Matthew 26:28 - The Blood of the Covenant

BLOOD OF THE COVENANT

Exodus 24:3-8 [3] Moses came and told the people all Yahweh’s words, and all the ordinances; and all the people answered with one voice, and said, “All the words which Yahweh has spoken will we do.” [4] Moses wrote all Yahweh’s words, and rose up early in the morning, and built an altar under the mountain, and twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel. [5] He sent young men of the children of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of cattle to Yahweh. [6] Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. [7] He took the book of the covenant and read it in the hearing of the people, and they said, “All that Yahweh has spoken will we do, and be obedient.” [8] Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, “Look, this is the blood of the covenant, which Yahweh has made with you concerning all these words.”

Matthew 26:26-29 [26] As they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks for it, and broke it. He gave to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” [27] He took the cup, gave thanks, and gave to them, saying, “All of you drink it, [28] for this is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many for the remission of sins. [29] But I tell you that I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on, until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s Kingdom.”

Matthew 26:28 [GerNeUe] Das ist mein Blut, das Blut, das für viele zur Vergebung der Sünden vergossen wird und den Bund zwischen Gott und Menschen besiegelt.

This German translation expands the sentence in order to give what the translators see as the fuller meaning. It says: “This is my blood, the blood, that for many is poured out for the forgiveness of sins and to seal the covenant between God and men.”

The Blood of the [New] Covenant does three things:

1. It enacts/ratifies the covenant (at a high cost to God)
2. It is shed for the forgiveness of sins
   1. First, that we may be cleanses to enter into the covenant
   2. Second, that we may be cleansed while in the covenant to remain in it
3. It empowers the partakers to fulfill their responsibilities in the covenant (when partaken of rightly)
   1. see Rev 12:11; John 6:53; Heb 9:13-14

The Covenant stated most simply by scripture:

Here are some simple scriptural statements of the new covenant in its most basic form. Each of these verses says what is ultimately the same thing in different ways. If we turn from the world, self and sin to live instead for God, God will forgive us our sins and give us eternal life with him.

1. Matthew 16:24-25 [24] Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. [25] For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, and whoever will lose his life for my sake will find it.
   1. If we are willing to lose our own life for Jesus' sake, he will give us our life in its greatest sense
2. Acts 3:19-21 [19] “Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, so that there may come times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord, [20] and that he may send Christ Jesus, who was ordained for you before, [21] whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God spoke long ago by the mouth of his holy prophets.
   1. If we repent, God will blot out our sins, send refreshing, and send Jesus a second time to restore all things
3. Luke 24:47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
   1. If we repent, if we turn from sin to live for God, God will grant forgiveness
4. 2 Timothy 2:11-13 [11] This saying is faithful: “For if we died with him, we will also live with him. [12] If we endure, we will also reign with him. If we deny him, he also will deny us. [13] If we are faithless, he remains faithful. He can’t deny himself.”
   1. If we die with him, and live not for self but for God, he will give us life with him.
   2. If we endure in following him, he will cause us to reign with him.
5. 2 Corinthians 5:15 He died for all, that those who live should no longer live to themselves, but to him who for their sakes died and rose again. 1 Corinthians 15:3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
   1. We no longer live for ourselves but for him who died and rose again; He died for our sins
6. John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
   1. If we believe in him, faithfully following him to the end (not believed but believes), he will give us eternal life.

Acts 5:30-32 [30] The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you killed, hanging him on a tree. [31] God exalted him with his right hand to be a Prince and a Savior, to give repentance to Israel, and remission of sins. [32] We are His witnesses of these things; and so also is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

The Psalmist wrote (Psalm 130:3-4), If you, Lord, kept track of our sin, who could stand; but with you if found forgiveness, that you may be feared. When he writes, “with you is found forgiveness,” he is saying what the apostles spoke so long after. God has given/opened to men the possibility of repenting, of living a life of repentance, that those who do repent, who live such a repentant life, can receive forgiveness of sins. It is no small thing that God has done in working out all the details of opening to men the door of repentance and with it forgiveness of sins.

The New Covenant and the Covenant of Marriage

Married life is a life of covenant. Marriage begins when a man and woman make vows to each other. They vow to love one another faithfully until death. At its best, this covenant life, living in this marriage covenant, brings true joy and relationship that fulfills. When each spouse pursues loving the other as much as possible, the life in this marriage covenant is truly wonderful. When each spouse is committed to making the other spouse love them as much as possible, the life in this marriage covenant is not what it was intended to be.

