We have a covenant with God through the Lord Jesus Christ. This covenant is an oath, a promise that God made with us and literally “used” Jesus as the sacrifice to seal this covenant. Everything that we need in life to be successful was and is promised within this covenant. Because society and people have changed so radically over that last 2000 years, it is impossible to know and understand the significance of this covenant without studying it’s history. The closest I can come to compare what we know as covenant today to the covenant God made with us is the example of “contracts”. We now use “contracts” to make promises to each other. They have consequences if the contract is broken, just like covenants did in Bible times. If you sign a contract, it is a legal and binding document. It is usually brokered by an attorney and certain stipulations are agreed upon by both parties. Once the agreement is decided, the attorney puts it in writing and both parties sign their name and a witness is also present to attest that both parties did sign the agreement. The terms each party agrees to is specifically stated. There is also a portion of the contract that addresses the conditions that the contract may be broken. In addition, there is usually a statement that spells out the consequences for breaking the contract. Sometimes the consequences are monetary, a penalty of a certain amount of money and usually with interest added. Other consequences might include restitution in some form, incarceration and or fines and penalties as a court of law would establish.
Let me now explain how a covenant or a “contract” was established in Bible times. Families during this time were usually large. Sometimes their families were referred to as “tribes”, meaning that the family was so large that each son and his family would be known as a “tribe” and would actually carry the name of that son. If you recall, the Bible often refers to the tribes of Israel. There were twelve tribes and were all sons or grandsons of Jacob, which eventually became known as Israel. Each of his son’s had a family named after him and became known as a “tribe”. Example: Reuben, Simeon, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Benjamin, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Ephraim and Manasseh.
Covenants were often established so that a family, tribe or large area of peoples could/would provide a staple that they were known for producing in exchange for another staple or provision that they were not able to provide but could be obtained by another tribe/family area of peoples. An example would be a family/tribe in a southern region of land might exchange wheat and produce for herds such as sheep and goats from a family/tribe located in the northern region of that same land. Often tribes would enter into covenant to provide protection because they were particularly known for their strength and ability to obtain metal and other materials to make weapons. Their protection and loyalty in times of battle/war would be offered in exchange for food and or clothing. Once the tribes agreed on the exchange, a representative from each tribe would go to a rather large valley that would allow all the members of each tribe to stand atop the valley ridge and have full view of each representative and the ceremony to take place. Each representative would state their part of the covenant (what they pledged to provide to the other tribe). Three large animals were sacrificed. Their carcasses were split down the spine and placed on the ground opposite of each other. It produced a trail of blood that they called “the way of blood”. At the beginning of the ceremony the two representatives exchanged their coats. This signified their exchange of each representative’s authority. Then they exchanged weapons, meaning, “my strength is now your strength and your enemies, my enemies.” Each representative would then walk twice through “the way of blood”. They would stop in the center and pronounce their pledges of loyalty and promises to each other that could never be broken. This pronouncement was called “the blessing of the covenant”. This covenant was an everlasting covenant between these tribes/families. A curse was also pronounced at this time. The curse was the penalty for breaking the terms of the covenant. They swore by their God, making him third party to the covenant. Then each tribe representative would then make a cut either in the thick part of the palm or somewhere around the wrist. As the blood would flow from each representative, they would place the area cut against the cut of the opposite representative. They would bind their hands together with some kind of fabric or twine. The blood of each would mingle with the other. As their palms/wrist were bound together, they would raise their bound hands in the air so that all the tribe members of each could see that they had indeed pledged a covenant. The terms were agreed upon before hand as well as the consequences for breaking the covenant. It was most often agreed that if anyone broke the covenant, even after five generations, the tribe that suffered the breaking of the covenant (tribe that did not receive what was pledged) was able to take the life of the one that broke the covenant and there would be no punishment for doing so. It was understood that the one that broke the covenant, would be cut in half as they had done to the three animals split at the covenant. It was understood between all members of the tribe/family this was the consequence for breaking the covenant. These two families actually became one through this covenant. The weakness of one family was made strong by the strength in that area of the other family. Making such a covenant and the ritual solidifying the covenant was a very grave and somber occasion. It was very serious. The head of each tribe clearly defined the covenant and terms to each member before making the covenant and was constantly being reiterated after the covenant was made. Their very life depended on the success of the covenant. Many times their families joined their names. After the ceremony,, they ate a covenant meal of bread and wine together. The bread signified their flesh and the wine, their blood. The meal represented their willingness and commitment to lay down their lives for each other.
