The Blood of the Covenant..

Part 3 of 3

Do you realize that the shed blood of Jesus signifies the covenant that He has made? It's true. In Scripture, every covenant that was EVER instituted was done so on the basis of shed blood; sacrificial blood. No covenant was valid without the shedding of blood. As we have seen, the life is in the blood, and therefore shed blood speaks of a life that has been poured out for another. In the Old Testament, the blood on the Mercy Seat of the Ark of the Covenant was the evidence that death had occurred - An animal had given its life for an Israelite.

Notice the differing covenants that were solidified based on the shedding of blood:
- The Edenic Covenant: this covenant was made with Adam before the entrance of sin. It involved him giving of his own blood, when the Lord opened his side and took out his bride (shed blood). Adam's recognition of this sacrifice is found in his statement that Eve was "bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh" (Gen 2:18-25).
- The Adamic Covenant: this was made with Adam after he fell, expressing God's purpose in redemption. The Lord shed the blood of the animal that covered Adam and Eve in their coats of skin (Gen 3:21)
- The Noahic Covenant: this was made with Noah after the flood, and involved all creatures and future generations of mankind. Noah shed the blood of clean animals before the Lord (Gen 8:20)
- The Abrahamic Covenant: this was made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob after the Tower of Babel and the scattering of Noah's descendants. It involves National Israel, the Seed Messiah, and all believers of all nations. Abraham too was asked to shed blood and present an offering (Gen 15:7-17)
- The Mosaic Covenant: this was made with Israel after the Exodus, at Mt. Sinai. This covenant contained multiple sacrifices, signifying and pointing to the manifold atoning work of Jesus. There were voluntary and compulsory offerings (Lev 1-7), daily sacrifices (Numb 28:1-8), Sabbath day sacrifices (Numb 28:9-10), festival sacrifices (Lev 16:23; Numb 28-29), etc. This is a wonderful illustration that NO AMOUNT of continual animal sacrifices could EVER effectively remove sin. It could cover, but not remove. The necessity for Jesus' perfect and complete sacrifice is obvious.
- The Davidic Covenant: this was made with David and his house, both naturally and spiritually, ultimately pointing to the everlasting throne and kingdom of the Lord Jesus, David's greatest Son (the Son of man). David made several blood sacrifices (2 Sam 6:17-18; 1 Chron 16:1-3; etc), but also offered spiritual sacrifices, pointing to the coming New Covenant (Ps 27:6; 141:1; 116:17-19; Heb 13:15-16; 1 Pet 2:5).

The New Covenant is no different. The blood of Jesus is the blood of the New and everlasting Covenant (1 Pet 1:18-20). His is the very blood of God (Acts 20:28)! The epistle to the Hebrews says, "Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do his will..." (Heb 13:20-21). Because the covenant is everlasting, the blood of this covenant will also be everlasting. This blood will forever be upon God's throne in heaven, and will be the eternal evidence and reminder that Jesus shed His blood for the remission of our sins! What a memorial that will be!

Each time we partake of the Lord's body and blood at the communion table, we are, in fact, partaking of the covenant promises! Just what are these promises, you ask, that have been given to us by the blood of One greater, even the eternal and spotless Lamb of God? Observe:

The blood of Jesus:
- cleanses us from all sin (1 Jn 1:7)
- makes us white (clean) (Isa 1:18; Rev 7:14)
- sanctifies us (Heb 10:10)
- gives us access to the presence of the Father (Heb 10:19)
- makes us one body (1 Cor 10:17)
- is our faith (Rom 3:25)
- is our justification (Rom 5:9)
- overcomes Satan (Rev 12:11)

What glorious benefits!

As we partake of the elements, the bread and the wine, we partake of God's everlasting covenant; we eat and drink at the covenant table, eating His flesh and drinking His blood, partaking of His divine life! The blood of Jesus binds us together, to Him, and to one another. May He minister the benefits of this blood to us today, by the power of the Spirit and in the power of an endless life! Amen.