In Hebrew, you don’t “make” a covenant. You cut one.

The Hebrew phrase is KARAT BRIT—literally, “to cut a covenant.” The first word (KARAT) means to excise, amputate, sever. The second word (BRIT) means covenant, alliance, or sacred pact. Together, these two words carry far more than contractual implications. They evoke an image of something visceral—flesh torn, blood spilled, life bound.

That’s why, when Jews perform circumcision, they call it BRIT MILAH—the “Covenant of Circumcision.” It is, quite literally, the physical act of cutting the foreskin as a sign of entering into the covenant God made with Abraham.

In English, we sometimes preserve this old idiom in the phrase “to cut a deal,” but we rarely consider what it actually means. In the world of ancient Israel, it meant blood. To enter into a covenant was to step into a life-and-death bond sealed in blood—a bond so solemn that to break it was to invite your own destruction.

But for all the gravity, brit was never about fear. It was about faithfulness.

The God of Israel was not interested in transactional agreements. He didn’t need anything from His creation. The covenants He cut were not out of need—but out of love.

The Night God Cut a BRIT with Abraham

Nowhere is this clearer than in Genesis 15.

God had already spoken promises over Abraham—offspring, land, blessing. But then, in a deeply mysterious and profoundly symbolic act, He invites Abraham to seal those promises — to “cut a BRIT.”

Abraham is instructed to take a heifer, a ram, a goat, a dove, and a pigeon—cut them in half (except for the birds), and arrange the pieces in two lines with a clear path down the middle. This scene may seem bizarre to modern readers, but to Abraham, it was familiar. In the ancient Near East, such rituals were a common way of “cutting a covenant.” The participants would walk between the slain animals together, effectively saying: “May this happen to me if I break my word.”

The covenant path was a walk of death that guaranteed life. It was a solemn vow, sealed in flesh.

But what happens next is shocking: Abraham falls into a deep sleep. A thick darkness descends. And then—only God walks through the pieces. Not Abraham. Just God.

A smoking firepot and a blazing torch—two manifestations of divine presence—pass through the pathway of blood. The meaning is clear: God is taking all the responsibility upon Himself. Abraham doesn’t promise a thing. He only watches. This covenant is unilateral. God alone will bear the weight of it. God alone will fulfill it.

And God, being eternal and immortal, cannot die. Which means this promise cannot fail.

This isn’t just an ancient ritual—it’s a revelation. God is saying:

“I will keep My word. I will give you the blessing. I will fulfill what I promised. And if it costs Me My life to do it—so be it.”

It is the gospel before the cross.

Why Would a King Cut Covenant with a Peasant?

Covenants in the ancient world were often between a powerful king and a lesser vassal. The king would promise protection, provision, and peace. The vassal would pledge loyalty and tribute. Possibly pay a tax as well. But what does the Great King of the universe have to gain from binding Himself to dust-made creatures?

Nothing. That’s the point.

God’s covenants are acts of condescending love. He doesn’t need anything from us. He doesn’t cut covenants because He wants something. He does it because He wants us.

In the story of Abraham, God is not gaining a servant. He’s adopting a son. He is declaring, “You are Mine. And I am yours. And My life is pledged to you, even if you can offer nothing in return.”

This is why Abraham’s only role was to believe. He wasn’t required to walk through the pieces. He wasn’t forced to sign a contract. He simply trusted the God who promised.

And God counted that faith as righteousness (Genesis 15:6).

Covenant as Commitment, Not Control

Modern religion often portrays God as a conditional deity—ready to bless when we obey and punish when we fail. But covenant turns this image upside down. In BRIT, God is not leveraging obedience. He’s offering Himself.

He does not say: “If you measure up, I’ll love you.”

He says: “I love you. Walk with Me, and live.”

Covenant is not a cage. It is a commitment. Not a leash—but a lifeline.

When God binds Himself to humanity, He is not tightening His grip—He is opening His heart.

Jesus: The New Covenant Cut in Eternal Blood

This brings us to Jesus.

At the Last Supper, holding a cup of wine, He says:

This cup is the new covenant in My blood, poured out for many.

(Luke 22:20)

He is echoing Genesis 15. Only this time, the covenant will not be cut with animals. It will be cut in His own flesh. He will walk through the blood—not humanity. He will carry the promise—not us.

This is why Paul calls the New Covenant “better”—because it’s sealed not with the blood of bulls, but with the blood of God.

Hebrews 9:12 says it plainly:

He entered once for all into the holy places… by means of His own blood, thus securing eternal redemption.

This is not a temporary fix. It is an eternal bond.

Jesus didn’t die so God could love us. Jesus died because God already did. And now, with His life pledged and poured out, the New Covenant stands as the ultimate BRIT: a bond that no sin can break, no failure can undo, and no power can revoke.

Eternal Security, Eternal Rest

For those who struggle with assurance—who fear that their flaws or failures might separate them from God — covenant is the answer.

The New Covenant doesn’t depend on your consistency. It depends on Christ’s blood.

You may stumble. You may doubt. But God cut the covenant alone. It does not rest on your strength, but His. Your job is not to earn it—but to trust it. To believe, as Abraham did, that God will be faithful to His word.

That kind of covenant brings peace. Deep, immovable peace. The kind that silences fear and settles the soul.

Covenant means that God is not just our Creator—He is our Partner. He is not just Sovereign—He is faithful. He is not just holy—He is bound to us in blood.

The God who walked through the pieces in Abraham’s vision is the same God who walked up Calvary.

And the blood that once marked an altar now marks a cross.

He cut a BRIT with humanity.

He pledged His life to our redemption.

And He will not break His word. Never.

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