Genesis 15 is among the most important chapters in the Bible. I would go so far as to say the whole Bible can be understood in the context of this chapter. This is the chapter where God and Abram come together to make a blood covenant. Now it may seem odd that something so foreign to us as a blood covenant could play such an important role in our most sacred book, but we must discard the foreignness and perceive the subject more deeply.
Living a nomadic life in Abram’s time, you were largely on your own. Back then there was no life insurance you could purchase, no 911 you could dial, no means of security in the sense that we think of it today. Those mechanisms simply weren’t in place for a nomad living 4000 years ago. So if you (a husband and father during that time) died unexpectedly, what was to happen to your wives, your young children, to your flocks and your herds? How would you insure their protection if something happened to you?
This is where blood covenants came into play. Historically speaking, blood covenants were practiced in Israel, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, even among the Indians in North America. Blood covenants are still practiced in some regions of the Middle East. Here, for example, you can read the account of a intelligent native Syrian who saw one consummated in a village at the base of the mountains of Lebanon.
What is a blood covenant? Essentially if two men develop a meaningful friendship, Person A (for now, William) might express a desire to enter into a blood covenant with Person B (for now, Johnson). If Johnson agrees, the two men enter into such a pact. The pact becomes a lifelong binding contract, one of insurance and protection for both parties. Upon the death of William, Johnson promises to take care of William’s wives, children, and property. Upon the death of Johnson, William pledges to do likewise for Johnson’s family and property. The covenant works on this basis: If I die, you will take care of what is mine. If I am murdered, you will track down my killer and take vengeance in my name. And if something happens to you, I will do the same in return.
When you study Semitic blood covenants, the details may differ depending on the account. Some components of the ritual may be invoked while other components are left out. Sometimes all of the components will be included. The people of that time understood what was taking place without having to involve every detail. For our purposes, let’s highlight every feature found in a Semitic blood covenant, the kind Abraham and his contemporaries knew well.
Witnesses
The covenant was done in the presence of witnesses. The two covenant makers would call together their families, neighbors, and friends to witness the transaction. This meant preparations had to be made ahead of time.
The covenant was done in the presence of witnesses. The two covenant makers would call together their families, neighbors, and friends to witness the transaction. This meant preparations had to be made ahead of time.
Two Copies Made and Worn
Two identical copies of the covenant were written and read aloud. Both copies were signed in blood by each party. The copies were then sealed and put into packets or amulets. Going forward, the amulets would be worn around the neck or the arm of each party.
Halving the Animal(s)
The men would take an animal(s)––usually something large like an ox––and they would cut it down the middle, from head to toe. They would then take the two halves of the animal and lay those pieces on the ground opposite each other. The two men would walk shoulder to shoulder between the two halves. This showed that they were united by one blood.
A Cut Made to Exchange Blood
The men would each make a cut in the right forearm, hand, or wrist. They might place a reed in the wound to suck some of the blood. (Now once the Torah was established, this wasn’t done among the Jewish people because drinking blood was strictly prohibited.) Or, they might put their forearms together, joining the cuts and allowing their blood to flow together. Either way, the wound would be maintained so as to create a heavy scar. Such a permanent mark on the forearm would indicate to strangers a blood covenant relationship. This afforded some protection, because if the stranger had malicious intent, the stranger would see the scar and wonder, Who’s got his back? Who’s this guy in covenant with? The thought is, If I rob or kill this guy, he has a goel––a “kinsman redeemer”––who will come after me.
Exchange of Names
The two men would exchange names. They would take part of one man’s name and give it to the other man. So if William and Johnson enter into a blood covenant, William might be known afterward as Williamson. Whatever the combination, the two names would be merged somehow.
Exchange of Property
Property would be exchanged. Often some armor or a sword would be traded. If the men owned land, they would exchange some of their land. If the men were nomadic, they would exchange a portion of their flocks.
Exchange of Sons
If each party had a young son, occasionally the men would go so far as to exchange their sons, such that William would raise Johnson’s son as his own, and Johnson would raise William’s son as his own. This practice promised to bring their families together long term.
The Covenant Meal
The men, their families, and the witnesses would eat a covenant meal in celebration of the promises made.
These are the features of an ancient Semitic blood covenant. Taken together, they provide some historical and cultural context with which to understand the events in Genesis 15. What transpires in that chapter is no less than earth-shaking. Think about it... the God of the universe enters into a blood covenant with a mere mortal!
It should blow your mind as much as it did Abram’s. Abram wouldn’t dream of such a thing in a million years! That God would establish a blood covenant with him––something so audacious would never begin to cross his mind. How is that even possible? Because remember, the basis of a blood covenant is: If I die, you will take care of my wife and kids, but if you die, I will take care of yours. The thing is, God is eternal! He is never going to die. So such a covenant would seem very one-sided. Abram has everything to gain and God has nothing to gain. Again, Abram wouldn’t begin to suggest such a thing.
But incredibly, God does. He initiates it! He is the one who approaches Abram!
Just imagine what goes through Abram’s mind when God says, “Take some animals, cut them in half, and lay the pieces out opposite each other.” I picture Abram doing a double-take at the sky. “Hold up––say what?!” Abram is taken back. But he does as he is asked: he takes the animals, cuts them in half, and lays them out. What happens next? God meets His friend there as promised.
“It came about when the sun had set, that it was very dark, and behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a flaming torch which passed between these pieces.” At the moment this happens, Abram is caught in a tardemah––a deep sleep––and he sees God in the form of a smoking oven and a flaming torch pass between the pieces. Abram doesn’t pass between the pieces; only God does.
Why?
