Covered by the Blood

The covenant that God made with Abram in Genesis 15 was a blood covenant. In ancient times, both parties to a covenant walked through the blood of slain animals. God told Abram to kill a three year old heifer, a three year old female goat and a three year old ram plus a turtledove and a young pigeon. The large animals were split in half, head to toe, and each half placed across from the other. The birds however were not split apart. Instead the birds were simply placed across from each other. Both of the covenanting parties walked through the blood indicating that a new bond was formed by the death of existing lives. When God made the covenant with Abram, He was the only one to walk through the slain animals (Genesis 15:17), thus indicating that it was up to Him to make it happen! He was the one to bring to pass the promises that He had made. Abram only had to believe that God would do what He said He would.

In Exodus 24 we see Moses reading the commandments to the people, and although they agreed to keep them, they had no power to do so. In this setting (Exodus 24:6), Moses took half of the blood of the offerings and sprinkled on the altar and the other half of the blood he sprinkled on the people thus ratifying the covenant. The blood sprinkled on the altar represented God’s agreement to forgive and the blood sprinkled on the people was their bond to God! Just as Moses was the mediator between God and the people of the Moses’ day, so is Jesus the mediator of the new covenant. His blood was sprinkled on the altar (cross) and Hebrews 5:9 says that He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him! Our part is to believe and obey. The Old Testament people had to be covered by the blood! By faith we too have been covered by the blood.