the next generation as we live daily life together.

The problem with much modern parenting advice is that it often begins with techniques detached from covenant faithfulness. We want methods that will produce good children while we ourselves live spiritually disconnected lives.  

But biblical parenting does not begin with parenting tricks.

It begins with parents who are themselves walking faithfully with God.

As we sit in our houses, walk through life, lie down at night, and rise in the morning, we are to speak the truths of God into the lives of those behind us.  

And this matters deeply because children will not naturally drift toward God.

The world is already catechizing them.
Sin is already pulling at them.
Their flesh already leans away from righteousness.

If we simply “let them decide for themselves,” they will follow the wisdom already written into the fallen world around them.  

God has not called parents to hope their children accidentally discover truth one day.

He has called parents to raise them in the covenant.

To teach them.
To model it before them.
To fill their lives with it.

And this applies beyond biological parenting.

Grandparents still have covenant responsibilities. Older believers are called to disciple younger believers. Every Christian has opportunities to invest covenant truth into the lives of others.  

Parenting, at its core, is discipleship.

D — Devote Your Life to the Covenant

“And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand… and thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.”  

The point here is saturation.

The covenant was meant to surround Israel everywhere they went. They would see reminders of God’s covenant in their homes, in their cities, and throughout daily life.  

Now, as New Covenant believers, we should not treat this legalistically, as though God merely wants decorative Bible verses hanging on our walls.

The point is much deeper.

Our lives should be so filled with the truth of God that we cannot move through our day without being reminded of His covenant grace.

Whether sitting in the house or walking down the road…
Whether waking up or lying down at night…
Our lives are meant to be governed by the covenant God has made with us.  

And honestly, this is where much of the modern church has failed.

We have given God a section of our lives instead of allowing Him to define our lives entirely.

The covenant has become an addition rather than the center.

But if we want to experience the blessings and joy of covenant fellowship with God, then we must devote ourselves fully to Him.

A Final Challenge

As we seek to raise children, disciple believers, and walk faithfully with Christ, the call is simple:

Be covenant people.

Acknowledge the God of the covenant.
Be shaped by the covenant.
Commit the covenant to those behind you.
Devote your life completely to the covenant.

Why?

Because God is worthy.

And because the blessings of His covenant cannot compare to anything this world has to offer.