"The Powerful Old Covenant (Part 1)"
Author: Dr. Neal Gray
Passage: Genesis 15:1-21, KJV
Purpose: God loves His people. We are His creation. And He desires that we live in right relationship with Him. God knows that He will have to make the "first moves," and He has done so. In the powerful old covenant that He made with Abraham, you and I are named as beneficiaries. It’s time that we realize God’s promise to us through our father Abraham.
INTRODUCTION
Opening
You may remember, from your study of the Older Testament, a conversation that God had with Abram. (If not, you’ll know after today!) God told Abram to venture out, away from his native land to a new land. And in the journey, God promised, "Get thee out of thy country...unto a land that I will show thee: and I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing," (see Genesis 12:1-2).
Well, Abram did as God told him. And sometime after God called Abram to follow Him, the two were conversing. God reminded Abram of the original promise of the land. ABRAM ASKED HOW HE COULD BE CERTAIN THAT GOD WOULD COME THROUGH WITH HIS PART OF THE DEAL. God said, "Get a heifer." Abram’s heart pounded with excitement. He knew what God meant--THE CONTRACT WAS ABOUT TO BE SIGNED!
Scripture
Let’s listen in on this conversation, in the 15th chapter of Genesis.
GOD’S LOVE COMING DOWN
Introduction
In this conversation, God gave Abram some very unusual instructions.
Go Get a Heifer
Abram had recently left Ur of the Chaldees, his home country, to follow God to some uncharted territory. GOD HAD PROMISED HIM REAL ESTATE, AND ABRAM WAS EXPECTANT.
"I’m here, God," he said, "ready for all You promised me."
"Go get a heifer, a three-year old heifer," God answered.
I would be surprised by God’s request, but it was no surprise to Abram. Sacrificing a heifer was the language of contracts in those days. With those words, Abram knew that he was about to make a contract with Holy God.
==> Everything Abram expected--and more--was about to be formalized with God Himself.
Making Covenant
In the ancient Middle Eastern world a practice called "making covenant," or "cutting covenant," was common. A COVENANT WAS AN ALL-ENCOMPASSING AGREEMENT between two parties.
The closest comparison to it in our modern culture is marriage. But with the current prevalence of divorce, even marriage doesn’t compare. Once a person entered into a covenant in the ancient Middle Eastern world, specifically the blood covenant, HE OR SHE COULD NOT BE RELEASED FROM IT.
In the culture of Abram IT WAS COMMON FOR TRIBAL CHIEFS OR HEADS OF CITY-STATES TO ENTER INTO COVENANTS OR ALLIANCES WITH ONE ANOTHER. So when God wanted to communicate to humanity, He used the covenant, because IT WAS A VEHICLE THAT THE PEOPLE WOULD IMMEDIATELY understand.
God Wanted to Show His Love
After the fall of Adam and Eve, and at the time of Abram, creation had gone awry. Put simply: people continued to sin against God. "Making covenant" would be a way God could demonstrate His love for humanity and His deep desire to have fellowship with individuals. Entering into covenant was a language that the people of Abram’s culture would understand.
The covenant-making ceremony was an agreement between two parties that was made publicly. In fact, covenants were usually made at the gates of the city, or in open fields before a crowd of witnesses.
==> Why would God use such a unusual, human-comprehended, ritual? Simple, really. God loved Adam and Eve. God loved His people. God desired to give His people a perpetual promise to show His love, and to give them hope. OUR GOD IS A LOVING, CARING, GIVING GOD!
STEPS OF MAKING COVENANT
Introduction
"Making covenant" involved TEN steps. Let’s look at their significance.
Step 1: Exchange of Robes
Step one of the covenant-making ceremony was THE EXCHANGE OF ROBES. This represented AN EXCHANGE OF IDENTITY.
The two parties would take their outer garments and exchange them. Let’s say that Tom and Bill "make covenant." They exchange outer garments.
If someone saw one of the partners from a distance, he or she might say, "Here comes Bill. But wait--he doesn’t walk like Bill; he’s not built like Bill. But isn’t that Bill’s robe he’s wearing?"
==> The exchange of robes represents a confusion of identity
Step 2: Exchange of Belts
The second step was THE EXCHANGE OF BELTS. This represented AN EXCHANGE OF STRENGTH.
