18 Therefore even the first covenant was not inaugurated without blood. 19 For when every commandment had been spoken by Moses to all the people according to the Law, he took the blood of the calves and the goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, 20 saying, “This is the blood of the covenant which God commanded you.”
Some confusion exists concerning this chapter of Scripture over whether the word “covenant” can legitimately refer to a last will and testament (vss. 15-17), and also then, in our present verses, refer to a formal agreement. And this confusion makes the passage tedious to understand. We leave it to the academics to sort out the technical, literary conventions being used. The main point is that just like there needs to be the death of an individual in order for his last will and testament to be enacted, so also there needed to be a death in order for the Mosaic covenant to be enacted.
The first covenant clearly was preparatory for the second covenant and prefigured it. This is what the book of Hebrews clearly shows. In getting ready to show that the New Covenant was inaugurated with the death of Christ (symbolized by His shed blood), the Old Covenant was inaugurated with the death of animals (symbolized by their shed blood). Blood has always been at the forefront of God’s dealings with His image bearers. It is a continual reminder of death, the life of the body flowing out of the body. In fact, the English word “blood” is found over 400 times in the Bible, 22 times in the book of Hebrews alone. It’s a big deal with God!
The first time blood is mentioned in Scripture is in connection with the first taking of life. God said to Cain, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to Me from the ground. Now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand” (Gen 4:10–11). So when Moses later took the blood of “calves and goats,” that was a stark reminder of death that had come into the world through the sinfulness of men. Originally death entered as a result of Adam’s sin, but the symbol of the blood came in the murder of Abel by Cain.
Moses, after reading to the people the entire Law, that he had received on Mt. Sinai, then sprinkled the symbol of life and death onto the Book of the Law and symbolically sprinkled the people. This symbolized that death is to remain in the picture when interacting with God. We are created beings, and our lives hang in the balance with God.
Lord, help me to never forget how serious it is when You make an agreement, a covenant with Your people. It is a matter of life and death.
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