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Exodus 24:7-8  Then [Moses] took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people.  They responded, “We will do everything the LORD has said; we will obey.”  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.”

What is this ‘blood of the covenant’ that Moses sprinkled on all the people?

They had just heard read all the words of the covenant, the written contract between God and his people, and they had promised to obey in everything that was required of them.  Surely this is all that was required – their devoted obedience.  But there is a major problem: the LORD had committed himself to gracious, binding promises, but, as the LORD already knew, there was no way his people could keep their side of the bargain.  He knew that their hearts were so affected by sin that they would not even realise they were failing in their promised obedience; they would be going through all the outward motions of ‘obedience’ without even knowing that their hearts/minds were in the wrong place. Nothing less than a whole new spiritual makeover would be required. Jesus called it being ‘born again’.

So where does this leave God’s faithfulness and integrity when the people fail in their efforts at genuine, meaningful obedience?  The author of Hebrews helps us to understand the solution to this dilemma, the only solution.  In his letter he goes to great trouble to explain two things about the elaborate Old Testament sacrificial system involving the shedding and sprinkling of animal blood.  Firstly, the sacrifices were necessary simply because the people were incapable of keeping their side of the contract.  In the interests of justice, if the covenant was to have any merit at all, such disobedience needed to be punished; and God in his grace was prepared to accept the death of the animal in place of the sinner.  Secondly, Hebrews makes it clear that these sacrifices themselves could only have merit before God to seal the Covenant inasmuch as they point to the one true and perfect sacrifice made by the shedding of Christ’s blood on the cross.  Christ’s death not only fulfils all the requirements of the Covenant on behalf of sinners, it alsoequips the sinner to obey its requirements!  This is why the author of Hebrews can put this prayer at the end of his letter: “May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen” (Hebrews 13:20-21).

Jesus himself made all this clear at the Last Supper when he said: “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many” (Mark 14:24).

– Bruce Christian