The covenant partners would literally trade belts. These belts were larger than we wear today and were the place from which military gear was hung.
Exchanging them symbolized the sharing of strengths or assets. If we exchanged belts, my covenant partner would be saying to me, "Neal, everything I bring to this relationship is now yours. And everything you have is now mine. Our strengths and our assets are now combined."
==> Think about this. When God made a covenant with Abram, God was saying, "When they see you, they will see Me; and My strength will be yours."
Step 3: Exchange of Weapons
The third step in the covenant-making ceremony was THE EXCHANGE OF WEAPONS that hung on the belt. This would symbolize AN EXCHANGE OF ENEMIES.
My covenant partner would be saying, "Neal, if anybody comes against you, he or she is going to have to get by me first, because we’re now partners, and my task is to protect you." I would be his protector as well.
In truth, isn’t this what loyal friends naturally do? It is. But now, in the unbreakable covenant, the two parties become as one. Again, the marriage covenant of today is the closest thing we have to this. The two become one.
Step 4: Blood Sacrifice
The fourth step was THE SACRIFICE OF AN ANIMAL or several animals. The animal must be cut. The sacrifice of the animal is why we term this kind of covenant the blood covenant.
Before this exchange with Abram, God had made other covenants with mankind, namely...
* The Edenic covenant: (Mankind would rule over the earth)
* The Adamic covenant: (Eve’s son would eventually prevail)
* The Noahic covenant: (Noah would start the human race over again, and God would not destroy it until the end).
==> Then came the Abrahamic covenant; it is the most significant to believers today. Why? Well, the three major reasons are...
1. It is the blood covenant. So it will never be broken, and it surely will come to pass.
2. It is an everlasting covenant, forever and ever. You and I can count on it to exist forever and ever, (see Genesis 17:7).
3. God made the covenant to Abraham and to all of Abraham’s descendents. And we Christians are Abraham’s descendants!
For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith...Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith OF ABRAHAM; WHO IS THE FATHER OF US ALL...SO THEN THEY WHICH BE OF FAITH ARE BLESSED WITH FAITHFUL ABRAHAM. (Romans 4:13, 16; Galatians 3:9)
Back to the details. God’s covenant with Abram was a blood covenant. And every time a blood covenant was made, a sacrifice was needed. LIFE MUST BE GIVEN, AND BLOOD MUST BE SHED.
When God asked Abram to get a heifer, Abram did not say, "A heifer? God, you want me to get You a beef? I wanted a contract! What about my land You promised?" No. Abram knew that the heifer was a contract--an irrevocable contract.
==> This covenant with Abraham, (God changed Abram’s name to Abraham in Genesis 17:5), was the beginning covenant which was ultimately and infinitely fulfilled with the sacrifice of His Son and our Lord, Christ Jesus.
Step 5: Walk of Death
The fifth step was THE WALK OF DEATH. Normally a heifer would be laid on its back and sliced down the underside of its belly. Its legs would then be folded out so that the animal was completely flat on the ground.
Abram did this with the heifer, the goat, and the ram. He cut them in two, and laid each half opposite the other, (see Genesis 15:10).
At this point in the ceremony the covenant partners stood facing each other in an open field. The animal lay cut open between them.
Then the partners literally walked through the mass of blood. One would walk through and come back on the left side. The other would walk through, turning toward the right. Together they patterned a figure eight.
Remember, this ritual of "making covenant" was somewhat common in those days between men. I suppose that’s why the Bible doesn’t go into every detail. Today, if I said that two men entered into a contract, you would naturally know that words were written on paper, the two men signed their names on the paper, and they shook hands. Further, the contract would be notarized by an independent third party. All I said was, "Two men entered into a contract," and you knew what happened.
==> In Scripture, when it says "he cut the animals," and then "an horror of great darkness fell upon Abram," it is enough to know that GOD AND ABRAM HAD WENT THROUGH THE WALK OF DEATH TOGETHER.
Step 6: Mark on the Body
The sixth step in the covenant-making ceremony was a mark placed on the body in the old culture, it was the "STRIKING OF HANDS."
In the Hebrew culture the hand includes what we would call the wrist. The covenant partners made an incision on their wrists, and the two would then put their wrists together, mingling their blood in what is called "the striking of hands."
