Read Genesis 15.
In order to gain a greater understanding of the depth of God’s enduring love for us and what it really means when His Name ‘I AM’ indicates He will always be there for us, we need to look deeper into what is indicated by the term ‘covenant relationship’.
In simple terms ‘covenant’ means two parties entering into a binding agreement, contract, pledge, treaty or bond. In biblical times covenant relationships were something practised by many people groups and would certainly have involved the shedding of blood in some form. Therefore, it was a profoundly solemn and sacred ritualistic way of expressing deep levels of care, trust and friendship, as well as forming alliances to keep the peace between tribes and nations.
It was a profoundly solemn and sacred ritualistic way of expressing deep levels of care, trust and friendship, as well as forming alliances to keep the peace between tribes and nations.
Culture has changed so much over time that the only form of true covenant that Western nations understand today is that of marriage. Even that has been diluted to such an extent we can now be granted a quickie divorce within six months.
Modern society no longer understands the rich symbolism of the covenant ceremony either, which means we can easily overlook what the Bible has to teach us about the sheer depth of the Father’s love for us. Richard Booker in The Miracle of the Scarlet Thread outlines nine steps to making covenant, each carried out by both parties:
| RITUAL: | SYMBOLISM: |
| 1. Remove coat & hand over. | Everything I am, I give to you. |
| 2. Remove belt used to keep armour in place & hand over. | My battles are yours: I will defend, protect and fight for you. |
| 3. Cut the animal into two halves down the middle; lay flat on the ground. Walk in figure of 8 (symbolic of making a new beginning) and come back to face each other. | I am dying to myself; giving up all rights to my own life and making a new beginning with you my covenant partner. |
| 4. Raise right arm & mix blood. | The intermingling of blood states our lives have become one life. |
| 5. Exchange names. | We take each other’s last names as our own names. |
| 6. Make a scar. | The scar left where our blood was mixed is the seal or guarantee of the covenant. Those seeing the scar instantly know we are in a covenant relationship. |
| 7. Give covenant terms. | We publicly state that whatever is mine is yours and vice versa, both assets and liabilities. |
| 8. Eat a memorial meal. | We eat bread and wine representing our own flesh and life-blood. We are stating ‘My blood is your blood; my flesh is your flesh’. We are in life together. |
| 9. Plant a lasting memorial. | Commonly this was a tree sprinkled with the blood of the animal. From now on we would be known as friends. |
Additional reading: Isaiah 61:10; 2 Chronicles 20:15-17; Galatians 2:20; 2 Corinthians 1:21-22; John 6:54-56; Luke 9:23; John 15:14-15.
We will pursue the issue of covenant further next week.
Prayer Time:
• How has what you have learned reshaped your perspective of God’s ability to stand with you through any storms you might face?
Other reflections in this series can be accessed here.