Marriage, and so the marriage covenant, is an illustration of the covenant life with God into which a person enters when they vow to turn from sin and live faithfully for and with God. Daily living in this covenant, turning from sin and walking in joyful and humble obedience with God brings righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, and true and everlasting life. Just as in the marriage covenant life, so in this New Covenant: when we make it our aim and goal to love our God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength, we will find this New Covenant, and the God with whom we have made this covenant, to be eternal life. When we do otherwise, we will also find otherwise.

TO PUT THIS ALL TOGETHER:

The Blood of the Covenant Enacts/Ratifies the Covenant

When we partake of the bread and wine, we should remember that this is the blood of the new covenant. It should remind us that some time in the past we turned from the path of this world to the narrow path that leads to life, following Jesus. On one hand, we should remember that we have entered into this covenant with God and his Son Jesus Christ. We have made binding vows (Psalm 56:12), and should walk faithfully with our God in this covenant (which leads to life). On the other hand, as we partake of the wine, we should recall the high price paid by God in order to enact this covenant with us. It is the new covenant in his blood (Luke 22:20). Let us say with the Psalmist, “Your vows are on me, God. I will give thank offerings to you” (Psalm 56:12).

The Blood of the Covenant is shed for the forgiveness of sins

We may enter into this blessed New Covenant with God because the blood of Jesus was shed for our sins. God cannot just ignore our sins prior to our repentance and new life. When we partake of the bread and wine, we should call to mind our former manner of life (Titus 3:1-3; 1 Peter 4:1-3), and the price God paid to redeem us from that into this New Covenant with himself (1 Peter 1:18-19).

Further, as we partake, we should also remember that God has provided for us to remain with him in the New Covenant. We ought not to sin (1 John 2:1), and he has given us all we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3), but, if we do sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous (1 John 2:1-2), whose blood was shed for the forgiveness of sins. Let us take caution in this matter, for our God tells us that if we go on sinning willfully, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins (Hebrews 10:26). Let us live a life of humble and joyful repentance (for it is in such a life that we receive grace from our God). Or, let us walk in the light – As the apostle John wrote, “If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

The Blood of the Covenant gives us power to those who partake of it to fulfill their vows to God in this covenant

Those who partake of the bread and wine in an unworthy manner find judgment and a curse. Those who partake worthily find grace. As we partake worthily, we should remember that the God with whom we have entered into this New Covenant has given us all things for life and godliness. He has given us real power to fulfill our vows to turn from the world, self and sin and to live faithfully for God. In some way, one of the ways we receive this grace, one of the ways we are strengthened to walk faithfully and rightly with God in this New Covenant, is through partaking of the bread and wine, the blood of the new covenant.

Here are a few portions that point to this portion of the blood of the new covenant:

Revelation 12:11 They overcame him because of the Lamb’s blood, and because of the word of their testimony. They didn’t love their life, even to death.

John 6:53-58 [53] Jesus therefore said to them, “Most certainly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you don’t have life in yourselves. [54] He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. [55] For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. [56] He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me, and I in him. [57] As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father; so he who feeds on me, he will also live because of me. [58] This is the bread which came down out of heaven—not as our fathers ate the manna, and died. He who eats this bread will live forever.”

Hebrews 9:13-14 [13] For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled, sanctify to the cleanness of the flesh: [14] how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without defect to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

#494 - The Saviour of Kurdistan

The Saviour of Kurdistan

  Knee deep in the waters of the upper Tigris stood a poor Kurdish washerwoman plying her vocation. Although her pay was but a pittance, she wrought daily at her hard task for her own livelihood, for the education of her bright little boy, and for charity. In the winter, when blocks of ice from the streams in the Taurus Mountains came floating down the river, she still was there, laboring with strong arms and a stronger love.

  The missionary from Kharput, making his annual visit, saw in his congregation a face that fascinated him. In it suffering and sorrow and hope and patience and passionate devotion seemed to have wrought their perfect work. At the close of the meeting he said to the native pastor: “Bring that woman to me.”

  In mean attire and trembling, the woman stood before him, holding with one hand her little boy. The missionary spoke Armenian; she understood Kurdish. He addressed her through the native pastor.

  “Mother, do you love Jesus?”

  “I do,” she said, “I do.”

  “How much would you give to Him?” asked the missionary.

  “Oh, missionary,” she cried, “I have nothing! Yet all I earn I give, saving only enough for good for this little boy and myself.”

  “Would you give your little boy?” he asked.

  “He is my all – my life!” she cried.

  “Think well of it to-night and pray,” said the missionary. “I return to Kharput to-morrow.”

  And the widow went out, sobbing: “My only son, my Thomas!”

