Day 19

The Covenant Ceremony

from the Exodus reading plan


Exodus 23:20-33, Exodus 24:1-18, Matthew 26:26-29, Hebrews 9:18-22

BY Kaitie Stoddard

Playing make believe in the fields, building forts in the woods, dancing in the woods—this is how my best friend and I spent our childhood together. She was the sister I never had. With a bandana, we tied our wrists together and proclaimed ourselves “blood sisters.” We didn’t take any action, but in our imaginations her “blood” ran through my veins and mine through hers. Archaic as it seemed, we believed that would unite us in an unbreakable way. 

What I grasped better as a child than I do as an adult is that blood is more than physical cells. In our Western world, we generally view blood as a way to test and treat disease or a way to dramatize a movie. We are so far removed from a sacrificial culture that we struggle to see the true power of this red liquid.

In the age of Moses, people believed that blood could sanctify and blood could bind. Don’t miss what happened when Moses took the sacrificial blood and threw half of it on the altar and half of it on the leaders of the people. This was not a scene from a horror movie or a superficial gesture. With the sprinkling of blood, the God of grace and the people of slavery were united. Moses took the blood, splattered it on the people, and said, ‘This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you’” (Exodus 24:8).

Fallen people have always needed a way to be right with the perfect Lord. Throughout the ages, God has graciously provided different ways and covenants to commune with His people. In the Old Testament, we see animal sacrifices, rules, and promises, and we might be tempted to think it’s outdated. But even today we need a mediator to access our holy God. 

As believers on this side of the cross, we celebrate a new covenant that God made with His people. It is now Jesus who intercedes on our behalf with the Father. Rather than oxen blood thrown on an altar and our leaders, it is the blood of Christ that cleanses our sins and binds us to the Lord. The blood of Christ truly transforms us into God’s children.

As daughters of the King, we are blessed to be able to commune with the Lord at any moment. This access is made possible only through the new covenant of Christ. May we remember today the power and beauty in the blood that Jesus shed for us.

Post Comments (26)

26 thoughts on "The Covenant Ceremony"

  1. Anita J says:

    ❤️

  2. Mariah says:

    I am not a mother, and I truly cannot imagine the pain of losing a child. However, it’s important to consider that this text was God speaking directly to His people at a specific time in history. This was an instruction for their providence in their new life out of enslavement under the Egyptians. We are no longer under the old covenant but the new. Jesus fulfilled the first, and he establish the second.

  3. Briana Bennett says:

    After reading this this morning, I asked Siri to play me a song while I was making breakfast for my kids. Out of all the songs she could play, “thank you Jesus for the blood applied” by charity Gail came on. Whewww!!! Praise God!!

  4. Terri Baldwin says:

    The blood of Jesus gives true purification, and passes into our veins to become our life. “Believe and Live!”

  5. Olivia Vollmer says:

    Yes, it’s hard to read. I’ve lost 4 babies. Thankful to have 1 earth side. I also think of Hannah and Sarah and how God used their barren years for His glory. There is a purpose, as hard as it is.

  6. Marya Kat says:

    Kaitly I have had three miscarriages. Also two abortions when I was very young. Honestly this passage didn’t jump out at me when I read it. My thought is that it was a promise for that particular time and place. As believers we can take heart that we will see our children again. But believe me, I know the sorrow never completely goes away. Grace to you,

  7. SEARCHING HERE says:

    KAITY MEADE – my understanding of this section is that the promise/blessing was for the specific purpose of increasing the population of the God’s people. God’s plan was a gradual transition so that as their enemies were defeated, the population would have increased to handle the additional land and responsibilities.

  8. Kaity Meade says:

    Any fellow babyloss mamas struggle with 23:26 and the fact that no miscarriage is a promise of blessing/covenant?

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