Chapter 5. 3
Blood Covenant
What is the cutting of the Covenant? What’s up with the Blood?
Three Kinds of Covenants; One sided, Two sided
and Self-imposed.
There were Seven recorded Bible covenants; one is
with God and you.
Preparation, Exchange, the Cutting, Sacrifice,
the scars, name change
First
Word
What is a Covenant? It is not just a casual promise or an
agreement or a legal notarized contract, but a binding agreement to death and
beyond. (No termination date)
The word covenant is used over 300 times
in the Bible.
“Covenant” in Hebrew: Berith: Means cutting; walking between two pieces
of animal flesh.
“Covenant” in Greek: Diatheke: A disposition of property; a testament
Every time God speaks it is a Covenant;
God only speaks the truth, it will come to pass.
THREE KINDS OF COVENANTS
One sided Covenant – Nebuchadnezzar
King of Babylon made a treaty with Zedikia
Ezekiel 17:12-18 – EXAMPLE of a King making
a treaty.
12 "Say to
this rebellious house, `Do you not know what these things mean?' Say to them:
`The king of
13 Then he took
a member of the royal family and
MADE A TREATY WITH HIM, PUTTING HIM UNDER OATH.
He also carried
away the leading men of the land,
14 so that the
kingdom would be brought low, unable to rise again, surviving only by keeping
his treaty.
15 But the king
rebelled against him by sending his
envoys to
16 "`As
surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, he shall die in Babylon, in the
land of the king who put him on the throne, whose oath he despised and whose treaty he broke.
17 Pharaoh with
his mighty army and great horde will be of no help to him in war.
18 He despised the oath by BREAKING
THE COVENANT.
Because he had given
his hand in pledge and yet did all
these things, he shall not escape.
NIV
Two sided Covenant -
Two part1es mutually agree to into a life binding covenant.
Malachi 2:14 – EXAMPLE of
the marriage covenant
14 You ask,
"Why?" It is because the LORD is acting as the witness between YOU and the WIFE
of your youth, because you have broken faith with her, though she is your
partner, the wife of your MARRIAGE
COVENANT.
NIV
Self-imposed Covenant –
By God upon Himself
Jeremiah 31:33-34 – EXAMPLE
of God & Israel
33 "This is the COVENANT I will make with the house of Israel after that time," declares the LORD.
I will
put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts.
I will
be their God, and they will be my people.
34 No longer
will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, `Know the LORD,'
because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,
"declares the LORD. "For I will
forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more."
NIV
Seven Recorded Biblical Covenants
The first six recorded
covenants are but shadows or a prelude up to the seventh and final
covenant; the New
Covenant which is Jesus Christ; this
covenant is still in effect today.
Side Bar: Seven
throughout the Bible is the number of perfection and completion. The
Old Covenant required perfection which no man could attain. Only Jesus, with the perfect finished work on
the cross completed the covenant which has no expiration date.
NOTE: The word “oath” can also be taken to mean
“covenant”.
Gen 3:15-21 1
The Adamic Covenant – Between God and Satan – skins cut
The
Sign: Pain in childbirth
15 And I will
put enmity
between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he
will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."
21 The LORD God
made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.
NIV
Gen 9:9-11 2 The
Noahathian Covenant – Between God
and Noah
The
Sign: The
Rainbow
9 "I now establish my covenant with
you and with your descendants after you
10 and with
every living creature that was with you--the birds, the livestock and all the
wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you--every living
creature on earth.
11 I establish my
covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the
waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth."
NIV
Gen 15:5-18
3
The Abrahamic Covenant – Between God and Abraham
The
Sign: The
smoking fire pot and the blazing torch
5 He took him outside and said, "Look up
at the heavens and count the stars--if indeed you can count them."
Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be."
18 On that day the LORD made a
covenant with Abram and said, "To your descendants I give this land,
from the
NIV
Ex 19:5-6 4 Siniatic Covenant – Between
God and the nation Israel on Mount Sinai
The
Sign: The Exodus
5 Now IF
you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my
treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine,
6 you will be for
me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words you
are to speak to the Israelites."
