6# Mishpatim (Ex. 21:1-24:18) (MOUNT SINAI: ‘NOTHING BUT THE BLOOD’) (2-13-21)

⁣(THE BLOOD COVENANT: ‘IT ALL GOES UP IN SMOKE’!)(Exodus 24:5-8)And Moses took the Blood, Sprinkled it on the People, and said:“This is the ‘Blood of The Covenant’ which the Lord has made with you according to all these words”


When Israel stood under The Mountain on the first Pentecost, they were there to enter into a ‘New Covenant’ with God. The giving of the Torah was just such a Covenant. It was given that He might become their God and they might become His people. It was a Covenant, and a The Middle Eastern Covenant is a formal declaration of a two Party, or more, Contract Agreement. Exodus 24 tells the story of The New Covenant Rituals which served to ratify the Sinai Covenant. It is one of the most crucial passages in all The Scriptures; it is filled with depth, mystery and Messianic importance.In The Biblical Middle Eastern Covenant, there are 9 Steps:
(1.) ‘Exchange ‘coats’ or ‘garments’

(2.) ‘Exchange belts’

(3.) Cut the Covenant

(4.) ‘Mix Blood’

(5.) ‘Given a New Name’
(6.) ‘Make a Scar’
(7.) ‘Give Covenant terms or Promises’

(8.) ‘Eat Memorial Meal’

(9.) ‘Plant a Memorial Tree’


Among the different forms of Covenanting in The Ancient Near East, none was more sacred and binding than a ‘Blood Covenant’. A Blood Covenant was the deepest and strongest of all relationships. The commitment of a Blood Covenant was absolutely binding on the parties entering that Covenant. It was a Blood Covenant that God sought to make with His people with the giving of The Torah at Mount Sinai. The following text details the covenant ceremony. The rituals of the ceremony reflect the rituals of Blood Covenanting:(Midrash, Genesis Rabbah 26):“The person entering the Covenant Cut’s Sacrificial animals in two pieces. After declaring his Covenant Vows, the two parties walked between the severed halves of the animals and swearing their allegiances to each other.“The ‘Blood of the Animals’, are then mixed together in one vessel making their lives as if they were a single Life. (Life for Life).After which the two persons are ‘Covered in the Sacrifice’s Blood’ symbolizing that through the Sacrificial Blood, all parties become one with the Covenant!“In an ancient document known as the Sefire covenant treaty, from the 8th century BCE., records our standard Covenant Ritual, where one Bir Ga'yah says to his enemy Mati'el: “Just as the animals are cut in two, so may Mati'el be cut in two and may his nobles be cut in two, if they violate their legal obligations”The severed carcass depicted what should happen to the Covenanting parties if they broke the terms of their agreement, ‘Cut For Cut’, ‘Eye For Eye’, ‘Measure For Measure’, (Blood for Blood, Life for Life).Keeping each of these elements in mind, we are now prepared to examine The New Covenant at Sinai as it is related in Exodus chapter 24. (THE BLOOD COVENANT: ‘IT ALL GOES UP IN SMOKE’!)…