First, I will start by including information about “cutting covenant.” According to E.W. Kenyon there are three reasons men have cut covenant with one another.
1)A weaker tribe would cut covenant with a stronger tribe living in close proximity that they might be preserved.
2)Two businessmen might cut covenant when entering into a partnership to insure that neither would be taken advantage of.
3)If two men who loved each other as David and Jonathan in the Bible did, they would cut covenant for love's sake.
For more information about the method of cutting covenant, you might be interested in reading The Blood Covenant by Kenyon.
For now, we will relate the cutting of covenant to the terms Old and New Covenant in the Bible.
Let's look at the following scriptures
“It is written, that Abraham had two sons,the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. But he who was born of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise. Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants.” (Galatians 4: 22-24)
“Behold, the days come...that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel... not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers.” (Jeremiah 31:31-32) This passage is also quoted in Hebrews 8:13, “In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old.”
Jesus spoke of the New Covenant in His blood. It is important for every Christian to understand the two covenants. They indicate two stages of dealing with man. In the fellowship with God and man, there are two parties. With these two covenants, both God and man are given opportunity to demonstrate their part in the covenant. In the Old Testament, we find that man was given every opportunity to prove what he could do. As man proved unfaithful and weak, even with all the grace God bestowed upon him.
The New Covenant was the one promised by God would never be broken because He himself keeps it and ensures our keeping it also. It is an everlasting covenant.
God made man in His own image. The problem that was presented was man was given his own free will and the ability to choose his own way. God is always the Source and man the recipient of His grace. When man fell into sin, God's plan of salvation was already in place. He entered into the covenant of Salvation with man. There were still two sides of the relationship in this covenant... man and God. Man will always have a choice and this is the reason for the first and second covenants.
In the Old Testament, man's desires and efforts were fully awakened and he was given time and opportunity with God's help to prove His faithfulness. When his efforts and inability to conquer sin were evident, the New Covenant came. Man's true liberty from sin and recognition of who he really is in Christ would only come in his absolute dependence upon God.
There are two ways of serving and worshipping God, one in preparation and promise and the other fulfillment and possession of the blessing of God. Entering into a New Covenant relationship with God is the answer to experiencing the joy of the Spirit of Christ living in you. Your identity in Him will be sealed as you come to understand this everlasting covenant and all the blessings and promise of this more intimate relationship with Christ.
In the next lesson we will talk about the transition from Old Covenant to New Covenant.
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