  The remaining hours of the missionary's visit were very busy ones, and when the morning came and his horse was saddled, he had forgotten about Thomas. He reproached himself afterward, but it was true – he forgot. The journey was long. The mountain full of brigands. There was so much of preparation for the journey, so much of necessary adjustment of the work of the mission, so much of admonition, direction and advice, that Thomas and his mother, with the wonderful light in her eyes, passed wholly from his mind.

  But just as he was about to start, the group of mission workers and converts who had assembled to bid him farewell divided to make room for her to approach him – and there was the mother and Thomas.

  At the missionary's feet she laid the little bundle of clothing on which she had worked all night. She laid one hand on her boy's head, and with the other pointing upward, said two words: “Thomas – Christos.” Then she went back to her lonely home. But not to a narrowed or mournful life; hers was the joy of one who had made the supreme sacrifice.

  Thomas developed all those powers which the missionary had discerned in promise on his face, and has seen in full development in the face of his mother. He led the class. He advanced by leaps and bounds. He was valedictorian at his graduation. He pushed straight on in his Bible study, and when he graduated he went back to his old home, where the mother waited for him, and then far beyond into the Kurdish mountains to a town which, for its Christian faith in early ages, had been named Martyropolis. There he began anew the preaching of a Gospel that once made its followers faithful unto death, and they call him “The Prophet of Kurdistan.”

  The black year 1895 came round, and with it the awful massacres. Many thousand Christians gave their lives for their faith. Eight hundred of the members of the churches located close to him perished. Twenty-seven teachers and preachers died at their posts; Thomas was shot and cruelly cut, and left for dead. With bleeding wounds and borken bones and a fractured skull they bore him fifteen hours' journey – two long days – to where he could have the protection of a British consul and the care of a European surgeon. And Thomas, against all probabilities, recovered.

  Back he went into the mountains where he had worked before. He gathered the scattered, frightened Christians and inspired them with new courage and hope. He protected the widows; he fed the orphans. He gave himself without fear or fatigue to a work that brought new life to crushed and broken hearts. The sacrifice of his own mother bore its abundant fruit in the comfort he brought to hundreds of widows and orphans, and the called him the saviour of Kurdistan.--Selected.

Illustrative Anecdotes for Preachers, Sunday School Teachers, and the Family Circle. Henry M. Tyndall. 1925. #494 (Pages 264-265).

[for information on “The black year 1895,” look up “Massacres of Diyarbakır (1895)” in Wikipedia or elsewhere.]

1 Corinthians 5:7 - The New Passover

The New Passover

1 Corinthians 5:7 Purge out the old yeast, that you may be a new lump, even as you are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, has been sacrificed in our place.

The Lord's Table is the new Passover.

The old Passover was observed each year to remind God's people that God had delivered them from the power and slavery of their enemy. (It is interesting to note that Jesus did not die on the Day of Atonement, but during Passover.)

In Numbers 14, Israel refused to enter the promised land, and made plans to return to Egypt. They were returning to slavery. God was angry with that generation of people, and swore than none (save Joshua and Caleb) would inherit the promised land. All that generation died in the wilderness because they would not enter and decided to return to Egypt.

Jesus established a new Passover. As often as we celebrate the Lord's table, we should be reminded that Christ delivered us from the power of sin to live holy lives. When we are unwilling to walk in his ways, and instead want to return to slavery in sin (return to Egypt), God will not be pleased with us.

The writer of Hebrews said that if we go on sinning willfully, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment. The apostle Paul wrote that God is not mocked. Whatever a man sows, that will he also reap. If we sow to the flesh, we will reap destruction.

God does his part of the covenant so that we can do our part, that is, that we can serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness all the days of our life. As we partake of the bread and wine in this new “Passover,” let us remember that God set us free from slavery to sin (Egypt), and let us commit to walking in the freedom of the children of God (walking in God's ways), asking for and expecting to receive grace to walk in this way as we partake of the bread and wine.

Luke 1:72-75 [72] to show mercy towards our fathers, to remember his holy covenant, [73] the oath which he spoke to Abraham, our father, [74] to grant to us that we, being delivered out of the hand of our enemies, should serve him without fear, [75] In holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life.

Hebrews 13:20-21; Matthew 16:24-25 - The Eternal Covenant

The Eternal Covenant

Hebrews 13:20-21 [20] Now may the God of peace, who brought again from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep with the blood of an eternal covenant, our Lord Jesus, [21] make you complete in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Matthew 16:24-25 [24] Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. [25] For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, and whoever will lose his life for my sake will find it.

In one sense, this is the covenant. This was always the covenant. God will give us eternal life, the blessed life after death, if we will in this life lose our lives for him. If we will die to ourselves, the world, to sin, and live for God, then God will forgive our sins and grant us the life everlasting.

