“Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, ‘This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.’” (Exodus 24:8 NIV84)

The people of Israel had come to Mt. Sinai to meet with God and to hear His Word. In an utterly amazing event, the Israelites experienced God’s descent upon the mountain in all of His glory and power. They heard the Lord speak to them. Their leaders went up the mountain to directly experience the presence of the Lord. Upon hearing the decrees and commands from the Lord, they swore their adherence and obedience to God and to His teachings. Moses and the elders built an altar and the people offered sacrifices on it as an act of faith and worship. All of these activities were expressions of the covenant relationship that would exist between God and the children of Israel. Finally, Moses took some of the blood of the sacrifice and sprinkled it on the people. From this act, the Israelites were to know that their covenant with God was not based on their obedience but on the forgiveness granted at the sacrificial altar. Blood needed to be shed in order for God’s people to stay in a covenant relationship with Him. Why? Because their obedience would never be enough. It would always fall short. And so does ours!

Our covenant relationship with God is rooted not in our obedience to the teachings of Jesus but in the blood He shed on the cross as He bore our sins. It is the blood of Christ that washes our sins away and allows us to continue to be in a covenant relationship with God. We must always remember that our salvation is not centered around us and our faith, but around how Jesus redeemed us through His death on the cross. Let’s never forget that it is the blood of Jesus that washes our sins away.

Peace!

Pastor Tom

www.firmlyrooted.church