NIV
Num 25:10-13 5
The Levitical Covenant – Between God and the Levitical Priesthood
The
Sign: The Aaronic Priesthood - Levi
10 The LORD said
to Moses,
11 "Phinehas
son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, has turned my anger away from the
Israelites; for he was as zealous as I am for my honor among them, so that in
my zeal I did not put an end to them.
12 Therefore
tell him I
am making my covenant of peace with
him.
13 He and his descendants will
have a covenant of a lasting priesthood, because he was zealous for
the honor of his God and made atonement for the Israelites."
NIV
2
Sam 23:3-7 6 The
Davidic Covenant – David & Descendants on the Throne –The Messiah
The
Sign: David’s
descendants on the throne; the Messiah from his line
3 The God of
4 he is like the
light of morning at sunrise on a cloudless morning, like the brightness after
rain that brings the grass from the earth.'
5 "Is not
my house right with God? Has he not made with me an everlasting covenant,
arranged and secured in every part? Will he not bring to fruition my salvation
and grant me my every desire?
6 But evil men
are all to be cast aside like thorns, which are not gathered with the hand.
7 Whoever
touches thorns uses a tool of iron or the shaft of a spear; they are burned up
where they lie."
NIV
Heb 7:18-22 7
The New Covenant – Between God and Jesus
The
Sign: Christ
resurrection and assertion
18 The former
regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless
19(for the law
made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near
to God.
20 And it was
not without an oath!
Others became priests without any oath,
21 but he became a
priest with an OATH when GOD said to him: "The Lord has
sworn and will not change his mind: `You are a priest forever.'"
22 Because of
this OATH, Jesus has become the guarantee of a better COVENANT.
NIV
Covenant Preparation
The covenant required
preparation of three things.
1)
Prayer: Seeking God and “His will” concerning the covenant.
There is three involved in the covenant; two people plus Go, this is Holy
covenant.
2)
Seeking
Counsel: Concerning
the length, breath and responsibility of this binding; it is a “life commitment”
3)
Setting
the time and place for the Ceremony: Like a wedding you would invite witness,
friends and relatives; the place would become holy ground. The spot would be marked as a reminder of the
covenant that took place before God.[1]
The Exchange - Step one, the coat
Exchange coats: Each of us would
put his coat on the other, this is where the term came from; “You are putting me on!”
In
America we would say “Clothes make the man,” but the Hebrew would say “The clothes are
the man.” When they see you,
they will see me
and vice versa.
Israel loved his son Joseph more than any of the other children and “Put on him”
a long colorful robe with sleeves. This
was symbolic that Jacob now possessed all the inheritance of his father Israel.[2]
When they saw Joseph, they now saw Israel; Joseph was now the boss. The other brothers sought to kill Joseph to
end the covenant so that they would get the father’s inheritance. They brought Joseph’s robe dipped in blood to their father Jacob (Israel). The Covenant made “till death”
had ended.
Ephesians 4:22-24 – You’re PUTTING ME ON
22 You were
taught, with regard to your former way of life, to
PUT OFF YOUR OLD SELF, which is being corrupted
by its
deceitful desires;
23 to be made
new in the attitude of your minds;
24 and to PUT ON THE NEW SELF, created to be
like God
in true righteousness
and holiness.
NIV
The Exchange - Step two, the belt
The next step was to exchange their belt
or girdle which more than likely held
a knife. This represented that all my
weapons of warfare and all my strength and all my family and all my servants
will be by your side to help and defend you.
If they come after you, they are coming after me and vice versa.[3]
The Cutting – Step Three, the sacrifice
The final step was the
“cutting of the
covenant” or the sacrifice. A
lamb was usually sacrificed, but other animals were acceptable. The Lamb was literally cut in half from the
head to the tail - Splitting the animal down the middle was a gory,
unforgettable and blood splattering experience; it gave a new meaning to “hatchet job”.
They would then walk between the two pieces; blood would be on their hands and
feet. This was symbolic; as this animal gave its life, if you broke the
covenant; you would forfeit your own life. [4]
Then they would cut the writs on
their left hand causing blood to flow; then they would join left hands pointing up to
God and with their right hands pointing to
themselves. God you are our
witness to this covenant ceremony, may you do to me what we have done to this
lamb and more if I ever break this covenant.
