Bible Study **The Blood Covenant***

[awaken]

Interesting study about the blood covenant. Understanding the "blood covenant" has helped open up a lot of scriptures...
Even outside of scriptures to see how tribes and others used it as a binding/union between two tribes...very interesting!

A blood covenant is the union of two parties into one new person. In this union all assets, liabilities and resources become common. It is an exchange of life.

Marriage covenant is where a man and a woman become "one flesh." Even in this institution blood is spilled.

The steps in making a blood covenant is a very interesting ceremony.
First step is ..an animal is sacrificed, ususally a bull, a goat, or a lamb is killed and cut in half down the center. The two halves are separated with a pool of blood between them.

Does this first step sound familiar? The Word of God tells us there is a blood covenant which God initiated and to which He bound Himself. This blood covenant guarantees certain rights and privileges to believers in Jesus Christ and is the basis for our faith toward God. This covenant is why we can "have faith" that God will do certain things because it is a "blood oath" forever established on the blood of Jesus Christ. The blood of God himself sealed this covenant and it is that blood which becomes the surety of the promises.

So we need to learn more about this covenant and what our responsiblilties are and how to receive what is promised by the covenant. This is why I started this thread to discuss the wonderful promises of the "Blood covenant"....

 

[nmwings]

Sounds very good so far! I'm glad you used the example of a marriage between a man and a woman because a Blood Covenant with God IS a marriage ceremony with Him. And just like the man or woman must be obedient and FAITHFUL to each other, the same principle applies with our relationship with the Creator.

 

[Adullam]

A blood covenant is the union of two parties into one new person. In this union all assets, liabilities and resources become common. It is an exchange of life.

Very good!!!

 

[awaken]

Jesus established an everlasting blood covenant at his crucifixion-by shedding His blood and being resurrected from the dead.

First, there is the animal sacrifice and the spilling of sacrificial blood.
Second, there is the cut of the covenant where each participant spills his own blood on behalf of the covenant.

Ever wonder why only Jesus blood was spilled on behalf of the covenant?

 

[nmwings]

Jesus established an everlasting blood covenant at his crucifixion-by shedding His blood and being resurrected from the dead.

Actually, He paid the death sentence that was hanging over our heads because we broke our part of the everlasting Covenant that was made at Sinai. He passed us from death, to life.

Second, there is the cut of the covenant where each participant spills his own blood on behalf of the covenant.

Only pagans cut each other like this. Blood strictly belongs to the Lord of Heaven, to serve as atonement for us. The Children of the true Lord are strictly forbidden to cut or mark our bodies in any way.

Ever wonder why only Jesus blood was spilled on behalf of the covenant?

Because He was the only one to walk between the pieces when this Covenant was first established with Abraham in Gen 15.When covenants were made by the ancients, each party walked between the pieces while making public declarations to one another by saying, “If I don’t keep this agreement, may I be flayed open like these animals!†Since the Lord was the only one to invoke this penalty, (Abraham did not walk between the pieces) that means that if Abraham or his descendants break their part of the Covenant (which we did) then God, Himself will pay the price FOR them. And true to His faithful Word, He did pay that price for us! We broke our part of the deal and the Messiah was flayed open (just like those animals) and was crucified – He paid our debt for breaking our part of this Covenant.

 

[stovebolts]

Please read Hebrews 9 in full context.

Hebrews 9:20 saying, “This is the blood of the covenant that God commanded for you.â€

Mt: 2628 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins

We see that these are not "blood covenants" But rather, it is the blood of the covenant. Why? Hebrews 9:22b without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

Blood is only one faucet of the covenant, it is not the covenant.

Ephesians 5:2b just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Know that sacrifice in terms of the temple does not carry the thought or idea of denying oneself, such as fasting etc. It carries the idea of being drawn close to God.

 

[nmwings]

Know that sacrifice in terms of the temple does not carry the thought or idea of denying oneself, such as fasting etc. It carries the idea of being drawn close to God.