Some primitive cultures still practice this, taking an abrasive substance like gunpowder and rubbing it in to darken the area under the skin and make the wound more pronounced so that there is a permanent mark on the body.
Some traditions say that the modern custom of waving our hand in greeting originates from the practice of raising hands in such a way to reveal the covenant mark. By doing so, one person let another know that he or she had a covenant partner. This suggests that the origin of the handclasp, as in the SHAKING OF HANDS, comes from the cutting of a covenant.
The two individuals would clasp hands as the blood from their freshly cut wrists flowed together. The covenant mark on the wrists or palms might be what is referred to in Isaiah 49:16, in which God states, "I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands."
Step 7: Pronouncement of Blessings and Curses
The seventh step in covenant making was THE PRONOUNCEMENTS OF BLESSINGS AND CURSES. This occurred in the presence of the witnesses after cutting the heifer, walking through the pieces, and striking the hands.
At this point in the ceremony the partners faced one another, and each said these words: "SO LONG AS YOU KEEP THE TERMS OF THIS COVENANT, blessed shall you be when you go out and when you come in. Blessed shall you be when you rise up and when you lay down. Blessed shall be your wife, blessed shall be your children, blessed shall be all that you put your hands to."
Because the culture revolved around an agrarian or agricultural economy, he would also say, "Blessed shall be your oxen, your donkeys, your fields, and the produce of your fields."
After a pause, he’d say: "BUT IF YOU VIOLATE THE TERMS OF THIS COVENANT, cursed shall you be when you rise up and lay down. Cursed shall be your wife, your children. Cursed shall be your oxen, your donkeys, your land."
==> And on and on he would go. When he had ended, his partner would pronounce the same blessings and curses. THESE PRONOUNCEMENTS SIGNIFIED THAT TWO PEOPLE WERE ENTERING INTO ONENESS.
Step 8: Covenant Meal
The eighth step was THE COVENANT MEAL. The covenant partners sat at a table before the witnesses and shared a meal.
But the partners didn’t begin by feeding themselves. They fed each other the first few bites, saying something like this: "As you are ingesting this food, you are ingesting me; you are taking me into your life." When a bride and a groom feed each other cake today, the act is symbolic of the covenant-making ceremony.
This brings to mind Jesus’ words that turned away so many followers:
Then Jesus said unto them, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
"For My flesh is meat indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He that eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.
"As the living Father hath sent Me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth Me, even he shall live by Me." (John 6:53-57)
==> Friends, God entered into a covenant with Abraham, an everlasting covenant. And THROUGH CHRIST JESUS, GOD HAS ENTERED INTO A COVENANT WITH YOU! If you agree to abide by the covenant, then...
* God’s identity becomes your identity
* God’s strength becomes your strength
* God’s weapons become your weapons
* Your enemies would become God’s enemies, and,
* God’s pronouncements of blessings and curses apply to you, too.
==> NOTE WELL: THE COVENANT MEAL IS YOUR SIGNATURE OF ACCEPTANCE.
Step 9: Exchange of Names
The ninth step in the covenant-making ceremony is THE EXCHANGE OF NAMES.
The partners once again stood facing each other in the open field. Let’s suppose I was making a covenant with someone named Bob Smith. I would say, "Bob, in order to let my enemies know who my covenant partner is, I will take your name and put it in the middle of mine. No longer will I be known simply as Neal Gray. From this moment I will be known as Neal Smith Gray."
And my covenant partner, Bob Smith, would say, "My name from this moment on will be Bob Gray Smith, so that every time my name is pronounced it tells all the people who my covenant partner is."
This name change is precisely what occurred when God made covenant with Abram. The man’s name changed from Abram to AbrAHam. The two letters that are added are "AH," which come from Yahweh (YAH-way), the name of God that appears approximately 6,800 times in the Old Testament. It is spelled in Hebrew, YHWH. We pronounce it "Jehovah."
While reading your Old Testament, when you see "Lord," spelled with all capitals, this is God’s name, "Yahweh."
God doesn’t stop there. True to "making covenant," GOD TAKES ABRAHAM’S NAME, too. From this point on, He calls Himself "the God of Abraham."