God seems to be saying, “Abram, I’m not going to die, so this covenant will be eternal. However you are going to die, so there’s no way you can honor the terms as I will. There’s no way you can walk shoulder to shoulder with Me. Therefore I alone will pass between these pieces. I make this pledge to you: as long as I am alive, I will take care of your children––forever, and ever, and ever.”
Why does God assume the form of a smoking oven and a flaming torch? Well what is it that these have in common? Fire. Our God is a consuming fire. But going a step further, the purpose of the fire of the torch is to give light. The purpose of the fire of the smoking oven is to give heat. God is showing us two aspects of Himself, two qualities of the covenant. Abram’s descendants––those natural born and those grafted in––will know the defining light of God’s Glory, and they will experience the refining heat of His Holiness. There’s no escaping it; it’s the nature of the One we are in covenant relationship with. We are told, “On that day the Lord karath a covenant with Abram.” God cut a covenant with Abram, and it is here that the Bible starts.
What we find next are the components of a Semitic blood covenant:
Witnesses:
According to two witnesses a matter shall stand (Deuteronomy 19:15). So where are the witnesses of this covenant? Who will testify to what God swore to Abram? Deuteronomy 30:19 tells us. God calls heaven and earth to act as witnesses. They beheld the blood covenant, so they will testify.
Two copies are made and worn:
God commands Abram’s descendants to “set these words of Mine in your heart and in your soul. You are to bind them as a sign on your hand, and as frontlets between your eyes” (Deuteronomy 11:18). God commands His leaders to “write for [themselves] a copy of this law on a scroll in the presence of the priests” (Deuteronomy 17:18). What are they writing? What are they wearing? Their own copy of the covenant, so to speak.
Halving the Animal(s)
Abram brings three choice-animals in the prime of their life (a cow, a goat, and a ram). He cuts them in half and lays their pieces opposite each other. Abram also brings two birds, but the birds are not cut. Genesis 15:11 adds this detail: “Then birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.” These unkosher birds of prey represent the enemy (Matthew 13:19) trying to disrupt and defile the process, trying to pick away at what is sacred. Abram drives the enemy away.
A Cut is Made / An Exchange of Blood:
When God calls Abram to be circumcised, no doubt Abram relates it to the blood covenant. The cut is not what surprises him. The location of the cut is what surprises him––not in a public place like the forearm, but in a private, intimate place. [Why circumcision?] But such is the nature of this covenant; its evidence is found in a private, intimate place. “The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live” (Deuteronomy 30:6). The male organ is certainly private and intimate, but there is nothing more private and intimate than your heart.
The Exchange of Names:
The covenant changes everything. Abram becomes Abraham, and Sarai becomes Sarah. Now we know that God’s personal name (as revealed to Moses at the burning bush) consists of four Hebrew letters: yod, hei, vav, hei. Notice the letter hei is used twice. (The letter hei makes the “H” sound.) In keeping with the covenant, God adds the letter hei to Abram’s name, making it AbraHam. God adds the letter hei to Sarai’s name, making it SaraH. In other words, God gives them half of His own Name!
Here’s what it looks like in Hebrew (reading from right to left):
The Exchange of Property:
The Exchange of Sons:
When God tells Abraham to alah Isaac as an olah, Abraham understands it in terms of a Semitic blood covenant. Since these covenants could involve an exchange of sons, Abraham assumes this is what God is referring to. So he complies. But we know the story: a substitute dies in Isaac’s place.
A quick side note: God asks for Abraham’s only son. But doesn’t he have two sons––Isaac and Ishmael? How can God ask for the “only” son if he already has two sons? It’s a good question that deserves to be raised. You see, Abraham had only one son: Isaac. Abram had had Ishmael, but Abraham had had Isaac. This is an important distinction. It speaks to the truth that when Abram entered into the blood covenant, the covenant changed his very essence. He became a new man altogether (another reason why God changed his name, to reflect the change of person). So when God asks Abraham for his only son, there is only one son that Abraham has, and that is Isaac.
We return to the subject at hand. As we know, God surrenders His only Son to Abraham’s family, and God’s Son is brought up on Abraham’s land. God’s Son says in John 8:56, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day; he saw it and was glad.” This means Abraham foresaw the day God would give His Son to Abraham’s family. I think the foresight derived from Abraham’s understanding of the blood covenant. When God asked to be given Isaac, Abraham knew then that that component of the blood covenant would be involved, and that God would someday give His Son to Abraham according to the terms of exchange.
The Covenant Meal
In Genesis 15, we see the blood covenant being made between God and Abraham. But where do we find the covenant meal? We read about it in Isaiah 25:6-8:
On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples
a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine,
of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.
And he will swallow up on this mountain
the covering that is cast over all peoples,
the veil that is spread over all nations.
He will swallow up death forever;
and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces,
and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth,
for the Lord has spoken.
It is here that we find Abraham’s family, friends, and neighbors gathering together to partake in the meal of a lifetime, a celebration of the promises made. Isaiah goes on to write in the very next verse: “It will be said in that day: ‘Behold, this is our God, We waited for Him—He will save us. This is Adonai—we waited for Him. We will rejoice and be glad in His salvation.” It’s like Jesus said, “Abraham rejoiced to see My day; he saw it and was glad.” What a covenant meal this will be! When we all sit down to rejoice and be glad in God’s Yeshua! The Yeshua given to us in accordance to the blood covenant God made with Abraham some 4000 years ago.
Adonai, You are my God, I will exalt You,
I will praise Your Name,
for You have done wonderful things,
plans of old with steadfast faithfulness.
(Isaiah 25:1)
(Isaiah 25:1)