These days, this type of ritual is unheard of. And also, our honor and loyalty is not taken as seriously as was then. People think nothing of breaking their promises. Our word is not our bond as it use to be. If we decide we don’t want to fulfill our promise or contract, we simply say so. We find “loop holes” as to get out of our commitments. Look at the divorce rate and you will see my statements confirmed. If you’re unhappy, just bail. People do this with their jobs, marriages, car loans, debt, etc. We no longer value commitments and promises as people did in Bible times. Because of this, we don’t truly understand the significance of the covenant we have with God through Jesus Christ.
When we read stories of great people in the Old Testament, we don’t realize how significant they viewed their covenant with God. It was the strength and courage behind that covenant that enabled them to accomplish great things. David was such a person. He credited his covenant with God as the power behind his ability to do things like kill lions and Goliath, the giant. If you remember David called Goliath an “uncircumcised Philistine”. What did this mean? What was David talking about? David knew that God’s covenant was with His people that were circumcised. Circumcision in those days was a physical mark that that person was in covenant with God. Instead of the ritual I described earlier between the two tribe representatives, each male was circumcised at an appointed time and was a reminder that they were in covenant with God. David was saying to Goliath, “because you are uncircumcised, you have no covenant with my God.” But David DID have a covenant, and the knowledge of that Covenant gave him great courage.
In Hebrews we read that we have a better covenant than David had. We have even better promises in our covenant. But to realize just how much better they are I want to tell you about the Old Covenant.
God established a covenant long before David was born. He made a covenant with Abram. This was Abraham’s name before the covenant. God promised to make Abram a father of many nations. He promised to make him wealthy, give him lots of land as an inheritance so that his descendants could live in peace on it. Deuteronomy 28 spells out the specific promises God made to Abraham. In Genesis 15 you can read about how God made a blood covenant with Abram. God did this to convince Abram that he meant what he said. Now remember what I described earlier about covenants. People took these VERY seriously! In vs. 9-10 God told Abram to get a n heifer, goat, ram, turtledove and pigeon. He told him to divide them in half (cut them in half length wise) and lay each piece against the other. The birds were laid out whole and not divided. Remember, a blood covenant signified an absolute and unbreakable guarantee of a man’s word. It was often referred to as “cutting the covenant”.
By engaging in this type covenant, Abram could understand and relate to it. God was establishing a relationship with him that could not be broken without penalty of death. God was saying to Abram, if I don’t make good on my promises, you can do to me what you’ve done to these animals. God wanted Abram to know how serious he was about these promises. God wanted Abram to know this was an everlasting covenant, from generation to generation…..just like all other blood covenants in those days. God wanted Abram to know without a doubt, that He loved him and would care for him and would exchange Abram’s weakness for God’s strength, God’s authority with Abram. Romans 4:21 says “1 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.” Abram became FULLY PERSUADED that God was able to do what He promised! God even changed his name to Abraham, which means father of many nations. Abraham was so convinced of this promise that when God asked him to sacrifice Isaac, Abraham was willing to do so. He knew if he actually had to do that, that God would raise him from the dead. Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. Genesis 22:5 And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.
Abraham spoke in advance that he and Isaac WOULD return from making their sacrifice. What great faith he had. But he had a covenant with God and that covenant was enabling him to use great faith. Hebrews 11:17-19 says that by faith, Abraham had already received Isaac raised from the dead. Abraham knew that God would do whatever it took to keep their covenant.
