In ancient times the blood covenant was common among almost all of the people in the Middle East. It was a way for establishing a binding contract between two men. What we call the Old and New Testaments could easily be called the Old and New Covenants. The typical blood covenant contained 9 parts or steps. These steps are as follows.
1] The two people exchanged coats or robes. To a Hebrew a coat or robe, represented the person himself; so when he offered the other person his robe, he was offering himself; even his very life itself.
2] They take off their belt and offer it to the other person. The belt also called the girdle, was used to hold your sward, your knife and other fighting instruments. In this way, you are saying to the other person that you are offering him your protection. If someone attacks you, they also have me to deal with. Your battles are my battles.
3] CUT THE COVENANT. In this part, the animal is killed and cut down the middle and the two halves are laid opposite each other. The two parties of the covenant pass between the two halves of the animal and are saying, [ May God do more so to me if I break this covenant]. This is a blood covenant and cannot be broken.
4] Raise the right arm, and cut the palm of their hand, and clasp each other’s hand and mingle your blood. This is saying to the other person,” We are becoming one with each other. To intermingle the blood is to intermingle the very life of both people.
5] Exchange names. Each one takes part of the other’s name and incorporates it, into their own.
6] Make a scar of some identifying mark. The scar was the outward evidence of the covenant that others could see and know that the covenant was made. Sometimes they would rub the cut in the hand to make the scar, then anyone who wanted to fight you would know that he would not only have to fight you but another as well.
7] Give terms of the covenant. Both parties of the covenant stand before a witness and list all their assets and liabilities because each one takes all of these upon himself. You are saying, everything I have is yours and everything you have is mine. If something happens to you, your covenant partner will see to it that your wife and children are taken care of.
8] Eat the memorial meal. A loaf of bread is broken in half. Each feeds his half to the other saying, “This is my body and I am now giving it to you.” Then they take wine as a symbol of his blood and say, ” This is my blood which is now your blood.”
9] Plant a memorial tree. The two then plant a tree as a memorial to the covenant and sprinkle the blood of the animal that was killed over the covenant offering.
These 9 steps do not have to take place in the same order that they are listed here. There are alot of covenants listed in the bible and there is not a great detail about them because everyone is familiar with the procedure and the writer assumes that we know what was done.
In our Bible, we have the Old and New Testament, [or covenant]. The old covenant was made with Abram and we have a record of it in the Bible. We can look in on it, starting in, the fifteenth chapter of Genesis. In verse one we read; AFTER THESE THINGS THE WORD OF THE LORD CAME TO ABRAM IN A VISION SAYING, DO NOT FEAR ABRAM I AM A SHIELD TO YOU, YOUR REWARD SHALL BE GREAT..
Here we see God offering His robe and His belt to Abram. He offers to be his shield and his reward. He cuts the covenant in Genesis in [15: 7-21] AND HE SAID TO HIM, I AM THE ONE WHO BROUGHT YOU OUT OF UR OF THE CALDEANS, TO GIVE YOU THE LAND TO POSSESS IT. SO HE SAID TO HIM, BRING ME A THREE YEAR OLD HEIFER, AND A THREE YEAR OLD MALE GOAT, AND A THREE YEAR OLD RAM AND A TURTLE DOVE AND A YOUNG PIGEON. THEN HE BROUGHT ALL THESE TO HIM AND CUT THEM IN TWO, AND LAID EACH HALF OPPOSITE EACH OTHER, BUT HE DID NOT CUT THE BIRDS, AND THE BIRDS OF PREY CAME DOWN ON THE CARCASSES, AND ABRAM DROVE THEM AWAY.
NOW WHEN THE SUN WAS GOING DOWN, A DEEP SLEED FELL UPON ABRAM; AND BEHOLD TERROR AND GREAT DARKNESS FELL UPON HIM. ” AND GOD SAID TO ABRAM, “KNOW FOR CERTAIN THAT YOUR DESCENDANTS WILL BE STRANGERS IN THE LAND THAT IS NOT THEIRS, WHERE THEY WILL BE ENSLAVED AND OPPRESSED FOUR HUNDRED YEARS. BUT I WILL ALSO JUDGE THE NATION WHOM THEY WILL SERVE, AND AFTERWARD, THEY WILL COME OUT WITH MANY POSSESSIONS. AND AS FOR YOU, YOU WILL GO TO YOUR FATHERS IN PIECE, YOU SHALL BE BURIED AT A GOOD OLD AGE. THEN IN THE FOURTH GENERATION, THEY SHALL RETURN HERE, FOR THE INIQUITY OF THE AMORITES IS NOT YET COMPLETE. AND IT CAME ABOUT THAT WHEN THE SUN HAD SET, IT WAS VERY DARK, AND BEHOLD THERE APPEARED A SMOKING OVEN AND A FLAMING TORCH WHICH PASSED BETWEEN THESE PIECES. ON THAT DAY THE LORD MADE A COVENANT WITH ABRAM SAYING, “TO YOUR DESCENDANTS I HAVE GIVEN THIS LAND, FROM THE RIVER OF EGYPT AS FAR AS THE GREAT RIVER, THE RIVER EUPHRATES”
THE KENITE AND THE KENIZZITE AND THE KADMONITE AND THE HITTITE AND THE PERIZZITE AND THE REPHAIM AND THE AMORITE AND THE CANAANITE AND THE GIRGASHITE AND THE JEBUSITE.
