The Covenant of Blood

What level of relationship do you have with the Lord? Are you his servant, friend, brother, or bride? According to John Klein and Adam Spears, in their book series Lost in Translation, we can rise up the ranks of fellowship with him through the four levels of Scriptural covenants. The blood, salt, sandal, and marriage covenants represent increasingly intimate relationships ranging from that of servant and master all the way up to that of bride and bridegroom. God would love each of us to have a marriage-like relationship with him, but he leaves it to us to decide how far we want to take that fellowship. Whatever our ultimate aspirations, we must all begin at the most basic of levels represented by the covenant of blood.

The Covenant of Blood Initiated

Each level of relationship, like the covenants, involves benefits and responsibilities for each of the parties involved. The benefit of a blood covenant is the peace that results between both of them. But it also establishes that the participants will be in a master/servant type relationship. For blood covenants between humans, this can be problematic because of our natural inclination to lord it over one another. God, however, models this type of relationship in a different way.

He tells us unequivocally that he is the Head and we are the body. He is the Potter and we are the clay. He is the Law-Giver and we are the doers of the law. Yet when he came in the person of Jesus the Messiah, he also knelt to wash his disciples’ feet. He serves as healer and protector, the answerer of prayer, and a comforter to those who are the servants in the relationship.

This is the first covenant God offered mankind. As soon as Adam and Eve sinned, he cut a covenant of blood with them. “He made tunics of skin, and clothed them” (Genesis 3:21 NKJV). Spilling the blood of an animal, he initiated the first-ever sacrifice to restore peace between him and his people. After receiving the benefits of the covenant, Adam and Eve were to cheerfully take up their role as his obedient servants.

The Feast of Passover became another demonstration of the covenant of blood in action. The blood would come from a lamb. Its mark on their doorposts identified the obedient servants who participated in the covenant. They only had to kill the lamb, paint their doors, and hide behind the blood.

Later, another Lamb would come to offer an even better blood covenant agreement with whosoever wanted to participate. Angels confirmed the promise of peace between God and man that was being offered by the blood when they cried, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” (Luke 2:14 NKJV).

First Step in Betrothal

The covenant of blood is also representative of the first step in the ancient Hebrew betrothal process. A man would go to his prospective bride’s home and knock on her door. His objective was not to come in for a cup of tea, but to see if she was willing to begin the first step in becoming his wife. She alone decided if she’d open the door and say yes. But if she did, they would drink the first of four cups, solidifying their intentions. This was called the Cup of Sanctification and it established their mutual desire to set themselves apart for each other.

This first cup demonstrates a blood covenant level of relationship between them. There is plenty of peace between them, but not yet much communion. That can increase if she continues to say yes for each of the next three cups he presents to her. If she’s willing, but only if she’s willing, they can develop a more intimate relationship through the next stages of the betrothal process. The cups of Bargaining, Redemption, and Praise will parallel the salt, sandal, and marriage covenants I’ll cover later.

Born-Again is Only the Beginning

Our beginning relationship with the Lord is like this. It’s a covenant of blood. We come into a born-again relationship when we accept the offer of his blood and enjoy the benefit of peace established between us. We know him as Master, God, Lord, and identify ourselves as his servants. But there isn’t yet much fellowship between us. Sadly, some people stop here, not realizing how much more intimacy God wants to have with them. But Hebrew Bridegroom that he is, the Lord won’t push us past where we want to go.

This initial relationship is like living in the encampment of the Israelites when they wandered in the desert. Hiding under the Passover blood qualified them to be citizens of the Kingdom of God. They were servants of the Most High God with the right to dwell around the tabernacle that sat in the middle of the encampment.

But there was a tabernacle in their midst that had an open gate to its courtyard. If they dared to step through it, they’d experience a closer relationship with the God they served. They could draw near and participate in his sacrifices—sacrifices of salt. And salt was a symbol of friendship.

Only you can put a stop to deeper fellowship with him. So don’t stop with just opening the door to Jesus. Invite him inside so he can take you farther and add a covenant of salt to your relationship.

If you’re ready to advance, come back next time when we’ll explore adding friendship with God to our role as his servants.

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