what does it mean to be in covenant with someone? in this western culture, the idea of a covenant is vague. a blood covenant isnt really even part of western thought. but a covenant is a binding tie that unites two parties in a matter, with serious consequences for breaking it. if the covenant is cut in blood, its all the more binding. usually for life.
remember the 'blood brothers' or 'blood sisters' pacts we made as children? we would each prick a finger to get blood, and then press our fingers together to mingle that blood, and make pledges and promises that were intended at the time to last forever. or at least until the need for the pact no longer existed. they were very solemn and deep things, these pacts we made in this way. ever wonder where the idea came from?
consider most marriage ceremonies. there may not be blood in these modern days, but there is a meal, wine and cake, and the joining of names. families become joined, not just the two individuals. there are the pledges and promises, and the rings symbolising joining and eternity. where does the element of the meal come from?
in ancient days, God made covenant with man. He made a blood covenant with abram, with large animals cut in half, and all their blood poured out onto a path between their severed parts. blood covenants back then were made like this between two tribes - one skilled in warfare, the other strong in farming or agriculture or building. two representatives of both tribes were selected to walk the path of blood, and sware to each other an oath of faithfulness to the other, and pledge all their strengths, possesions, and resources to the other. there was a meal shared by both tribes, and often a joining of names. there was also a penalty, usually of death, to whoever broke the covenant. this whole concept was given to man by God, with Whom man walked early on, before we so conveniently drifted away. so it was that man understood the nature of a covenant. and when God brought abram out of chaldea, and promised him a son, and promied to make him the father of many nations, that He sealed the deal with a blood covenant.
there was one difference with the making of this covenant however. God put abram into a sleep, after he had gotten the animals, and cut them in half from head to tail (no small job that!), poured out their blood along the path between the parts, and sat waiting to see what God would do. then God walked the path between the parts, as a smoking furnace and a burning lamp. these two things passed between the parts, and God swore an oath to abram. this sealed the deal. abram had already believed the promise God had made that he would have an heir. but God sealed it with a blood oath, promising his son would come from his own loins, even though he was now 99 years old, and sarah was 90.
the promises that God made to abram that night concerned not only the child he would have, but the seed that would come from that line, who would be the Son of Man. the Word made Flesh. and the salvation that would become available to us through His death and resurrection - the new covenant in His blood. that salvation comes with way more than just deliverence from sin and entrance to heaven. it comes with protection from danger and enemies, healing, prosperity, and authority. in short, all of Gods resources were made available to whosoever would accept the gift of salvation and enter into covenant with Him. and its been sealed in blood.
i will testify that it is real. i have walked with God, through Jesus, for over thirty years now. i have never seen His word fail, or His promise break, in all that time. never.
thats whay i am, and always will be, a covenant woman.
1 month ago