Then they shook hands up to the wrist to ratify the agreement; their
blood mingles, your
blood is now my blood, your life is now my life.
“Blood is thicker than water:” During
childbirth “Water
flows,” with a Blood covenant you
are more binding and stronger than that of two brothers from
the same mother. “Blood Brothers” are self-imposed, irrevocable and forever. In essence, their culture believed that the
two bodies were now one soul.
Picking up some dirt, they would grind it into the cut causing it to
make a permanent scar, thus doing so; every time you saw the scar you would know
you were bound to each other. The scar
was a SIGN to everyone
that there
was more to you than meets the eye.
Our covenant is with the all sufficient Lord Jesus Christ and there is
more to us than meets the eye. If you
are faithful to this covenant, you will receive the blessings; break it and
receive the curses. The sword will come down upon you with not only a physical
death, but also a spiritual death.
Deuteronomy 28:3-9
– BLESSINGS if you keep the Covenant
3 You will be blessed in the city and blessed
in the country.
4 The fruit of your womb will be blessed,
and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock--the calves of your
herds and the lambs of your flocks.
5 Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed.
6 You will be blessed when you come in, blessed
when you go out.
7 The LORD will grant that the enemies who rise
up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one
direction but flee from you in seven.
8 The LORD will send a blessing on your barns and on
everything you put your hand to. The LORD your God will bless you in the land he is
giving you. The LORD will establish you as his holy people
9, as he promised you on oath, IF you keep the
commands of the LORD your God and
walk in his ways. NIV
Deuteronomy
28:15-19 – CURSES if you break the covenant
15 However, IF you do not obey the
LORD your God and do not
carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses
will come upon you and overtake you:
16 You will be cursed in the city and cursed
in the country.
17 Your basket and your kneading trough will be cursed.
18 The fruit of your womb will be cursed,
and the crops of your land, and the calves of your herds and the lambs of your
flocks.
19 You will be cursed
when you come in; cursed when you go out. NIV
The Scars of the covenant
When you see the scars,
you will see the covenant that’s till death and beyond. When we reach up to Christ we see the scars
He bears on His wrist, a testimony of His covenant with us. Jesus paid the price to give us the power,
strength, Word, revelation and direction for the Gospel.
What a “FRIEND” we have in Jesus.[5]
Exchange Names - Known
as “FRIENDS” - Step
four
Then they would exchange names
adding each other’s name to theirs. The H from Jehovah, was
placed in Abrahams and Sarah’s name. If my name was Paul and your name was Marcus,
I would be called Paul Marcus and he would be called Marcus Paul. From that day forward we would be known as “Friends”. (The term friend was a big deal).
From that moment on Paul is known as the friend of Marcus and Marcus is the friend of
Paul. God
spoke to Moses
as his Friend,
Abraham
was the Friend of God. God was the friend of Isaac and Jacob; they
now carry the name of the other.[6] They will either EXALT the others name
or SHAME the others
name. We will either EXALT or SHAME the name
of our covenant brother, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Exchange Assets And Liabilities – Step five
Then they would pull out list
of their assets
and liabilities
which they already knew before hand and exchange them. The stronger took on the liabilities of the weaker. They both took each other’s liabilities and each other’s assets. No secrets; everything is jointly owned
and owed.
Christ
took on all our debts, paid them and then gave us the
kingdom of heaven.
“X” Marks the Spot – Step
six
Then they would pile up a
bunch of rocks or plant a tree to memorialize the place of the
covenant. This is similar to old times,
when a bunch of rocks would be piled up to mark a grave or an oak tree would be
planted to mark the spot.[7]
Let’s Eat – Step seven
Then they would share a meal
of bread and wine, they broke the bread
and said, this bread represent my body
eat it - we are now “bone of bone”
and “flesh
of flesh”, drink this wine; this
wine represents my blood, drink
me, ingest me; blood of blood. We are in-separately
bonded for life, we will die for each other
and ready
to live for each other.
God Covenants with Abram
God chose to covenant with
Abram, a moon worshiper, who on at least three occasions was not
faithful in his covenant relationship.[8] It’s God’s faithfulness that holds the covenant together, not ours.
Genesis 12:2-3 – The Covenant
2 "I will make you
into a great nation and I will bless you; I
will make your name great, and you will be a
blessing.