Hebrews 11:24-26 [24] By faith, Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, [25] choosing rather to share ill treatment with God’s people, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a time; [26] accounting the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he looked to the reward.

When did Moses choose ill treatment with God's people instead of the pleasures of sin? He chose this before the covenant of Mount Sinai. Moses chose to lose his life for the God's sake, for the sake of Christ, because he desired the eternal life that God had promised to those who make this choice and live this life - “For he looked to the reward.”

Isaiah 24:5 The earth also is polluted under its inhabitants, because they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, and broken the everlasting covenant.

Jeremiah 31:31-34 - The New Covenant

The New Covenant

Jeremiah 31:31-34 [31] Behold, the days come, says Yahweh, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: [32] not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they broke, although I was a husband to them, says Yahweh. [33] But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says Yahweh: I will put my law in their inward parts, and in their heart will I write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people: [34] and they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know Yahweh; for they shall all know me, from their least to their greatest, says Yahweh: for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin will I remember no more.

The New Covenant. According to the words of Jeremiah, God will do four things as part of this new covenant he will make with his people:

1) He will write his laws in our minds and hearts. What does this really mean? Is his law written there simply because we hope it is?

Jesus said that the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart (Matthew 12:34; Luke 6:45). The words of our mouth, our daily conversation, the attitude connected with what we say reveals the law written in our minds and hearts. What law is shown to be in your heart and my heart?

In the same way, our actions, our behavior, the choices we make, the lives we choose to live, reveal what is written in our minds and hearts. What law is shown to be in your heart and my heart by the life you live?

2) A Close and Proper Relationship. God says, I will be their God and they will be my people. What does this really mean? Those who have entered into this new covenant with God will have a close and proper relationship with God, and God with them.

Who is our God? Jesus said that we cannot serve two masters. Which master are we serving? Do we serve the one true God as our first and only master, in loving obedience? Or, do we call him “Lord, Lord,” but actually serve another master, or have priorities different from God's priorities?

Are we his people? Do we live as God's people, a people set apart from the world and its ways, or do we live as people of the world live? Again, do we have earthly or heavenly goals? Do we spend more time and energy on pursuing earthly treasure or heavenly treasure? Whose people are we? The people who have entered into this new covenant made by God live as the people of God, seeking first his kingdom and his righteousness.

3) All Shall Know Me. The people of the new covenant will know God. This is not some secret or difficult knowledge that only a certain group of society can discover. Do we know God, his character and his will? These are not hidden things.

God is love. Those who know God will love. They will love God and will love their neighbor. He who does not love, does not know God, for God is love (1 John 4:7-8). What does this love consist of? God cares for the widow and orphan. Do we? God humbled himself to serve others. Do we? Do we know God in this way?

Jesus said that many will come to him at the judgment day expecting to be received. He will tell them, “Depart from me, I never knew you, you who practiced lawlessness” (Matthew 7:21-23). Such people told themselves they knew God, but they did not know God and were not known by him. They practiced sin. They thought that God would allow them to go on sinning willfully, but they did not know him who is not mocked (Galatians 6:7-10). How do we know the Lord? Do we really know him who called us to repentance and righteousness? The people of the new covenant know God in this way.

4) I Will Forgive Their Iniquity and Remember Their Sin No More. The people of the new covenant have been forgiven. Who is forgiven? Most Christians understand that not everyone in the world is forgiven. Then who is forgiven?

Jesus told his disciples to preach repentance for the forgiveness of sins (Luke 24:47). Those who repent of their sins, those who turn away from their sins and live for God in his ways instead, such people will be forgiven. That is what God has told us through his Son. Have you met someone living a life of repentance, someone who has turned from their sins and is living instead for God, walking in his ways, then you have met a person who has been forgiven his iniquities, you have met a person whose sin is remembered by God no more. You have met a person of the new covenant. What about you and me? Are we such people of the new covenant, in deed and in truth?

1 Corinthians 11:25 - the Lord's Table: the Covenant

NEW COVENANT IN MY BLOOD

May 3, 2015

1 Corinthians 11:25 In the same way he also took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink, in memory of me.”

As often as we partake of this, we should remember the covenant. That is, we should remember God's part and our part, and for our part, we should confirm our commitment to this covenant.

On God's part, he has sent his Son, his blood was shed, God gave us his Holy Spirit (Hebrews 10:29). He has given us all things for life and godliness that we may become partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter 2:3-4).

Remembering all this, we should be thankful. We should also have fear and trembling as we consider “to whom much is given, much is required” (Luke 12:48).

