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The Scriptorium

The Blood of the Covenant

Why is blood so much a part of God's covenant?

Hebrews 8 and 9 (5)

Introduction
Blood plays a large role in God’s covenant, in both its Old and New dispensations. The shedding of blood is both a real sacrifice and a symbolic one. Since “the life of the flesh is in the blood” (Lev. 17.9-11), the shedding of blood offers the payment due for sin (Rom. 6.23). At the same time, it symbolizes the yielding of one’s life in obedience to God. In the Old Covenant, the blood of spotless animals covered the sins of God’s people for a season, and both reminded them that they would need to do this again soon enough, and instilled in them a longing for more permanent atonement. In the New Covenant, the blood of the eternal spotless Son of God removes the sins of all who believe in Him, and thus provides the final blood sacrifice. In thinking about returning to Judaism, the first readers of this epistle were turning away from the New Covenant, hoping to find rest in the Old Covenant. Not a good idea.

Read Psalm 50.

Read Hebrews 9.16-22.

Think it through.

1.  In our passage, the writer uses the language of testament rather than covenant, because he wants to put God’s dealings with us in more familiar terms. When one writes a testament– we would say a will – he includes in it promises of what is to take place upon his death. According to Jeremiah 31.31-34, what are the promises of the new covenant? Who made that testament? According to Hebrews 9.16, 17, when would those promises begin to be in effect? How can you see that this covenant is in view even as early as Genesis 15.8-20? So if Christ died to fulfill the promises given through Abraham and Jeremiah, why does it not make sense for the first readers of this epistle to be seeking rest somewhere other than in Christ?

2.  The administration of the Old Covenant involved a good deal of blood, even from the beginning, as we see in verses 18-22. Why was this necessary? What did it say about Israel’s role in the covenant? Blood symbolized both death and life in the Old Covenant. Explain. Importantly, the blood of the Old Covenant was not Israel’s blood, but that of animals. More importantly, the blood of the New Covenant wasIsrael’s blood, and for all human beings, and all creation. Explain. 

Meditate.
“How did he become mediator? He brought words from God and brought them to us, conveying what came from the Father and adding his own death. We had offended; we ought to have died. He died for us and made us worthy of the covenant. By this is the covenant secure, in that henceforward it is not made for the unworthy.” John Chrysostom (344-407 AD)

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Romans 3.23-26

Thank You, Jesus, that Your blood, shed on the cross, has fulfilled God’s covenant so that I…

Pray Psalm 22.22-26.
As you pray, remember Jesus’ “affliction,” and thank and praise the Lord for His shed blood.

Psalm 22.23-27 (Darwall: Rejoice, the Lord is King)
All you who fear the Lord, now praise His holy Name!
You children of His glorious Word, declare His fame!
We stand in awe of our eternal God, and on His mercy call.

For He has not despised the anguish of our King,
Nor from Him hid His eyes, Who knew such suffering.
Let praise arise from all who love and serve the Ruler of the skies!

The suff’ring King shall eat and praise with us the Lord.
Forever we His praise repeat and trust His Word.
Praise God above, all you who keep His vows and who His mercies love!

T. M Moore

For a better understanding of the book of Hebrews, and all the books of the Bible, order a copy of the workbook, God’s Covenant, from our online store. The studies in this workbook will show you how the parts of the Bible connect with one another to tell the story of God’s redemption and glory (click here). To learn more about Christ in His exaltation, order the book, The Kingship of Jesus (click here).

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing adapted from The Ailbe Psalter. All quotations from Church Fathers from Ancient Christian Commentary Series, General Editor Thomas C. Oden (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2006.

T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.
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