Understanding Blood covenant Margaret 29th October 2006

I have been teaching for six weeks, taking about 10 hours about Blood Covenant and we have examined all the covenants that God made with men as well as some of those that man made with men right back in history in all ancient civilisations

I cannot possibly impart six weeks teaching to you in 30 minutes you need to get the CD’s which will cost you £10

Blood covenant has existed as far back as the beginning of history and is the most sacred and serious form of agreement between two parties and when broken carries the most serious of penalties

God himself made covenant as recorded in the Old Testament with:
Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, the nation of Israel

In the New Testament we have the New Covenant that was made for us by Jesus Christ in his own blood and own body

Covenant carries with it the blessings for keeping it and the curses for breaking it.
To bless means to empower to prosper the curse means to empower to fail.

The covenant rite was such a familiar one the people in the past that many times in the Bible the accounts are incomplete in their descriptions … but everyone knew what happened so it was unnecessary to spell it out.

The most complete rite is recorded as made with Abraham and our covenant comes from him as the father of faith. Abraham met with God and sacrificed three large animals and two birds. The animals were cut completely in half and both Abraham and God walked through the pieces.

What a memorable moment when he stood with his robe and his feet covered in blood.

And God made him awesome promises

Abrahams question in Gen 15 when God said that he was going to give him the land and that he would make his descendants as numerous as the sands of the sea and the stars in the sky
“How shall I know?”
The blood covenant was God’s reply

“This is how you will know …I am making you solemn promises backed up by a blood sacrifice which says; “may this happen to me if I break my word.””
Abraham would have been very aware if the power of covenant and it would have settled the issue in his heart.

Both man and God need covenant.

Man because he was without hope and without God is the world without it and God because it was the only way that he could accomplish his will throughout the earth.

Adam, you remember, had given the authority over the earth to Satan. When Adam fell and committed high treason Satan became its legal ruler. God as he made covenant with men was enabled first of all to make agreements with men and then later with a nation, Israel. Through whom he could bring his promised seed…

The future he promised Satan -
“It shall bruise your head but you will bruise His heel”
This would be The Messiah, the Son of God, the one whom we know as Jesus Christ, the anointed one, whom God sent to make not just an earthly covenant but an eternal covenant with man

Covenant is made by:
• Two people coming together in a place usually where they could be seen and witnessed. ..Calvary
• Sometimes representatives of both parties did it,
• Sometimes there was a mediator(Jesus is ours)
• Usually a weaker individual and a stronger person entered into covenant (no guesses as to who is the stronger us or God)

They did this by…

• Exchanging coats and robes
Signifying an exchange of identity, and a commitment to fight each others battles, protect each other
The Divine exchange …my sin for his righteousness etc
2 Cor 5. 17 new identity
• Exchanging armour

Ephesians 6 Put on the whole armour of God
Luke 10.19 authority
Is 54. 17 I will come against those who come against you

• Cutting themselves and drinking the blood or drinking wine that the blood had been dripped into, or they clasped hands and mingled their blood

Creating unity…. Now we are one...one blood
Jesus made the covenant on our behalf as a man and as the son of God He was the mediator and he was the sacrificial lamb
His eight wounds….
Luke 22.44
John 19 2
Luke 23 33
Luke 23 44-46
John 19 34

• Then they would raise their right arms He lifted up his arm on the cross
(1 Tim 2 8 Lift up holy hands / concerning the work of my hands command ye me. We are not commanding God we are declaring the term of our covenant)
• and swear oaths/promises
• ( 2 Peter 1 by which has been given to us great and precious promises )
• they would utter blessings and curses and state the terms of the agreement

This is what I will do and if I do not, I will pay the penalty.
NB Jesus already paid our penalty for our breaking it
Gal 3.13 …cursed is everyone who hangs on the tree
There is no longer a curse on us for breaking it.
This is why it says:
”All the promises of God are Yea and Amen in Christ “

We enter this covenant through the death of the cross and the declaration of our terms of entry.
Romans 6. 3-13
We demonstrate our entry into the covenant and mutual death by baptism
You died Jesus... Now I die …You rose… now I rise
You surrendered your life now I surrender mine
Gal 2.20
I have been crucified with Christ it is no longer I that live but Christ that lives in me
Romans 10.9
Confess with mouth and believe in heart

• They exchanged names

They became family Christ is in our name he called himself the son of man
He gave us his name “In the name of Jesus”

• They made a scar where the incision was so it could be seen for ever

That mark distinguished them as joined for ever
E. g. Abraham: Circumcision. Wounds of Christ, circumcision of our hearts
The Holy Spirit in us is the seal of the covenant..The down payment assuring us that all the rest will follow

• They ate a memorial meal

Fellowship was now established. .e.g. communion

• Planted a memorial tree

Another remembrance, this time remembrance of the place it was made. The cross.

Witnessing the covenant

Acts 1.8 You will be my witnesses and when we speak out for him …He will act in response with his witness
Mark 16.. Preach gospel lay hand on the sick and he heals them

The nature of Covenant:
• It was very serious
• it was utterly unbreakable
• It demanded total unswerving loyalty
• Sacrificial Love ( chesed…loving kindness, mercy, AGAPE)
• personal involvement beyond the rule of law
• faithfulness I will be faithful even if you are not
• it is sacred

The Bible is full of covenant terminology Once you understand it you se it on every page

Friend, remember, loving- kindness,
Covenant is all about
Protection
Friendship
Relationship
Oneness
Shared identity and resources
Equality
Love and devotion
It’s generational

How do we maintain our covenant with God?

Horizontally and vertically

Clues in the instructions for communion in 1 Cor 11 23-26

Understand the agreement and judge yourself of breaking it

Known sin against God or man (unforgiveness, unbelief, )

Our covenant is with God but it also includes each other
(“If you have done it to the least of these you have done it unto me”)

So
• Walk in the light , confess your sin ( 1 John 1: 7 )
• Walk in the Spirit( Gal 5.25)
• Walk in love ( 1 John 4 7-11)
• Abide in him( John 4 15)

Margaret Cornell