On our part, we have turned from sin, self and the devil, to now live for God and the one who died and rose again on our behalf. We have covenanted with God, to add with all diligence to our faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge, and to knowledge self-control, etc. (2 Peter 1:2-11). Doing this, we make our calling and the entrance into eternal life sure.

Remembering this, we should judge ourselves rightly. If we have sinned, we should repent and confess our sins. We should commit ourselves once again to this covenant with God. We should humbly reaffirm that we want to still live no longer for ourselves but for him.

In our commitment, whether it is our initial commitment, or we are reaffirming it, we must do so with humility. It is only with God's help that we can fulfill our commitment faithfully to the end. Yet, it is not a stifling humility, an immobilizing humility that prevents us from making this commitment or reaffirming our commitment. We remember that God has given us all things for life and godliness. We remember that we may approach with boldness the throne of grace to find grace and mercy. Let us reaffirm our commitment, with humility and confidence, to no longer live for ourselves but for him who died and rose again on our behalf.

If we choose to go on in sin, if we sin willfully, not repenting (but hoping that it will not be a big deal on the judgment day), we are treading under our feet the Son of God, treating him as dirt to walk on; we are counting the blood of the covenant by which we were sanctified an unholy thing, spitting on the blood of Christ; we are insulting the Spirit of Grace, treating the Holy Spirit which God gave us to help us live pleasing to him as a thing of no value to us, as something that is useless and at best a waste of my time.

Considering this, is it safe to partake of the bread and the wine if we are holding onto any sin? Let us first repent and confess our sins. If we are unreconciled with others, especially because of our own sin, let us go first and be reconciled before we partake of the bread and the wine. The apostle Paul wrote of God's judgment coming upon those who partake of the bread and wine unworthily. Some were weak and sickly, and some had even died.

Jesus established this partaking of the bread and wine for our good. God is for us. His own son died for us. Yet, there is always that danger that we would take advantage of God's goodness, mercy, grace and kindness. Let us not forget that the kindness of God leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4).

Conclusion: When we partake of the bread and wine, one thing to consider is this covenant between God and us. Give thanks for God's part. Look forward to the promised inheritance, remembering and reaffirming our commitment to walk the path that leads to it, that is, that we would turn from sin, self and the devil, and live for God and his son, Jesus Christ.

*****

NOTES:

THE BLOOD OF THE COVENANT

Hebrews 9:13-20 [13] For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled, sanctify to the cleanness of the flesh: [14] how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without defect to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? [15] For this reason he is the mediator of a new covenant, since a death has occurred for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first covenant, that those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. [16] For where a last will and testament is, there must of necessity be the death of him who made it. [17] For a will is in force where there has been death, for it is never in force while he who made it lives. [18] Therefore even the first covenant has not been dedicated 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 has commanded you.”

Exodus 24:7-8 [7] He took the book of the covenant and read it in the hearing of the people, and they said, “All that Yahweh has spoken will we do, and be obedient.” [8] Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, “Look, this is the blood of the covenant, which Yahweh has made with you concerning all these words.”

Both the old and the new covenants were dedicated, or inaugurated, or initiated, with blood. The old covenant was dedicated with the blood of calves and goats. The new covenant was dedicated with the blood of the lamb of God, Jesus Christ. Jesus explicitly connects the wine of Eucharist (the Lord's Table) with the blood with which the new covenant was dedicated.

Deuteronomy 4:23 Be careful, lest you forget the covenant of Yahweh your God, which he made with you, and make yourselves an engraved image in the form of anything which Yahweh your God has forbidden you.

Moses warned the children of Israel to not forget the covenant. Forgetting the covenant included turning away from the God of the covenant and making other gods to worship and serve instead, or even along with.

Partaking of the bread and wine, we should call to mind the new covenant and our part in it. Just as the people of the old covenant should not forget the covenant and so make, worship and serve other gods, cannot and should not the same be said of the people of the new covenant? Do we really think it good, or even acceptable, for the people of the new covenant to make for themselves other gods to worship and serve? While we seldom build physical idols like a golden calf, we are tempted to worship and serve the god of mammon (money, possessions, earthly treasure), the god of pleasure (worldly entertainment), the god of sexual immorality, etc.

As we partake of the bread and wine, and so remember the new covenant, let us in that consider what it means that He is our God and we are his people. Let us be careful, lest we forget the covenant, and in that forgetting forsake our God and his ways to which he has called us. If the transgressors of the first covenant died without compassion, how much worse punishment can the transgressors of the new covenant expect (Hebrews 10:28-29), who have trodden under foot the Son of God, counted the blood of the covenant and unholy thing, and insulted the spirit of grace?

