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Jeremiah 34:17-20 - Making covenants - Day 218

Dear Friends,

Just a review of ancient covenant making.  This is a clear description of what God did when He made a covenant with Abram back in Genesis 15.  This was before Abram was renamed and before the sign of circumcision.  Abram was fast asleep while God passed between the divided animals.  God was swearing by Himself.  Covenants between people are a likeness of this.

Blessings,

Jeff

In v 8ff, King Zedekiah (the superior) makes a covenant with the people (the inferior) that all  the Hebrew slaves would be set free.  This was a commitment to do what God had commanded back in Exodus and Deuteronomy.  Then almost immediately, the people re-enslaved their brothers.

Now in v17ff, God proclaims a different kind of liberty to the people.  To pestilence, sword and famine.  

In ancient times, covenants were a very serious thing.  As described here, one part of the process was to cut animals in half and then the two parties to the covenant (the superior and the inferior) would pass through the divided animals.  This was a visual graphic statement that if either party did not keep the covenant, they should be cut in half like the animals.

As serious as the physical consequence is, the fact that covenants were really made with the Lord (v 18) is even more chilling.

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