CONCLUSION
God and Abraham are Now Eternally Inseparable
The blood covenant is almost complete. When it is complete, then these two--God and Abraham--will be eternally inseparable.
ONLY ONE MORE STEP TO GO, one more thing for Abraham to do.
Step 10: In the Next Sermon
That tenth step in "making covenant" is A VERY IMPORTANT ONE. It is such a big step, that you will have to hear about it in another sermon message!
Stay tuned!
Come back next Sunday morning!
Details at eleven!
For now, you are dismissed!
Credits
Adapted from information found in a very good little book titled, "The Covenant," by James L. Garlow.
AMEN.
SOME EXTRA NOTES
Introduction
Here are just a few more interesting notes to look at.
God Also Recognized Sarah
When God enters into a covenant, He does it all the way; with excellence, with completeness. So, recognizing the marriage covenant between Abram and Sarai--that the two become one--God also exchanged names with Sarai. He put the "H" from His name into Abraham’s name and also changed Sarai’s name to "Sarah."
God is the Breath of Life
The Hebrew letter "H" is the sound of breath, generally signifying the breath or presence of God!
In Genesis chapter one, we read about the creation of man and woman. When God made Adam from the dust, the first man was merely a body. What made Adam live? The breath of God.
We see the same concept in the New Testament. The Holy Spirit is called the "Holy Pneuma" in Greek. Pneuma means wind. Literally it means "the Holy puff of breath of God."
We can see the significance of the letter that symbolizes breath being put in the middle of Abram’s name as a symbol that God is his covenant partner. Abram becomes AbrAHam. In fact, the relationship is so meaningful that the author of 2 Chronicles, when talking to God, calls this man, "Abraham Thy friend," (2 Chronicles 20:7). God refers to Abraham as "My friend" in Isaiah 41:8, and James calls him "the friend of God" (James 2:23).
AMEN.
SERMON NOTES
1. Step One: The _________ of ______ . This represented an exchange of __________ .
2. Step Two: The _________ of ______ . This represented an exchange of __________ .
3. Step Three: The _________ of ________ . This represented an exchange of __________ .
4. Step Four: The _________ sacrifice.
5. Step Five: The ______ of death.
6. Step Six: The "striking" of _______ , which is a mark on the body. This is probably the origin of our shaking _______ today.
7. Step Seven: The pronouncements of _______ and _______ . They signify your _______ .
8. Step Eight: The covenant ______ ; your _____________ of acceptance.
9. Step Nine: The _________ of ______ .
* God’s "name" is Yahweh, spelled YHWH.
* Abram became _ _ _ AH _ _ .
* Sarai became _ _ _ _ H .
* They took part of God’s name, and God is now known as, "the God of Abraham."
* The Hebrew letter, "H", is the sound of _______ .
1 0. Step Ten: Next ________ !
AMEN.
-----------------------------------------------
| Copyright 2002
| Practical Holiness Ministry (r)
| "BRINGING PRACTICAL IDEAS TO
| THE CHRISTIAN LIFE." (tm)
|
| You may reprint or publish or hopefully preach
| this material as long as it is not-for-profit,
| except that it may profit one’s soul,
| (see Mark 8:36).
|
| Dr. Neal Gray is the Senior Pastor of the
| Baltimore Parkville Church of the Nazarene.
| 8510 Fowler Ave -- Baltimore, Maryland 21234
|
| You can reach Dr. Gray by e-mail at:
| mailto:drngray@earthlink.net
|
| Also, please visit the church’s website:
| http://www.ForMinistry.com/21234BPCOTN
|
| LEARNING. MENTORING. SERVING. (tm)
| 2 Pet. 3:18 - 2 Tim. 2:2 - Matt. 20:26-28
|
| All Scripture is the King James Version.
| Used with God’s blessed permission.
-----------------------------------------------
------------- FREE SUBSCRIPTION ---------------
| Receive our Sermon Messages each week at your
| e-mail address! Send a brief e-mail message to:
|
| mailto:practicalholiness@earthlink.net
|
| Simply indicate that you wish to receive the
| sermon messages. You will receive only the
| sermon messages--nothing else, ever. And your
| name is not given to anyone. Godspeed to you.
-----------------------------------------------