As we partake of the bread and wine, may God grant us grace to walk with him faithfully in this new covenant he has established through the blood of his own son.

“Blood in the Bible.” Orthodox Wiki.

http://orthodoxwiki.org/Blood_in_the_Bible

Use of Blood in Official Worship

The sacred character of blood calls, finally, for its diverse uses in official worship.

A) The Covenant

The covenant between Yahweh and His people was sealed by a blood-rite: half the blood of the victims was poured on the altar which represented God, half on the people. Moses explained the rite: "this is the blood of the covenant Yahweh has made with you...".[18] Thus an indissoluble bond was established between God and His people.[19]

RENEWING THE COVENANT

“The Covenant Renewed.” W. Strong D.D.

http://biblehub.com/sermons/auth/strong/the_covenant_renewed.htm

III. WHAT ARE THE TIMES AND SEASONS THAT THE PEOPLE OF GOD HAVE SPECIALLY OBSERVED IN RENEWING OF THEIR COVENANT WITH THE LORD?

6. When a man doth receive the sacraments, any of the seals of the covenant, it is his duty to renew the covenant, as often as we set to the seal anew, we shall read over the obligation anew.

“Eucharist.” Orthodox Wiki.

http://orthodoxwiki.org/Eucharist

Before the reception of Holy Communion the following prayer is generally recited by all. It is each person's act of personal commitment to Christ, their promise of faith in Him and the Sacred Mysteries of His Church.

Renew the Covenant (Google search)

https://www.google.com/search?client=ubuntu&channel=fs&q=renew+the+covenant&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

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WE COVENANT WITH HAND AND HEART

http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/w/e/c/wecovenant.htm

We covenant with hand and heart,
To follow Christ, our Lord;
With world, and sin, and self to part,
And to obey His Word;
To love each other heartily,
In truth and in sincerity,
And under cross, reproach and shame,
To glorify His name.

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Hebrews 8:6-13 [6] But now he has obtained a more excellent ministry, by so much as he is also the mediator of a better covenant, which on better promises has been given as law. [7] For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. [8] For finding fault with them, he said, “Behold, the days come”, says the Lord, “that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah; [9] not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers, in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; for they didn’t continue in my covenant, and I disregarded them,” says the Lord. [10] “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel. After those days,” says the Lord; “I will put my laws into their mind, I will also write them on their heart. I will be their God, and they will be my people. [11] They will not teach every man his fellow citizen, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for all will know me, from their least to their greatest. [12] For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness. I will remember their sins and lawless deeds no more.” [] [13] In that he says, “A new covenant”, he has made the first old. But that which is becoming old and grows aged is near to vanishing away.

Hebrews 9:13-20 [13] For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled, sanctify to the cleanness of the flesh: [14] how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without defect to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? [15] For this reason he is the mediator of a new covenant, since a death has occurred for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first covenant, that those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. [16] For where a last will and testament is, there must of necessity be the death of him who made it. [17] For a will is in force where there has been death, for it is never in force while he who made it lives. [18] Therefore even the first covenant has not been dedicated 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 has commanded you.”

Hebrews 10:26-31 [26] For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more a sacrifice for sins, [27] but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and a fierceness of fire which will devour the adversaries. [28] A man who disregards Moses’ law dies without compassion on the word of two or three witnesses. [29] How much worse punishment, do you think, will he be judged worthy of, who has trodden under foot the Son of God, and has counted the blood of the covenant with which he was sanctified an unholy thing, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? [30] For we know him who said, “Vengeance belongs to me,” says the Lord, “I will repay.” [] Again, “The Lord will judge his people.” [] [31] It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Hebrews 12:22-29 [22] But you have come to Mount Zion, and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable multitudes of angels, [23] to the general assembly and assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, [24] to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, [] and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better than that of Abel. [25] See that you don’t refuse him who speaks. For if they didn’t escape when they refused him who warned on the earth, how much more will we not escape who turn away from him who warns from heaven, [26] whose voice shook the earth then, but now he has promised, saying, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heavens.” [] [27] This phrase, “Yet once more”, signifies the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that have been made, that those things which are not shaken may remain. [28] Therefore, receiving a Kingdom that can’t be shaken, let us have grace, through which we serve God acceptably, with reverence and awe, [29] for our God is a consuming fire.

