From: 	 heb_roots_chr@mail.geocities.com
Sent: 	 Tuesday, October 14, 1997 11:28 PM
To: 	 Hebraic Heritage Newsgroup
Subject: The Blood Covenant

 

From	 James Trimm 
To:      heb_roots_chr@geocities.com
Subject: The Blood Covenant


                                THE BLOOD COVENANT

        To the ancient Hebrews a blood covenant was the most binding,
sacred agreement one could enter into.  The making of blood covenants seems
to be a universal concept found among all peoples in even the most remote
parts of the world.  The custom of making blood covenants can be found
among American Indians as well as in the deepest most remote parts of
Africa.  The origin of the blood covenant custom looms somewhere beyond the
horizon of history.

        The customs surrounding the making of a blood covenant among the
Hebrews involved:

        1. Exchanging garments and swords (1Sam. 18:4)
        2. A blood sacrifice (Gen. 15:9-17; 31:43-54; Jer. 34:18-19)
        3. A memorial covenant meal (Gen. 31:54)

        There are several examples of covenants in the Bible.  Laban
entered into a covenant with Jacob (Gen. 31:43-55). And David made a
covenant with Jonathan (1Sam. 18:1-4).

        When two men were in a covenant relationship everything they owned
and their very lives were offered to each other.  Moreover a person with a
covenant relationship held heirship rights with his coventor.  For this
reason David was the legal heir to the throne when Jonathan and Saul were
killed.  One of the best pictures we have of the power of the blood
covenant is given in 1Samuel 18-20.  Because of their covenant Jonathan
pleaded with his father the King on David's behalf (1Sam. 19:4-7).  And
because of the covenant David sought out Jonathan's son Mephilbosheth so as
to show kindness to him and make him as one of his own sons (2Sam. 9).

        Now our covenants with God are patterened after the Hebrew blood
covenant customs.  In the same way we:

        1. Exchanging garments and swords (Eph. 6:11-17)
        2. Have a blood sacrifice (Heb. 9:12-22)
        3. Have a memorial covenant meal (Mt. 26:26-29)

As covenentors with the Messiah we also have an inheritence (Rom. 8:15-17;
Eph. 1:11, 14, 18; Heb. 9:15-17; 1Pt. 1:4) .

        This inheritence is the topic of the Epistle to the Hebrews. In
this Epistle Paul shows that the Messiah was "made heir of all things"
(1:2, 4) and the "firstborn" (1:6;12:23) (an inheritance term, see note to
12:23).  He shows that the oath which made Abraham's seed the chosen people
was a covenant (6:13-14), and that the oath which makes the Messiah a
priest after the order of Melchizadek (7:20-22) is the New Covenant (Heb.
7:22; 8:6-13).  He also shows that this is a blood covenant sealed with the
Messiah's blood (Heb. 8 & 9).  Paul argues that because of this covenant
relationship we have an inheritance (9:11-22).  Since we are blood
covenantors with the Messiah who is heir of all things (i.e. the Kingdom
(1:13; 2:5-9) we inherit with him (1:14; 2:10-18; 9:11-22; 12:23).

James Scott Trimm

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