Sealed in Blood

“…neither the first testament was dedicated without blood” (Heb 9:18)

The writer of Hebrews makes the case that Christ is superior to virtually every aspect of Temple-oriented Judaism, progressing first from the angelic realm (chapters 1 & 2) to Moses (chapters 3 & 4) to Aaron and the Levitical priesthood itself. In chapter 8, the author quotes the prophet Jeremiah: “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts” (Heb 8:10). Jesus Christ, he argues, has established that covenant Himself through His death and the presentation of His blood in the heavenly tabernacle: “the heavenly things [should be purified] themselves with better sacrifices…for Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself” (Heb 9:23b-24).

That the new covenant spoken of by Jeremiah needed to be sealed with the blood of a sacrifice may have been surprising to some. After all, Jeremiah did not talk about the shedding of any blood. Therefore, the writer reminds his audience that even the first covenant, given to Abram, was not without the shedding of blood at its outset, in addition to the ongoing blood sacrifices it required from the Levites.

In the fifteenth chapter of Genesis, we read where God commanded Abram to kill a heifer, a goat, a ram, a turtledove and a pigeon. Abram was to divide the animals in half, but not the birds. The halves he was to place on either side of a trench, allowing the blood to drain into it. When night fell, Abram was gripped by a terrible dream: “and it came to pass that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp…passed between those pieces” (Gen 15:17).

It was customary that, when two parties covenanted with one another, they would pass between slain animals in this manner so that the blood of the animals would soil and stain their robes. This would serve as a permanent reminder to them of the promise they had made and an oath to fulfill that promise, lest what happened to the animals happen to them. So, too, the new covenant spoken of by Jeremiah, was instituted with the shedding of blood; but this time, that blood was used to purify the implements in the heavenly tabernacle (Heb 9:23), allowing us to have “boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus” (Heb 10:19). RST