When Abraham laid his son down on that alter of sacrifice, he opened the way for God…his covenant partner, to do the same thing with His only Son, Jesus. He would sacrifice Jesus many years later on the cross. Galatians 3:16 says that while God was binding Himself in covenant to Abraham on earth, He was also making covenant with Jesus in heaven. “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.” This covenant wasn’t just between God and Abraham but God and the Trinity…Jesus, the Son. Galatians 3:29 “And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” We are the generations that God was referring to in his Covenant with Abraham. Romans 8:17 calls us joint heirs with Christ. Through the NEW COVENANT, God has promised to care for us the same way He would love and care for Jesus.
Now the reason our New Covenant is better is because in Deuteronomy 28, you’ll see that these promises are to those who keep the terms of the agreement. You’ll also see that the curse comes to those who break the agreement. This is where our covenant is different and better. We all know we were born sinners and as we progressed through life we chose to sin. Even as Christians we still fail and sin. So we would be considered “breakers of the covenant”. We are unable to adhere to all the terms of the covenant. We are human and we live in flesh and flesh does not always obey God. But thank God, we do not have to face the penalty for breaking the covenant.
Jesus never sinned. From the time he was born until he died, he never sinned. He never broke the terms of the covenant. But when He went to the cross, Jesus bore the curse, he bore the penalty for breaking the covenant. Galatians 3:13-14. “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a cure for us; for it is written, cursed is every one that hangers on a tree: that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith”. Every evil thing that could ever come against you in you life, was placed on Jesus when He went to the cross. He took on all our sin, all our disease and sickness, all of the curse. Jesus completely stripped the devil of his power to harm us and took the entire curse so that we could receive the blessing of Abraham through faith in Jesus. Jesus became that sacrificial lamb…he became what Isaac was to be. He shed his blood like the animals that were split in half when a covenant was established. Jesus became “The way of blood” so that we could have a covenant relationship with God. He was not only our blood sacrifice but also our representative….our Mediator between us and God. Just like the tribes had a representative for their family….an authority figure of that family, Jesus became our representative. We have an advocate with the Father. (1 John 2:1). Jesus was also the covenant meal. John 6:51 “I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world”.
Once you really understand what the covenant is, you can see that God has been communicating it all through His Word. Ephesians 6 is speaking about God exchanging his weapons and armor with us. He makes us strong “in the power of His might”. He has exchanged our weakness for His strength. He took our sin and gave us His robe of righteousness, just as the tribal representative exchanged their coats. We’ve also been given His name. We are actually His body! We are one with Him!!! The greatest thing about this covenant is that it does not depend on our ability to keep it. This covenant no longer carries the curse with it. Christ has freed us from the curse. This covenant is completely based on what Jesus did at the cross. Our part? Just receive Him and believe that He is who He says He is! Accept Him as Lord and Savior. Once we put our trust in Him to forgive our sins, we accept the covenant His sacrifice provided. Then what do we do? We become like Abraham, we become FULLY PERSUADED that God will/has done all that He has promised. We refuse to consider our circumstances like Abraham did. Romans 4:19. “ And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara's womb”. Yes, in the natural, Abraham and Sarah should not be able to have children. In the natural, your disease may be too far progressed. In the natural, your debt may be such you can’t possibly pay it all. In the natural, your relationships may be so broken nothing can restore them. In the natural, coronavirus has no end. In the natural, the things God has spoken to you would be silly if spoken to someone else. GET FULLY PERSUADED!!!! Trust in your covenant with God through the Lord Jesus Christ! Quit LOOKING at your circumstance. 2 Corinthians 4:18. So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever. (NLT). Get your eyes fixed on the covenant. Fix your eyes on the promises. Be like Abraham and DO NOT consider your circumstances, only consider your covenant!! Do like Abraham did…he looked at sand and stars EVERYDAY and NIGHT and was visually reminded of God’s promise. He talked about it…not the circumstances. He thought about the covenant, he visualized the covenant and he spoke the covenant! Get in the Word, study the Word, and meditate on the Word and you too will become FULLY PERSUADED!!!
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