3 I will bless
those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will
curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."
NIV
Abraham is known as God’s Friend
Abraham is known as the
“Friend” of God. The term “Friend”
is used only when you are “In Covenant” with someone. God said it three times that Abraham was His friend.
Three is the Trinity, Abraham was filled
with The
Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit; he was filled with faith, full
of Faith.
Isaiah 41:8 – Abraham my Friend
8 But thou, Israel,
art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of ABRAHAM MY FRIEND. KJV
James
23 And the
scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto
him for righteousness:
AND HE WAS CALLED THE FRIEND OF GOD. KJV
2 Chronicles 20:7 – God’s Friend forever
7 Art not thou
our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of
ABRAHAM THY FRIEND FOR EVER? KJV
The Abrahamic Covenant finalized
Abram is a nomad living in tents, his name means “the exalted father” or “the father of
many”, but he now is 99 years old and
with no children. 25 years has passed since God covenanted
with Abram to be a great nation and nothing has happened, but he never questions
God about, when,
where or how this will all come about.
Abram has walked in faith for 25 years and now God is about to complete
His covenant. God appears to Abram and
he does not fear Him because he knows Him personally. Abram falls face down and listens to God. Many probably made fun of his name and now God
changes his name to Abraham, which means “Father of the Multitudes”, I can just hear the
laughter getting louder. However, in
God’s mind, Abraham was already the
father of many nations; God sees the beginning from the end.
NOTE: In the cutting of the covenant, one of the
final steps is the exchanging of names.
Just as a wife takes on the name of her husband this is where Abraham
takes on the name of Jehovah God (YHWH). God changes Abram’s name to Abraham; He adds
the “h”
in Jehovah to Abram’s name, which now becomes Abraham and Sara also takes on Jehovah’s name and
her name is now Sarah.
Genesis 17:1-9 – God confirms His covenant with
Abraham
1 When Abram was
ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, "I am God
Almighty; walk before me and be blameless.
2 I will confirm
my covenant between me and you and
will greatly increase your numbers." Abram fell facedown, and God said to him,
4 "As for me, THIS IS MY COVENANT WITH YOU: You will be the father of many
nations.
5 No longer will you
be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, FOR I HAVE MADE YOU A FATHER OF MANY NATIONS.
6 I will make
you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you.
7 I WILL ESTABLISH MY COVENANT as an everlasting covenant between ME and YOU and YOUR DESCENDANTS after you for the generations to come, to be your God
and the God of your descendants after you. Then God said to Abraham, "As for you,
9 YOU MUST KEEP MY
COVENANT, you and your
descendants after you for the GENERATIONS to come. NIV
The Resurrection Principal
Scripture confirms
that Abraham was 99 years old and Sarah was 90, both past child baring
years. It would take a miracle to
resurrect the dead Womb of Sarah.[9] This is the resurrection principal; a shadow of
the resurrection of our “Covenant Partner”, the Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ.
God specializes in bringing life out of death; life in Christ out of
death in Sin.
God Self Imposes the
Covenant
Sinful Abraham fell into a
deep sleep and in a vision, saw the sinless and perfect God come down
to earth and pass between the pieces of sacrifice to make the “Self Imposed Covenant“.[10]
Abraham did not pass between the pieces, God knew that he would falter
in his faithfulness
and commitment to the Covenant, just like He knows we will also falter in our faithfulness.
God Symbolized as Fire
·
It is God that makes our covenant, not us.
·
It is God that is faithful, not us.
·
It is God that walks as a blazing torch of fire through the flesh and takes man’s place.
·
It is God’s will that works in us to act
according to His good purpose.[11]
Satan’s Spiritual Warfare
Abraham did not receive a sign
from God untill after he believed. God
told him to take some animals and cut them in half for a sacrifice and as soon
as he did, “the
birds of prey” came down on the sacrifices and it was Abraham that
drove them off. It’s Satan’s goal to keep us from our covenant with God, and IT’S UP TO US to resist his tricks.
Genesis 15:8-11 – Spiritual Warfare; Satan
attacks
8 But Abram
said, "O Sovereign LORD, how can I know that I will gain possession of
it?"
9 So the LORD
said to him, "Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years
old, along with a dove and a young pigeon."
