Blood Covenant

Read Exodus 24:1-8

The Hebrew word for covenant, (ber-eeth) means ‘to eat’ or ‘to cut’. This involved eating a sacrificial meal
and the cutting of the flesh of an animal or the shedding of its blood. The Hebrew word (Khaw-bar) means ‘to
join’ or ‘to have fellowship with’. This comes from an ancient Semitic word where the Arab and Nomad people
became blood brothers by cutting their wrists of the hand, the blood ran into a cup and was mixed with wine
and drank, signifying a ‘blood covenant’.

Isaiah 49:16   “Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.”

John 20:27  “Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.”

Jesus bears the scars or mark of the covenant in his hands. These were holes in his hands and feet where the
nails were driven. His blood ran from his body so it did not clot. But in ancient times they cut the palm or
wrist to cut the covenant.

Isaiah 62:8  “The LORD hath sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength,  Surely I will no more give

thy corn to me meat for thine enemies; and the sons of the stranger shall not drink thy wine, for the which thou hast laboured.”

Many times in a covenant they would raise their right arms as a sign of an oath. This oath was the sealing
of the covenant.

Questions about the reading:

What did Moses build early in the morning?

What did the children of Israel offer on the altar?

What did Moses do with the blood?

What did Moses do with the book of the covenant?

What did the people say after the reading?

What did Moses do with the blood next?

Hebrews 9:22   “And without the shedding of blood is no remission.”

As you may have noticed in the first part of this chapter, all covenants have several features.
First you have the terms of agreement: This is what I expect from you – This is what you can expect from me.

Genesis 17:1-2, 5-6 and 11-12.   “And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared unto Abram and said unto him,

I am the Almighty God:  walk before me and be thou perfect.  And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly…

Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.  And I will make

thee exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.  And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and

it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.  And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your

generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed.”

The circumcision was a verification and testimony that you were in agreement with God and were in covenant with Him.
That circumcision was the mark of the covenant. In the New Testament, the agreement is by circumcision of the heart
and our agreeing with the Word of God by repentance of sin and being baptized which represents the sealing of the blood.
In the Old Testament it was done through animal sacrifice. Remember God would not let Moses go down to Egypt without
putting his sons under the covenant, especially his firstborn as all the first born of Egypt would die. This covenant
was passed on from Abraham to Isaac and then to Jacob.

Covenant Breaking

Read Exodus Chapter 32 and Leviticus Chapter 26.

Even though God has done all the he promised to Abraham, the minute they get along in the wilderness the children of Israel make a calf
to worship instead of God.  When God threatens to kill them, Moses reminds God of his covenant.  Once the covenant was broken by Israel, God
was no longer under any obligation and yet He does what Moses says because Moses is still under the covenant (becomes an intercessor as 
Jesus Christ was for us).  God remains faithful to the covenant even though it is broken by the children of Israel.