A Man of The Covenant! 

Perhaps the hardest thing about being raised in the Western world is that fact that we have little or no understanding of "the blood covenant".  Oh, we know what we've seen on TV, but folks ... seriously?  TV is NOT reality. 

In the stories of Stanley and Livingston, and their journeys throughout Africa and its regions, you will read where to get anywhere in the continent, Mr. Stanley learned that you have to 'cut the blood covenant'.  His aid told him this, and it proved to be "true"! 

Now, to make it short, the aid arranged for Mr. Stanley to cut the covenant with a big chieftain in the area.  They proceeded with the ceremony.  Then the chief began to pronounce curses to Mr. Stanley, which he later learned would be what would happen should he violate that covenant.  Afterwards the chief said he wanted Mr. Stanley's goat.  Now Mr. Stanley dealt with ulcers and that goats milk was what helped him ... the aid said he had to give it to the chief ... or die!  He did.  And then then chief gave him a stick, with copper wire wound on it. 

"Wait a minute!", Mr. Stanley asked his aid.  "I gave him my goat - the most precious possession I have?  And all that I get in return is ... a stick?"  The aid nodded his head.  Mr. Stanley was beginning to think twice about this blood covenant thing! 

But, as he traveled throughout the continent of Africa, as he would enter the villages, the people would see the staff of the great chieftain, and Mr. Stanley was as good as royalty!  He had found "the key" to Africa!  It was all a ceremony that he still didn't fully understand called "the blood covenant". 

In the blood covenant, each party exchanges something very precious with the other party.  There is a cut, where blood flows, and then there are "blessings" pronounced, and there are "curses" pronounced, to each.  The "blessings" are reward for following the covenant, and the "curses" are what happens to you if you don't follow the covenant!  But in entering a covenant, a farming people could cut an agreement with a war-like tribe, for their protection.  In turn, the farming people would provide them wtih food and sustenance, in exchange for the protection! 

GOD cut the covenant with a man named "Abram", who he would later rename to "Abraham", which means "Father of many nations".  In this covenant, Abraham was to offer up his only son, to die, before GOD.  When GOD saw that Abraham was willling, He spared Abraham having to kill the boy.  But, because Abraham was "willing" (and would have) to give up his only son for this covenant between man and GOD, then GOD was now required to give up HIS only Son!  GOD knew this all along, and by cutting the covenant with Abraham, it opened up a door to "allow" GOD to do this.  He could not do it of His own accord, but because of the "blood covenant" between GOD and the man, He was allowed entry again into His creation (Earth) to do this thing which He had planned.