Here God is giving the terms of the covenant to Abram. But who are the ones passing between the pieces while Abram is in a deep sleep?
WHEN THE SUN HAD SET AND DARKNESS HAD FALLEN, A SMOKING FIRE POT AND A BLAZING TORCH APPEARED AND PASSED BETWEEN THE TWO PIECES. [GENESIS 15:17]
I believe that the smoking fire pot and the torch was God the father and Jesus before He was revealed walking between the animal parts. Abram was put to sleep because he would be the recipient and is by faith agreeing to the covenant, Jesus standing in for Abram. This will take Jesus coming in the future in total submission to the Father, born as a man and being a perfect sacrifice but without sin. able to bring a Holy God and a sinful people back together again as in the first in the garden. Abram was a participant on the earth with the covenant by believing. Abram believed Gods promise to succeed in order for him to have descendants as many as the stars in the sky. [This comment in this paragraph is from the blogger.]
In [Revelation 1:14,15] We see a description of Christ as follows, AND HIS HEAD AND HIS HAIR WERE WHITE LIKE WOOL, LIKE SNOW, AND HIS EYES WERE LIKE A FLAME OF FIRE, AND HIS FEET WERE LIKE BURNISHED BRONZE, WHEN IT HAS BEEN CAUSED TO GLOW IN A FURNACE AND HIS VOICE WAS LIKE THE SOUND LIKE MANY WATERS.
Here we see Christ a descendant of Abram standing in for Abram in the covenant procession. In [Genesis 4:5-15], we see the exchange of names as follows.
AS FOR ME, BEHOLD MY COVENANT IS WITH YOU, AND YOU SHALL BE THE FATHER OF A MULTITUDE OF NATIONS. NO LONGER SHALL YOUR NAME BE CALLED ABRAM BUT YOUR NAME SHALL BE ABRAHAM FOR I WILL MAKE YOU THE FATHER OF A MULTITUDE OF NATIONS. THEN GOD SAID TO ABRAHAM, AS FOR SARAI YOUR WIFE, YOU SHALL NOT CALL HER NAME SARAI BUT SARAH SHALL BE HER NAME.
In Hebrew God was called YHWH. Here we see Him taking part of His name and combining it with Abram and Sarai, From that time on, God was known as, THE GOD OF ABRAHAM. Next, we see a making of the scar or a symbol of the covenant. In [Genesis 17:10,12] we see,
THIS IS MY COVENANT, THAT YOU SHALL KEEP BETWEEN ME AND YOU AND YOUR DESCENDANTS AFTER YOU; EVERY MALE AMONG YOU SHALL BE CIRCUMCISED IN THE FLESH OF YOUR FORSKIN; AND IT SHALL BE THE SIGN OF THE COVENANT BETWEEN ME AND YOU. AND EVERY MALE AMONG YOU WHO IS 8 DAYS OLD SHALL BE CIRCUMCISED THROUGHOUT YOUR GENERATIONS. A SERVANT WHO IS BORN IN THE HOUSE OR IS BOUGHT WITH MONEY FROM ANY FOREIGNER, WHO IS NOT OF YOUR DEDESCENDANTS.
The scar of circumcision bears witness of the covenant. Abraham was tested when God told him to sacrifice his only son Isaac on a small mountain called, Mount Mariah, near the town of Salem. Abraham passed the test two thousand years ago, the other party to the covenant was to sacrifice his only son. The names have been changed by then. Salem was then called Jerusalem, and Mariah had been changed to Calvery, but the places were the same.
The new covenant took place in the same area of the world and contained some of the same players. God was there of course and Jesus now incarnate, and the descendants of Abraham. This time Jesus was not only the representative of Abraham’s descendants but He was also the offering; the lamb that was slain. This time it was God’s only son and not Abraham’s. Let us see how the covenant was completed in Christ.
