Blood Covenant: A Life Changing Understanding Of Our Relationship With God

BLOOD COVENANT: A Life Changing Understanding of Your Relationship with the LORD God Almighty (Genesis 12, 15, 17, 18)

Some of Life’s most Important Questions are answered by understanding Blood Covenant: Can I ever lose my salvation? What is God’s special plan for World History & for Israel? What did Jesus mean by: “This is the New covenant in my blood?” How strong & intimate can my relationship with God be through Jesus Christ? Can He ever stop loving me? How can I have more power in Prayer?

Our Bible is divided into the Old Testament & the New Testament or Old Covenant & New Covenant. Why? Without an understanding of Blood covenants, it would be almost impossible to fully comprehend or experience the full depth, loving intimacy, and total life encompassing nature of your relationship with God.

A Blood Covenant has been recognized as the closest, the holiest & most indissoluble compact conceivable (Gal. 3:15). Only in modern times has the significance and solemnity of Blood covenant been lost. We will try to bring out the life changing significance of blood covenant relationships as we survey the scriptures that deal with this crucial subject. Your relationship with God in Christ will be strengthened. Your experience at the Lord's Supper will be immeasurably enriched. Your battles in the spiritual warfare will be transformed from one of fearful struggle to one of courage & certain victory! It is time to take hold of our covenant privileges, rights, & responsibilities!

There are 5 main purposes for making Blood Covenant in the Bible:

1. To establish unbreakable friendship (fellowship) (James 2:23)

2. To unite armies for war or defense. (Rev. 12:9-12)

3. To protect a weaker person or nation (Josh. 9:1-20; 10:6-10)

4. To establish peace between enemies. (Col. 1:20-22)

5. To establish an indissoluble relationship that could not be

broken without serious consequences. (2Kings 13:23)

There are 2 kinds of Covenants in the Bible.

Conditional Covenants: such as The Law of Moses made at Mount Sinai & the Old Covenant of the Bible. Both parties entering the Covenant had to fulfill certain responsibilities for the Covenant to stay in effect.

Conditional covenants were temporary and could be abrogated. In Unconditional Covenants God takes full responsibility to fulfill all the promises of the Covenant by His sovereign grace alone, apart from any work of the recipients. We find 4 unconditional covenants in the Bible: The Abrahamic (Gen. 15); Palestinian (Deut. 30:1-10; Ezek. 16:60); Davidic (2 Sam. 7:10-16; I Chron. 17:3-14); and the New covenant or the New Testament of our Bibles (Jer. 31:31-36).

This study looks the Blood Covenant God Almighty made with Abraham in Genesis 15. It focuses on the 8 steps to making a Biblical Blood covenant. It will give us a profound understanding of the life changing relationship established when we enter into Blood Covenant Relationship with the LORD God Almighty through Jesus.

I.) THE HEBREW WORD FOR COVENANT: ("berith").

a.) It may be from "barah" = "to eat". A blood covenant was made by eating a meal together.

b.) The root word may be from "birtu" = "to fetter" or "to bind." A covenant bound two or more parties.

Blood "covenants" (berith) almost always appear with the verb "to cut." Hence a literal translation of "to make a covenant" would be "to cut a covenant" (Genesis 21:27; 26:28; I Samuel 18:3; etc.). Such covenants always involved the shedding of blood of an innocent animal without spot or blemish. [there are non-blood covenants]

II.) MARRIAGE is a Blood Covenant (Mal. 2:14; Prov. 2:16-17)

God the Father performed the 1st wedding in Eden. Christ’s 1st miracle was at a marriage feast (John 2:1-11). Jesus came to purchase His bride (the church) (Eph. 5:25-32; Matt. 25:13; Isa. 54:5). A love story is at the heart of all Creation & History (Rev. 19:6-10; Isa. 62:4-5). When is the blood shed in a Marriage Covenant?

III.) THE 8 STEPS OF MAKING A BLOOD COVENANT IN BIBLICAL TIMES. (Genesis 12, 15, 17, 18)

There is no single place in the Bible where the whole ceremony of Blood covenant is spelled out for us. One reason for this is because blood covenants were so common & so universally known that they didn't need to be explained. Everyone knew the procedure and what was meant by it. However, the Bible, as well as history, allows us to learn the full procedure for making a Blood Covenant & the incredible binding power involved in relationships forged by such a dramatic experience.

1.) The Blood covenant involved the sacrifice of animals without spot or blemish. They were cut down the middle lengthwise & the halves were placed opposite each other on the ground forming a bloody corridor through which Covenanting parties would walk together in a figure 8 pattern (Gen 15:10,17; Jer. 34:18-20). (Ex 24:6-8; IPet. 1:2).