Hebrews 13:20-21 [20] Now may the God of peace, who brought again from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep with the blood of an eternal covenant, our Lord Jesus, [21] make you complete in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

2 Peter 2:1-11 [2] Grace to you and peace be multiplied in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, [3] seeing that his divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and virtue; [4] by which he has granted to us his precious and exceedingly great promises; that through these you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world by lust. [5] Yes, and for this very cause adding on your part all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence; and in moral excellence, knowledge; [6] and in knowledge, self-control; and in self-control patience; and in patience godliness; [7] and in godliness brotherly affection; and in brotherly affection, love. [8] For if these things are yours and abound, they make you to be not idle nor unfruitful to the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. [9] For he who lacks these things is blind, seeing only what is near, having forgotten the cleansing from his old sins. [10] Therefore, brothers, [] be more diligent to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never stumble. [11] For thus you will be richly supplied with the entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Deuteronomy 28:1-68 - chart comparing blessings and curses

Deuteronomy 28:1-68

The Blessings and Curses

I have tries in this chart to place together the related blessings and curses. While some were clearly opposites of each other, many were not so obviously related, and may not have been intended to be seen as opposites. I hope that seeing the blessings and curses side by side (in this poor attempt of that feat) may be of some help in looking at this chapter in Deuteronomy.