10 Abram brought
all these to him, cut them in two and
arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in
half. 11 Then
birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away
NIV
Matthew 13:3-19 – Satan tries to snatch the word
of God
3 "Behold, a sower went
out to sow.
4 And as he sowed,
some seed fell by the wayside;
and the birds came and devoured them.
18
"Therefore hear the parable of the sower:
19 When anyone
hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then THE WICKED ONE COMES AND
SNATCHES AWAY WHAT WAS SOWN IN HIS HEART.
NKJV
The Body of Christ
It is the torn body of Jesus
Christ, symbolized by the “curtain torn in TWO” in the “Holy of Holies”,
that allows us walk boldly in our COVENANT up to our
Heavenly Father.[12] God remains faithful, even if we are not.[13] FAITH is not what we SEE; but what we HOPE for.[14]
Jesus - Our Covenant Partner - our High Priest
In the OT, the High Priest
would enter into the “Holy of Holies” once a year on the day of Yon Kipper, bearing on his shoulders and
breast plate the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. He made intercession and confessed the sins
of the people, made sacrifices and gained forgiveness.[15]
Jesus
as our High Priest after the Order of Melchizedek has
now entered the Most Holy Place bearing our names on His shoulders and has set
down at the right hand of God and intercedes for us day and night.[16] He is our COVENANT source of eternal salvation.
No Secrets in a Covenant
God discloses what He is about
to do to Sodom and Gomorra. In Abraham’s mind, this was not a good thing
and negotiates with God to
change His mind; they were “friends”.[17] Everyone who has accepted Jesus as their
personal savior is in covenant with Him.
They are His Friend, we are ALL covenant “Friends,”
we can humbly argue our case before God.
LESSON: When we see our Christian “friend”, seemingly going the
wrong way; with humility and love, we should share our thoughts with him, to
try to get him to change his direction.
Genesis 18:16-18 – No secrets
16 And the men
rose up from thence, and looked toward
17 The LORD
said,
Shall I hide from Abraham that thing
which I do
18 Seeing that
Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of
the earth shall be blessed in him?
Reckoned - Crediting the Account
Reckoned: An accounting
term, “Credited”
or applied to Abrahams account what he did not already possess.
Believe: “Aman” in Hebrew, to confirm or affirm a promise,
a positive declaration.
We are in covenant when we BELIEVE on Jesus Christ; our account is reckoned
or credited
with all His
assets and His account receives
all our sins and liabilities.
If you belong to Christ, you are Abraham’s seed, you are in COVENANT with the promises till Christ
returns and beyond.[18]
Reality & Truth – Kinsman Redeemer
Definition of Reality: the truth;
telling it like it is; the unvarnished truth; the plain truth; the honest
truth; the honest to God truth; the absolute truth; the Gospel truth; the Bible truth; “the truth, the whole truth
and nothing but the truth”.[19]
Jesus, our
covenant partner is ready, willing and able to be our “Kinsman Redeemer”.
Jesus
Christ is the fulfillment, truth and reality of the New Covenant.
Jesus
said; I am the way, the truth and the life
Be Separate
Separated: The Devine action of
being set apart for the work of the Gospel.
God calls us out to be separated from our old way into His new way. We are called out to be a blessing to others IF we
separate ourselves from our old ways. When
we separate from our old ways we become a new creature, with new actions. We put on the “robe”;
the likeness of Jesus Christ.[20] God is
our covenant partner.[21]
No one seeks out God, it is God that seeks
out man.[22]
There is none virtuous who can stand worthy
for God to select them. Before Abraham
believed God, he was a moon worshiper and an idol worshiper. It was God’s Devine Election
to be in covenant with Abraham, God sought out Abraham.[23]
He wants you to KNOW
When you think about
the name of Jesus Christ, think of Him as your “Covenant Partner”. He wants you to know that He is in covenant
with you. He has already fought the
battle and has conquered death and made you
more than a conqueror.[24] You didn’t even fight the battle, but you got
the prize. There is no greater love than
that a man lays down his life for his “Friend”.
Christ chose us; called us his
“Covenant
Friend” and commands us to love one another.
The
covenant has not ended, but continues till Jesus returns and beyond.