A sacrifice requires a person to give up something that is dear to them, otherwise it would not be a "sacrifice." If someone gave you a gift that didn't mean anything to them, then they just gave you a worthless gift. It is only from Temple sacrifices that we truly begin to understand the concept of putting God before ourselves= denying ourselves the best of our increase, in that we offer Him the very best from our herds and produce. And when we do give Him the very best of our produce, THAT is how we are drawn closer to God- it is a pleasing aroma to Him.

The Temple sacrifices also teach us what an extrordinary gift the Lord gave us when He sent His son. One cannot even begin to fathom how precious the gift of Messiah is without understanding Temple sacrifices.

 

[stovebolts]

A sacrifice requires a person to give up something that is dear to them, otherwise it would not be a "sacrifice." If someone gave you a gift that didn't mean anything to them, then they just gave you a worthless gift. It is only from Temple sacrifices that we truly begin to understand the concept of putting God before ourselves= denying ourselves the best of our increase, in that we offer Him the very best from our herds and produce. And when we do give Him the very best of our produce, THAT is how we are drawn closer to God- it is a pleasing aroma to Him.

The Temple sacrifices also teach us what an extrordinary gift the Lord gave us when He sent His son. One cannot even begin to fathom how precious the gift of Messiah is without understanding Temple sacrifices.

Hey there.

I undersand your perspective. In a sense I even agree with you. However, when an animal was sacraficed, one would place their hands upon the animal and their sins would be transfered to the animal. So we see that the blood that was spilled was from an innocent animal, without blemish for the atonement of ones sins and it was through the sacrifice and what was acomplished at the altar which drew the worshipper closer to God.

So we see that the sacrafice draws us closer to God. It is not about our loss, but rather for our benifet.

 

[stovebolts]

After reading your post again, I actually think that waht you said and what I said are both parts of the same picture and complement, not oppose each other.

Have a great weekend!

 

[nmwings]

However, when an animal was sacraficed, one would place their hands upon the animal and their sins would be transfered to the animal. So we see that the blood that was spilled was from an innocent animal, without blemish for the atonement of ones sins and it was through the sacrifice and what was acomplished at the altar which drew the worshipper closer to God.

Aha! This is where our lack of communication lies! You are referring only to the 2 sacrifices for sin: the Sin offering (aka: the Guilt offering- for a person who commits a sin by accident), and the Trespass Offering, (which is given by a leader who commits a sin by accident.) Yes, they provide a covering for unintentional sins, but they do not bring us closer to God! (Notice they are not a “pleasing aroma†to the Lord!) Those 2 sacrifices are completely different than the other 11 sacrifices, which DO bring us closer to the Lord. Something you should consider because we will have an Altar in Jerusalem very soon! (There is a very good chance we will see it before the Passover in 2013!) AND there will be an Altar in the Kingdom and we WILL worship the Lord at that Altar, just as He commanded.

 

[stovebolts]

Hey again. Even a freewill offering involved the blood of the animal. I was going off the jewish word that is translated into english as sacrafice. According to the jews, the english word misses the mark. In their native tongue it means to draw near.

That is interesting about the altar. Actually, if we look at the function of the altar, it grounds the table. Even in the way the sacrafices are laid out with a burnt offering serving as the base and all other sacrafices and offerings which are laid on top and then eaten for the most part. As such, we see that the cross performing the function of the altar and before anyone asks, no I'm not catholic.

Where did you hear about the altar in 2013. Your not speaking of the jews are you?

 

[nmwings]

Hey again. Even a freewill offering involved the blood of the animal. I was going off the jewish word that is translated into english as sacrafice. According to the jews, the english word misses the mark. In their native tongue it means to draw near.

That is correct. In a nutshell, it is the expression of love and joy. A Freewill Offering is performed to either offer celebration to the Lord or to involve Him in a great celebration. It has to do with the motivation and the joy that we have in our relationship with God. It ties back to LOVE, and of course everyone loves a celebration!

That is interesting about the altar. Actually, if we look at the function of the altar, it grounds the table.