Blessings	Curses: vv15-46	Curses: vv47-57	Curses: vv58-68
[1] It shall happen, if you shall listen diligently to Yahweh your God’s voice, to observe to do all his commandments which I command you this day, that Yahweh your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. [2] All these blessings will come upon you, and overtake you, if you listen to Yahweh your God’s voice.	[15] But it shall come to pass, if you will not listen to Yahweh your God’s voice, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command you this day, that all these curses will come on you, and overtake you.	[47] Because you didn’t serve Yahweh your God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, by reason of the abundance of all things; [48] therefore you will serve your enemies whom Yahweh sends against you, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in lack of all things. He will put an iron yoke on your neck, until he has destroyed you. [49] Yahweh will bring a nation against you from far, from the end of the earth, as the eagle flies; a nation whose language you will not understand;	[58] If you will not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and fearful name, YAHWEH YOUR GOD;
[3] You shall be blessed in the city, and you shall be blessed in the field.	[16] You will be cursed in the city, and you will be cursed in the field.
[4] You shall be blessed in the fruit of your body, the fruit of your ground, the fruit of your animals, the increase of your livestock, and the young of your flock.	[18] The fruit of your body, the fruit of your ground, the increase of your livestock, and the young of your flock will be cursed.	[50] a nation of fierce facial expressions, that doesn’t respect the elderly, nor show favor to the young, [51] and they will eat the fruit of your livestock, and the fruit of your ground, until you are destroyed. They also won’t leave you grain, new wine, or oil, the increase of your livestock, or the young of your flock, until they have caused you to perish.
[5] Your basket and your kneading trough shall be blessed.	[17] Your basket and your kneading trough will be cursed.
[6] You shall be blessed when you come in, and you shall be blessed when you go out.	[19] You will be cursed when you come in, and you will be cursed when you go out.
[7] Yahweh will cause your enemies who rise up against you to be struck before you. They will come out against you one way, and will flee before you seven ways.	[25] Yahweh will cause you to be struck before your enemies. You will go out one way against them, and will flee seven ways before them. You will be tossed back and forth among all the kingdoms of the earth. [26] Your dead body will be food to all birds of the sky, and to the animals of the earth; and there will be no one to frighten them away.	[52] They will besiege you in all your gates, until your high and fortified walls come down, in which you trusted, throughout all your land. They will besiege you in all your gates throughout all your land, which Yahweh your God has given you.
[8] Yahweh will command the blessing on you in your barns, and in all that you put your hand to. He will bless you in the land which Yahweh your God gives you.	[20] Yahweh will send on you cursing, confusion, and rebuke, in all that you put your hand to do, until you are destroyed, and until you perish quickly; because of the evil of your doings, by which you have forsaken me. [21] Yahweh will make the pestilence cling to you, until he has consumed you from off the land, where you go in to possess it. [22] Yahweh will strike you with consumption, with fever, with inflammation, with fiery heat, with the sword, with blight, and with mildew. They will pursue you until you perish.
[9] Yahweh will establish you for a holy people to himself, as he has sworn to you, if you shall keep the commandments of Yahweh your God, and walk in his ways. [10] All the peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by Yahweh’s name, and they will be afraid of you.	[36] Yahweh will bring you, and your king whom you will set over yourselves, to a nation that you have not known, you nor your fathers. There you will serve other gods of wood and stone. [37] You will become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword among all the peoples where Yahweh will lead you away.
[11] Yahweh will grant you abundant prosperity, in the fruit of your body, in the fruit of your livestock, and in the fruit of your ground, in the land which Yahweh swore to your fathers to give you.	[27] Yahweh will strike you with the boils of Egypt, with the tumors, with the scurvy, and with the itch, of which you can not be healed. [28] Yahweh will strike you with madness, with blindness, and with astonishment of heart. [29] You will grope at noonday, as the blind gropes in darkness, and you shall not prosper in your ways. You will only be oppressed and robbed always, and there will be no one to save you. [30] You will betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her. You will build a house, and you won’t dwell in it. You will plant a vineyard, and not use its fruit. [31] Your ox will be slain before your eyes, and you will not eat any of it. Your donkey will be violently taken away from before your face, and will not be restored to you. Your sheep will be given to your enemies, and you will have no one to save you. [32] Your sons and your daughters will be given to another people. Your eyes will look, and fail with longing for them all day long. There will be no power in your hand. [33] A nation which you don’t know eat the fruit of your ground and all of your work. You will only be oppressed and crushed always; [34] so that the sights that you see with your eyes will drive you mad. [35] Yahweh will strike you in the knees and in the legs with a sore boil, of which you can not be healed, from the sole of your foot to the crown of your head. [38] You will carry much seed out into the field, and will gather little in; for the locust will consume it. [39] You will plant vineyards and dress them, but you will neither drink of the wine, nor harvest, because worms will eat them. [40] You will have olive trees throughout all your borders, but you won’t anoint yourself with the oil; for your olives will drop off. [41] You will father sons and daughters, but they will not be yours; for they will go into captivity. [42] Locusts will consume all of your trees and the fruit of your ground.	[53] You will eat the fruit of your own body, the flesh of your sons and of your daughters, whom Yahweh your God has given you, in the siege and in the distress with which your enemies will distress you. [54] The man who is tender among you, and very delicate, his eye will be evil toward his brother, toward the wife whom he loves, and toward the remnant of his children whom he has remaining; [55] so that he will not give to any of them of the flesh of his children whom he will eat, because he has nothing left to him, in the siege and in the distress with which your enemy will distress you in all your gates. [56] The tender and delicate woman among you, who would not venture to set the sole of her foot on the ground for delicateness and tenderness, her eye will be evil toward the husband that she loves, toward her son, toward her daughter, [57] toward her young one who comes out from between her feet, and toward her children whom she bears; for she will eat them secretly for lack of all things, in the siege and in the distress with which your enemy will distress you in your gates.	[59] then Yahweh will make your plagues fearful, and the plagues of your seed, even great plagues, and of long duration, and severe sicknesses, and of long duration. [60] He will bring on you again all the diseases of Egypt, which you were afraid of; and they will cling to you. [61] Also every sickness and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law, Yahweh will bring them on you, until you are destroyed.
[12a] Yahweh will open to you his good treasure in the sky, to give the rain of your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand.	[23] Your sky that is over your head will be brass, and the earth that is under you will be iron. [24] Yahweh will make the rain of your land powder and dust. It will come down on you from the sky, until you are destroyed.
[12b] You will lend to many nations, and you will not borrow.	[44a] He will lend to you, and you won’t lend to him.
[13] Yahweh will make you the head, and not the tail. You will be above only, and you will not be beneath; if you listen to the commandments of Yahweh your God, which I command you this day, to observe and to do, [14] and shall not turn aside from any of the words which I command you this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.	[43] The foreigner who is in your midst will mount up above you higher and higher, and you will come down lower and lower. [44] He will lend to you, and you won’t lend to him. He will be the head, and you will be the tail. [45] All these curses will come on you, and will pursue you, and overtake you, until you are destroyed; because you didn’t listen to Yahweh your God’s voice, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded you. [46] They will be for a sign and for a wonder to you and to your seed forever.		[62] You will be left few in number, even though you were as the stars of the sky for multitude; because you didn’t listen to Yahweh your God’s voice. [63] It will happen that as Yahweh rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you, so Yahweh will rejoice over you to cause you to perish, and to destroy you. You will be plucked from off of the land where you go in to possess it. [64] Yahweh will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other end of the earth. There you will serve other gods, which you have not known, you nor your fathers, even wood and stone. [65] Among these nations you will find no ease, and there will be no rest for the sole of your foot; but Yahweh will give you there a trembling heart, failing of eyes, and pining of soul. [66] Your life will hang in doubt before you. You will be afraid night and day, and will have no assurance of your life. [67] In the morning you will say, “I wish it were evening!” and at evening you will say, “I wish it were morning!” for the fear of your heart which you will fear, and for the sights which your eyes will see. [68] Yahweh will bring you into Egypt again with ships, by the way of which I told to you that you would never see it again. There you will sell yourselves to your enemies for male and female slaves, and nobody will buy you.