Page 13 - The Marriage Covenant

It is important here to note that Yahweh chose specific items to denote the covenant
that was made. These same elements appear in other covenants that Yahweh has made.
These symbols are also found throughout God’s creation wherever a covenant is present.
At times these symbols will be hidden from our eyes, but they are present nevertheless. As
we will see, the elements of the blood covenant are present whenever a man goes into his
virgin bride for the first time.
What are the identifiable elements in the covenant Yahweh made with Abrham? There
is flesh, represented in the beasts. There is a division of the flesh, even as the animals were
cut into two halves. There is blood, which is always the consequence of the flesh being cut.
And there is a passing between the pieces of flesh in the path of blood.
Henry Stanley, who spoke the famous words, “Dr. Livingstone, I presume,” wrote of
the prominence of the blood covenant rite in his travels through Africa. One way in which
the blood covenant was practiced in Africa is observed in the illustration above. Animals
were cut in two and the halves laid opposite one another. The blood would run down
between the pieces. The two men who were making covenant would then each walk barefoot
through the blood between the pieces.
It was understood by the covenanting parties that “life is in the blood.” By walking in
the blood of these animals they were effectually pledging their lives to one another. In
addition, there were often terrible imprecations spoken, indicating what would happen if
the covenant was not upheld. We witness this terrible aspect of the covenant in Yahweh’s
compact with Abraham. Although no threatening words were uttered by God, we read of
Abraham’s sense of great terror. “Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon
Abram; and behold, terror and great darkness fell upon him...”
A covenant was the most solemn agreement that could be made. It was literally a
death pledge. Traditional marriage vows end with the words, “until death do us part.” This
is because a marriage is more than a contract, or a partnership. A marriage is more than a
social arrangement of mutual benefit. From the very beginning, Yahweh ordained the
union of a man and woman to be a covenant unto death.
It will be demonstrated conclusively in this series of teachings that the marriage union
is most certainly a blood covenant. One of the major subjects of covenants found
throughout Scriptures is the promise of sons, or of godly offspring. This was the context of
Yahweh’s covenant with Abraham. Abraham had remained without a son for many years
as his wife Sarah was barren. Abraham desired greatly to see fruit come forth from his loins,
and to be a father. Yahweh promised Abraham that he would indeed be the father of many
nations, and that one nation in particular would be set aside as holy unto God.
This promised son, and the nation to arise from him, was to be the fruit of the union
of Abraham and his wife Sarah. All the other nations that arose from Abraham’s loins came
either through Sarah’s Egyptian servant Hagar, or through Abraham’s second wife Keturah,
whom he married after Sarah had died.
Yahweh has created man in his image and likeness. One of Yahweh’s great desires is
to have sons in His own image, and He has placed this desire in the heart of man. What
Yahweh had actually promised Abraham was that he would father sons who would be holy
unto Yahweh.
When two men enter into a blood covenant of friendship, they literally are pledging
themselves in every area of their lives to one another. Yahweh literally pledged to Abraham
that He would undertake for him to raise up a godly seed. Abraham had no power to
accomplish this by any power of his own. Therefore Yahweh walked between the pieces