Step Six - Covenant Mark and Oath - part 1 of 2 (covenant series)

Another image by Gwen Meharg - a friend and inspiring artist.

6.         Covenant mark and oath

This step of covenant has multiple parts, so I am breaking the teaching up into two parts so that you are not overwhelmed and can truly internalize the richness of this step of covenant!

Parts of making the covenant mark:

a.         The right arm is raised, the palms cut and then brought together.  As this is done, the blood of the covenant partners intermingle.  As the blood intermingles, it was believed that their lives were intermingling and becoming one life.  This is because “the life is in the blood”.  Our blood is our life and to intermingle blood is to intermingle life….so…in a sense, covenant makers are "putting off our old nature and putting on the new nature" of our blood covenant partner.  We two are becoming one.  Man has always believed that intermingling blood is intermingling life.  Thus, this act symbolically shows the two of us becoming one.

This 'bringing together of palms' is what we know as a handshake.

b.         As the partners stand there with their blood intermingling, they exchange names.  “I take your last name as part of my name, and you take my last name as part of your name.” The new name was a way of announcing to the world that there had been a covenant made between the ones whose names were changed and joined.

A Biblical example of this is when Abram's name was changed to Abraham in Genesis 17, verse 5. God had initiated a covenant promise with Abram in Genesis 15 (you can read the passage here and you will recognize the covenant steps!) and some 15 years later (Genesis 17), God appears again to Abram, speaking in covenant language and initiating the name change, combining Abram's name with God's..."Abram" + "Yah" of God's name "Yahweh"...what a powerful reminder to Abraham, that God is forever on his side; eternally and irrevocably linked to him!

c.         Making the scar:

            The next step is to rub the intermingled blood together and make a scar as a permanent testimony to the covenant; a type of "seal".  The scar will bear witness to the covenant that was made.  It will always be there to remind the partners of their covenant responsibilities to each other.  It is the guarantee of their covenant.   

            If anyone tries to harm one of the partners, all they have to do is raise up that right arm and show their scar.  By that we are saying, “There’s more to me than meets the eye.  If you’re coming after me, you’re also going to have to fight my blood covenant partner.  And you don’t know how big he is.  So what are you going to do?  Are you going to take your chances or back off?”  If the would be attacker has any sense, he’s going to back off.  So the scar is our seal that testifies to the covenant.

II Corinthians 1:21-22 declares that the giving of the Holy Spirit is our 'seal of covenant' with God:

 "...it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, 22 and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee."

 and Ephesians 1:13-14:

"In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee[d] of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it..."

Such powerful truths about our covenant making and keeping God is woven throughout the scriptures that we hold dear, even when we don't understand the incredible depth of meaning they contain!

heARTfilled blessings,
Cindy