FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
Most Christians understand that The Covenant between God and believers was sealed with the blood of Jesus on the cross.
Let's go a little deeper:
> The covenant is spoken of in the Old Testament. God made a covenant with Abraham to which the Hebrew people (who later became Israelites) are heirs in the spiritual kingdom. Where was the blood that sealed that one? Gen. 17:10 Circumcision would spill that blood on behalf of man.
> Can we go back further? Was there a covenant with the first man? The first blood spilled in the Bible was God sacrificing animals to make clothes for sinful man and woman, Gen. 3:21. God uses animals to pay for man's sin.
> God further demands human blood through child birth, Gen. 3:16. The physical blood required is not enough to kill. It actually contributes to human life. God is love.
> With Adam and Eve, God is showing us the need for blood - the first signs of His plan of salvation, through the cross. This is the blood covenant sealed by both man and God.
> An agreement between two parties requires a payment of some sort from each party. God sacrificed a part of His creation (animals) throughout the entire Old Testament. Man and woman were also paying a price through circumcision and child birth (including a woman's menses, which makes birth possible); a blood covenant entered into by both parties.
> Both man and woman needed to be included in the covenant agreement because each was created separately and each had sinned apart from the other. Genesis 2 and 3
> This may be why Abel understood the need for animal sacrifice, which was accepted over his brother's offering of crops; sweat of man's brow, his own effort (indicative of pride).
The practice of animal sacrifice continued throughout the Old Testament as did the blood sacrifices of man and woman.
> When Christ was born, human blood was spilled to bring Him into this world as a physical man and animal sacrifices continued in the temple. This began the second covenant for our eternal life. Christ paid the price 33 years later - adding His spiritual signature, in blood, to the bottom line of the covenant.
> The blood of Christ was not human; His blood was completely divine - holy. The mother does not pass blood type to a fetus. Animals cannot provide the pure blood required to pay for human sin.
> Man continues to sin and so continues his/her part of the blood covenant through birth and circumcision. (Circumcision today is used as an aid to cleanliness. Although science proves this, we are loosing sight of the original purpose. God is using science to continue man's part of the covenant agreement. Ain't He clever?)
> So . . the First Covenant was with Adam. It was renewed with Abraham for the Hebrew Peoples. The Second Covenant was between Christ and all peoples who will believe in Him.
- Isn't this beautiful? God wants all to be saved to live forever. So well planned from the beginning of creation.
* Praise God for His all-encompassing love !