John 15:12-17 – Jesus calls us His covenant
“Friends”
12 My command is
this: Love each other as I have loved you.
13 Greater love
has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
14 You are my FRIENDS if
you do what I command.
15 I no longer
call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business.
Instead,
I have called you FRIENDS, for everything
that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.
16 You did not
choose me, but I chose you and
appointed you to go and bear fruit-fruit that
will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.
17 This is my command:
Love each
other.
NIV
Two
Sacraments in memorial of the New Covenant
Matthew 28:18-20
- Baptism
18 Then Jesus
came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been
given to me. Therefore
19 go and make
disciples of all nations, BAPTIZING them in the name of
the Father
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I
am with you always, to the very end of the age."
NIV
Matthew 26:26-28 - The Lords Supper
26 While they
were eating, Jesus took BREAD, gave thanks
and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body."
27 Then he took
the CUP, gave thanks
and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you.
28 This is my blood
of the COVENANT, which is
poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. NIV
A song about our covenant “friend”
WHAT
A FRIEND WE HAVE IN JESUS
What a “FRIEND” we have in
Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear.
What a privilege
to carry – Everything to God in prayer:
Oh, what peace
we often forfeit - Oh, what needless pain we bear,
All because we
do not carry – Everything to God in prayer.
Have we trials
and temptations? Is there trouble
anywhere?
We should never
be discouraged - Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a “FRIEND” so faithful –
Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our
every weakness - Take it to the Lord in prayer!
Are we weak and
heavy laden, Cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior,
still our refuse - Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do thy friends
despise, forsake thee? - Take it to the
Lord in prayer.
In His arms
He’ll take and shield thee - Thou will find a solace there.
Joseph Scriven 1819 Charles
C. Converse 1832
The Take Away
A
Blood Covenant is a binding agreement that is in effect till death and
beyond. The covenant parties walked
between the bloody halves of slain animals and said “may God do this to me and
more, if I do not keep this covenant.
The covenant process began in the Garden of Eden when God took the hides from slain animals and
placed on Adam and Eve. It continued
with Noah, Abraham, The nation of Israel, The Levites,
King David and
finally with Jesus. This was a total of seven recorded covenants. SEVEN is the number
of Completion.
There
were three kinds of covenants
1)
One
sided:
I make an agreement
with you because I want to; you agree to
the conditions.
2)
Two
sided:
The two of us make an agreement; we both
participate fully.
3)
Self-imposed: The agreement
is with God alone; He seeks us out and remains faithful even when we are not. The Covenant is by predestination, but your agreement
is by Free
Will.
There
are seven steps in the covenant process:
1)
Exchanging
robes;
I am now you and you are now me; we are FRIENDS.
2)
Exchanging
belts and daggers; my servants and weapons are now ready to defend you.
3)
The
cutting of the sacrifice and the wrist; we are Blood Brothers in covenant with
God.
4)
The
name exchange; I take on your name, you take on mine; we shame or exalt
our name.
5)
The
exchange and assumption of each other’s assets and liabilities.
Possessions in common
6)
Marking
the place;
place stones or plant a tree to mark the spot.
7)
Eating
a meal with bread and wine. SEVEN is the number of Completion.
The term
“Friend”
was only used for someone who was in covenant with someone else.
To put someone on was to put on their
robe or cloak and become everything that person is. Jesus is our covenant partner and we “put Him on”;
we are His Covenant “FRIEND.” The stronger takes on the weaker; the weaker
has his account “reckoned”; it is paid in full.
NOTE: When Johnathan took off his clothes and put them on David, some students of the Word saw this as a homosexual act
when in actuality Johnathan who was in line to be king made a covenant with David, giving him his
kingdom and taking on David’s liabilities; they were FRIENDS. When
you study God’s Word, the Holy Spirit gives you light; you have
illumination of the scriptures that others cannot see.
1
Samuel 18:4 - Johnathan made a COVENANT with David
4 And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his garments,
even to his sword,
and to his bow,
and to his girdle.
KJV
God sought us out and self-imposed a
covenant, we did not seek Him. His covenant was completed at the cross and
continues forever, because He lives. Israel
was a Holy nation set apart unto God; we separate ourselves from the world to
be in His covenant family.
