(2) The Blood Covenant Week

The Blood Covenant Week 2

THE BLOOD COVENANT/THE ANCIENT HEBREW RITUAL

The Hebrews had a ritual common to the time and was similar to the rituals of other Semitic peoples, as man understood from the time of Noah that the blood sacrifice was important, though most people had forgotten the spiritual significance.  God, however remembers His covenants and called to a man named Abram to enter into covenant with him.(Genesis 15:1-21)

Before we visit Abram, let’s examine the Blood Covenant in detail as it was practiced in Hebrew and Semitic cultures.

THE NINE STEP RITUAL OF COVENANT

When two Hebrew males entered into a blood covenant they followed a very specific ceremony of nine steps.

STEP 1.  TAKE OFF COAT OR ROBE (1 Samuel 18:1-4)

To the Hebrews in a blood covenant ritual, a person’s robe represents the person. By taking off my robe and giving it to you I’m symbolically saying “I’m giving you all myself. My total being and my life I pledge to you.”(Rev. 3:5;2 Corth 5:21)

STEP 2. TAKE OFF BELT  (1 SAMUEL 18:1-4)

The belt does not hold up my pants in those days, it is how I carry and hold my weapons, it holds my armor together. So symbolically I’m giving you all my strength and pledging you all my support and protection.  I’m saying “Here is my strength and all my ability to fight. If anybody attacks you, they are also attacking me. Your battles are my battles and mine are yours. I will fight with you and help defend you. I will protect you."(Eph 6:14; Psalm 91: 14-16)

STEP 3. CUT THE COVENANT (Genesis 15:1-9; Jer.34:18-19)

The next step is to actually “cut the covenant” by taking an animal and splitting it right down the middle. In the Bible, an animal is only cut down the middle and split in two in a covenant ceremony.

After we split the animal, we lay each half to the side of us and we stand between the two bloody halves of flesh, with our backs to each other. Then we walk right through the bloody halves, making a figure eight, and come back to a stop facing each other.

In doing so we are saying two things: First, we are saying that we are dying to ourselves, giving up the rights to our own life and beginning a new walk with our covenant partner unto death. You see, in this covenant, each half of the dead animal represents us. And Second, since the blood covenant is the most solemn pact, we each point down to the bloody animal and say “God do so to me and more if I ever try to break this covenant. Just split me right down the middle and feed me to the vultures because I tried to break the most sacred of all compacts.”

STEP 4. RAISE THE RIGHT ARM AND MIX BLOOD (Isaiah 62:8)

Then we raise our right arms, cut our palms and bring them together. As we do, our blood intermingles. We then swear allegiance to each other.

As our blood intermingles, we believe our lives are intermingling and becoming one life. This is because our blood is our life. (Deut. 12:23)

The two of us have become one.

STEP 5. EXCHANGE NAMES (Gen.17:5,15; Ex.3:6; Mt.22:32; Rev. 2:17))

As our blood intermingles we exchange names. I take your name and you take my last name as part of your name.

STEP 6. MAKE A SCAR (Isa. 49:16)

The next step is to rub our blood together and make a scar as a permanent testimony to the Covenant.

The scar will bear witness to the covenant we have made. It will always be there to remind us of our covenant responsibilities to each other. It is the guarantee of our covenant. (Gen 17:11; Jn 20:27)

The scar reminds our enemies that we are not alone, we have a covenant partner who will fight for us in any time of need. (Tell story of Henry Stanley who cut 50 covenants in Africa as an example.)

STEP 7. GIVE COVENANT TERMS (Gen 9:12-17; 15:18-21;17:13 ;Pslm 89:3-4; Jer. 31:33-34; Luke 22:19-20)

Then we stand before witnesses and give the terms of the covenant. I say “All my assets are yours, all my money, property and possessions are yours. If you need them, don’t ask just come, there are yours. If I die, all my children are yours by adoption and you are responsible for my family.

But, all my liabilities are yours, also. I don’t have to beg, I just come and receive the help I need. We are in covenant.  We then, before witnesses, list our assets and liabilities.

STEP 8. EAT A MEMORIAL MEAL (Gen.31:44-55; Luke 22:14-20;1 Corth 11:23-26)

Then we eat a memorial meal to complete the covenant union. In place of the animal and blood we have bread and wine. The bread represents our flesh, the wine the blood.

We take a loaf of bread and break it into two and feed it to each other saying; “This is symbolic of my body and I’m now putting it into you.” Then we serve each other wine and say “This is symbolic of my lifeblood which is now your blood.”(John 6:53-57)

So now, symbolically, I’m in you and you are in me. I have a new nature, yours.

STEP 9. PLANT A MEMORIAL (Gen 21:27-33)

We now leave a memorial to the covenant. We do this by planting a tree that we have sprinkled with the blood of the animal. The blood sprinkled tree, along with our scar will always be a testimony to our covenant.(Col. 1:20)

This completes the ceremony as it was done in biblical times.

IDENTIFYING THE COVENANT

From now on when we see these happenings or these terms referenced in the Bible, either actually or symbolically, you know the parties are entering into a blood covenant. You won’t always find all the details spelled out step by step, because in Hebrew culture, everyone knew the ritual and it was not necessary to spell it out continually.

Now that we are familiar with the lingo you can recognize it as you read and see how it is applied in all the Scriptures, in fact it is foundational to our understanding of much of the New Testament and the life and person of our Lord.

Next week; ABRAM and God’s blood covenant with him, and by extension with us through the Messiah.