You are more accurate in this statement than you realize. The first (of 5) reasons behind the Altar and sacrificial system, is that the Lord is explaining and teaching us table fellowship with Him, and that the hospitality of the Lord is the standard of hospitality in our own homes. The Altar is His Table, & the Lord told us, “I want meat, bread & wine on My Table so that when men come to do business with Me I can show hospitality & receive them.” It is just like our own tables at home: when we invite someone to come over and eat with us, they’ll usually ask, “What can I bring?” And we’ll tell them what is appropriate. The Altar is where God said, “I will meet with a man & we will do business together.” It is no coincidence that this is how men do business with each another today: they sit around a table and make agreements. Where do you think the business world got this from? God set the standard for the protocol and manners about what will be done at His Table. It’s as simple as: “You want to come near to Me? Approach My Table. Ask to come, and I’ll welcome you. I’ll specify what you can bring to My Table and you may join in with Me.”

As such, we see that the cross performing the function of the altar….

No. It is the Altar that sanctified the gift that hung upon the cross. That gift would have been meaningless WITHOUT the Altar sanctifying it! The Messiah tells us that the gift is nothing compared to the Altar: Matt 23:19 “Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gift or the Altar that sanctifies the gift?

Where did you hear about the altar in 2013. Your not speaking of the jews are you?

The mountains of evidence go FAR beyond the scope of this thread. But, I WILL say this: we are on the brink of the War of Ezekiel 38 and 39…the war where Israel is invaded from the north and God Himself intervenes. And at this very moment, the Jews are anxiously waiting to storm the Temple Mount and erect that Altar! They have had everything ready and prepared for several years now. I saw all the utensils and the priestly garments with my own eyes at the Temple Institute in Jerusalem back in ’03.

 

[stovebolts]

We have slightly different focus, but I believe they complement each other in this area. When I taught Exodus, I often frequented the Temple Institute's website. That is where I got my definition for Sacrifice that I mentioned earlier and yes, I've read from their site that they have all the utensils etc. That being said, I would like to know exactly how they came up with their replica for the Ark of the covenant. I've read much on it from Rashi and Ramban.

 

[nmwings]

I can’t tell you exactly how, because I don’t know. But what I can tell you is that I have not seen a single accurate replica, including the one at the Temple Institute. According to Ex 25:20 the cherubim have 4 wings = 2 sets of wings that literally form a “chair†on top of the Ark upon which the Lord may literally sit. That is why it is called the Mercy “Seat.†The first pair "stretches above" the Ark (to form the back) and the other pair "stretches across" the Ark to “cover†the Ark (which forms the seat.)

Compare these Cherubim with the ones Ezekiel describes in 1:6 and 10:21, which have 2 sets (4 wings) also.

 

[awaken]

Actually, He paid the death sentence that was hanging over our heads because we broke our part of the everlasting Covenant that was made at Sinai. He passed us from death, to life.

Only pagans cut each other like this. Blood strictly belongs to the Lord of Heaven, to serve as atonement for us. The Children of the true Lord are strictly forbidden to cut or mark our bodies in any way.


Because He was the only one to walk between the pieces when this Covenant was first established with Abraham in Gen 15.When covenants were made by the ancients, each party walked between the pieces while making public declarations to one another by saying, “If I don’t keep this agreement, may I be flayed open like these animals!†Since the Lord was the only one to invoke this penalty, (Abraham did not walk between the pieces) that means that if Abraham or his descendants break their part of the Covenant (which we did) then God, Himself will pay the price FOR them. And true to His faithful Word, He did pay that price for us! We broke our part of the deal and the Messiah was flayed open (just like those animals) and was crucified – He paid our debt for breaking our part of this Covenant.

This is where it gets good...
The two parties in this blood covenant is Jesus! This is why Satan could not figure out what was going on. Jesus represented both covenant heads. Jesus is called both the son of man and the Son of God in Scriptures. Jesus is the God/man. He was fully God and fully man.