Christ was circumcised; circumcision leaves a mark. Is circumcision just a tradition or is it the mark of
a covenant? The scars
that mark
His body signify that “there is more to
us than what you see”. Ponder the mark of circumcision.
Jesus
left us two sacraments “to mark” the New Covenant; Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
It’s in the Book
What a FRIEND we have in
Jesus.
[1] Exodus 3:4-5 – The place
is marked as HOLY GROUND
-- Joshua 4:9 – A MARKER
is placed as a memorial of the covenant -- Deuteronomy 4:26 – God is the WITNESS of the covenant
[2] Genesis 37:3-34 – Jacob’s
favorite son; The ROBE gave
him everything
[3] Ephesians 6:13-14 – Put
on the BELT; the
armor, stand with me
[4] Leviticus 17:11 – Life is
in the blood -- Deuteronomy 27:1-2 - Keep all my commands and covenants -- Deuteronomy
28:1-2 - The covenant blessings come with an IF clause
[5] John 12:46 – Jesus is the
Light, we are no longer no darkness -- John 3:16 – God have His Son for us that
we would have eternal life -- John 15:13 – No greater Love that one who lays
down his life for his friend
[6] Exodus 33:11 – God spoke to Moses as His friend. -- James 2:24 – Abraham was called God’s friend. -- John 14:14 – Ask
in my name and you’ve got it.
[7] 2 Samuel 18:17 – Marked
the grave with rocks -- Joshua 4:3 – Mark this place with stones as a memorial
[8] Genesis 12:1 – Be faithful Abram; leave your family -- Genesis 12:4 – Not
faithful; Abram took Lot with him
[9] Genesis 17:17 – Abraham could not produce a child -- Genesis 18:11 – Sara was past the age of childbearing
[10] Genesis 15:17-18 – God
cuts the covenant and passed through
[11] Hebrews 12:29 – God is a
consuming fire -- Exodus 3:2 – God the fire in the Bush -- Exodus 13:21 – God the pillar of fire -- Philippians 2:13 – God is at work in us
[12] Hebrews 10:19-20 – His
body opened the curtain in the Holy of Holies to us --Matthew 27:51 – The
curtain is split; we now have perfect access -- Hebrews 10:22 – As we draw near
to God we are cleansed
[13] 2 Timothy 2:13 – He is
faithful even if we are not
[14] 2 Corenthians 5:7 - Our walk is by Faith not by sight -- Hebrews 11:1 – FAITH is not what we SEE but what we HOPE for.
[15] Hebrews 9:8 –The way into
the Most Holy Place hadn’t been disclosed to us -- Hebrews 9:7 – The High
Priest entered into the Holy of Holies ONLY once a year -- Hebrews 13:11-12 – The blood
of animals were a sin offering -- Hebrews 9:14 – Jesus became the unblemished
sacrifice -- Hebrews 9:12 – Christ entered by His own blood -- Hebrews 9:25 –
Christ only had to enter only ONCE. -- Revelation 3:21 – Jesus is
sitting at the right hand of the Father. -- Hebrews 12:2 – Jesus - The Author and Finisher of our faith.
[16] Hebrews 7:1 – Melchizedek
is the Priest of God -- Psalms 110:4 – Jesus
is our High Priest forever - -Hebrews 10:19 – We
can enter the Most Holy Place with confidence -- Hebrews 6:20 – Jesus has gone before us as our High Priest --
Exodus 28:9-12 – Our names are borne on His shoulders -- Hebrews 5:9-10 – He is our covenant and
source of eternal salvation
[17] Hebrews 10:22-23 – We are
encouraged to draw near to God -- Genesis 18:23-25 – Abraham discusses the
destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah with God -- Genesis 18:26-33 – Abraham argues his case before Go0d with humility and love
[18] Galatians
[19] Colossians
[20] Ephesians
[21] Hebrews 6:13-15 - Many years will pass and
God is still the covenant partner
[22] Romans
[23] Genesis 12:1-3 – God
calls Abram out to be separate. -- Acts 7:3 – Abram answered
the call to be Separate -- Romans 1:1 – Paul
answered the call to be Separate -- 2 Corenthians 6:17-18 – God calls to Come
out, be separate -- Galatians
[24] 1 John
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