1] THE EXCHANGE OF COATS OR ROBES. We come to the covenant clothed in sin and unrighteousness. He comes clothed in holiness and righteousness. We put on his righteousness [2nd Corinthians 5:21. HE MADE HIM WHO KNEW NO SIN TO BE SIN ON OUR BEHALF, THAT WE MIGHT BECOME THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IN HIM.
He takes our sins upon Him and we take His holiness for ours. What an exchange.
2] Take off belt; He protects us and provides us with protection. [LUKE:10,19]
BEHOLD I HAVE GIVEN YOU AUTHORITY TO TREAD ON UPON SERPANTS AND SCORPIONS, AND OVER ALL THE POWER OF THE ENEMY, AND NOTHING WILL INJURE YOU. [EPHESIANS 6:13,17]. THEREFORE TAKE UP THE FULL ARMOR OF GOD THAT YOU MAY BE ABLE TO RESIST IN THE EVIL DAY, AND HAVING DONE EVERYTHING TO STAND FIRM. STAND FIRM THEREFORE, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, AND HAVING PUT ON THE BRESTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, AND HAVING SHOD YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PIECE; IN ADDITION TO ALL, TAKE UP THE SHIELD OF FAITH WITH WHICH YOU WILL BE ABLE TO EXTINGUISH ALL THE FLAMING MISSELS OF THE EVIL ONE. AND TAKE THE HELMET OF SALVATION, AND THE SWARD OF THE SPIRIT, WHICH IS THE WORD OF GOD.
3] CUT THE COVENANT. [HEBREWS 10:14,18.] FOR BY ONE OFFERING HE HAS PERFECTED FOR ALL TIME THOSE WHO ARE SANCTIFIED. AND THE HOLY SPIRIT ALSO BEARS WITNESS TO US; FOR AFTER SAYING, THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THEM AFTER THOSE DAYS SAYS THE LORD; I WILL PUT MY LAWS UPON THEIR HEART, AND ON THEIR MIND I WILL WRITE THEM, AND THEIR SINS AND LAWLESS DEEDS I WILL REMEMBER NO MORE. NOW WHERE THERE IS FORGIVENESS FOR THESE THINGS, THERE IS NO LONGER ANY OFFERING FOR SIN. Jesus was not only making the covenant, but He was also the sacrificial lamb.
4] RAISE THE RIGHT ARM AND MIX BLOOD. Jesus was both man and God. He was holy and also human. As we have the shed blood of Jesus Christ applied to our hearts, this blood cleanses us from all sin and we are also made holy. Our lives are forever mingled with His.
5] EXCHANGE NAMES: Jesus took on the name ” SON OF MAN” and we take on the name Christian. We are forever in the family of God.
6] MAKE A SCAR] Jesus has the scars of the nails in His hands and feet and the spear in His side. We have the circumcision of the heart [ROMANS 2:29]. BUT HE IS A JEW WHO IS ONE INWARDLY; AND CIRCUMCISION IS THAT WHICH IS OF THE HEART, BY THE SPIRIT AND NOT BY THE LETTER; AND HIS PRAISE IS NOT FROM MEN BUT FROM GOD.
7] GIVE THE COVENANT TERMS: Jesus gives the terms of the covenant in the whole bible. It is our responsibility to know it so that we can live by it.
8] EAT MEMORIAL MEAL: [1 CORINTHIANS 11: 23-26] FOR I RECEIVED FROM THE LORD THAT WHICH I ALSO DELIVERED TO YOU, THAT THE LORD JESUS ON THE NIGHT HE WAS BETRAYED TOOK BREAD; AND WHEN HE HAD GIVEN THANKS, HE BROKE IT AND SAID, THIS IS MY BODY WHICH IS FOR YOU; DO THIS IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME. IN THE SAME WAY, HE TOOK THE CUP ALSO, AFTER SUPPER SAYING, THIS CUP IS THE COVENANT IN MY BLOOD; DO THIS AS OFTEN AS YOU DRINK IT, IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME. FOR AS OFTEN AS YOU EAT THIS BREAD AND DRINK THE CUP, YOU PROCLAIM THE LORD’S DEATH UNTIL HE COMES.”
9] PLANT A MEMORIAL TREE. The cross that Jesus died on was the tree that the blood of the sacrifice was sprinkled on, and it still is a memorial of His covenant with us today.
This is our covenant with the God of the universe. He will live up to His end and expects us to live up to ours.
THIS STUDY WAS DONE BY PAUL ZIEGLER.