Blood Oaths and Grace

Scripture:
Genesis 15
Ephesians 2:1-10

The other evening (17May2015), I was sitting in Chapel and the text of the sermon was based on Ephesians 2:1-10. The sermon was focused on God's Grace and that we don't deserve it and cannot earn it. I did enjoy the sermon, but I was distracted for a while.

I don't know about those of you out there reading this blog, but there are times where I am listening to a really good sermon, speech, TV show, etc., and my mind suddenly starts wandering on to something else. Sometimes this is because my mind tries to translate what I am hearing from English to German. And, since my vocabulary isn't the greatest (use it or loose it), I sometimes miss a lot because my mind is searching for the right German word or phrase for something that I just heard. Sometimes my mind wonders because of things going on in my life at that time. With either of these two situations, I usually have to consciously reign my mind in and refocus on the situation at hand so that I can continue to glean from what is being said.

Then, there are times like this evening where I am listening to something and then a Scripture passage comes to my mind. It has been my experience that, when this happens, it is because God desires me to do something with it. Sometimes, it is to share with a friend because the Scripture passage addresses something in their life. Other times it is something for me. Sometimes the connection is obvious. But, there are other times where the connection is not so obvious. In this particular situation, it took me a few moments to see the connection.

The passage that the Chaplain was using was Ephesians 2:1-10, talking about God's unmerited grace. That is, grace that we do not deserve and cannot afford to purchase. It is a free Gift from God and given to us, in spite of what we've done. This unmerited Grace puts us all on the same, level playing field. That is, we all stand before God in the same fashion, not deserving what we get. No matter what any of us have done (how 'good' or how 'bad'), all of us have sinned and are in need of God's grace. At the end of the day, none of us is any better than anyone else. All of us have sinned against God, each and every day, in though, word, and in deed. We all should receive His justice. Instead, He offers us His Grace.

It is interesting to me that God would bring to my mind the blood oath that took place in Genesis 15 during this sermon. Here is a good discussion of what a "blood oath” is and how it relates to Abram (later renamed by God to Abraham). In this context, it was a covenant that God made with Abram, promising him an heir from his own body. Remember, Abram was approximately 75 years old (Genesis 12:4) when he left Haran for Egypt. Because Abram and Sarai were childless, Abram assumed that his inheritance would go to one of his servants (Genesis 15:2-4). But, God again told Abram that would have a child born to him and Sarai. And, God made a covenant with Abram, a blood oath.

In Abram's time, two people would sometimes make a blood oath to seal an important purchase, treaty, or other important event. The large animals were cut in half and all of the blood and gore would be collected within an area, and perhaps birds of some sort, also. Then, both people would walk through the gore, between the dead animals. As each person did this, they were essentially declaring “may the rendering of the animals be done to myself if I do not uphold my part of the deal.” But yet, God does something different with Abram.

Instead of both God and Abram walking through the gore and each having to uphold their part of the deal, God prevented Abram from walking between the animals. In the form of a torch, God passed between the animal carcasses, but Abram did not. That is because God caused Abram to fall into a deep sleep and was unable to move. God and God alone would be responsible for all parts of His promise to Abram. There was nothing Abram could do to earn this blessing, and nothing that he could do that would take it away from him. God was granting Abram this blessing without any requirements. All Abram had to do was trust God to fulfill it, in His good timing.

That is what God gives to each of us. His Grace, that is very costly to Him, is something that we cannot ever earn. It is His free Grace that we have to accept on faith (to trust in, to receive). The Bible is full of God extending His Grace to us, in spite of our many, many failings. We are not to treat this Grace lightly. Because of how costly this Grace was for us, we should not just receive it, but respond with a thankful heart and live a life of worship, a living sacrifice to God. Not to 'repay it,' for there is no way that we could ever earn or pay back the Grace the God has given us. All we can do is receive it, trust in it, and live a life of thankfulness in response to all that God has done for us.