Origin of the Threshold Covenant
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Origin of the Threshold Covenant
As families moved out from one another and began to settle into groups of families, they began to call upon their own individual as well as family gods. The practice of owning or possessing the family gods may be witnessed in the life of Rachel, the wife of Jacob. In that familiar biblical story, Rachel has stolen the family gods and Laban is extremely upset about this. The behavior he exhibited represented one that is totally consumed with the thought of recovering the lost idols. Rachel had stolen the family gods because it was commonly understood that possession of the family gods entitled the possessor to proven ownership of the family estate.And Laban went to shear his sheep:
and Rachel had stolen the images that were
her father's ... wherefore hast thou stolen my gods?(Gen 31:19,30 KJV)
The family god was considered to be the divine protector of the family estate. Soon a concept of a Sacred Boundary Line came into existence. Originally this line represented the entrance to their home or cave. This sacred line is also known as the Sacred Threshold, being located at the door or doorway of entrance. The sacred threshold was considered to be the location of the divine altar or the proper place to worship of the family god. The sacred threshold has been found to be at the origin of the ancient blood covenant practices which may be witnessed throughout every culture in the primitive world. The threshold or entrance to a family's home, was considered to be the most holy or most sacred place. The concept was practically universal to the primitive mind.
The earth was common to all men. They all lived upon the earth and as such, they all had to share the earth, each man or family having or claiming a portion of the earth as their own. One might say that this marks the beginning of the concept of private ownership. It seems that from the beginning, every man imagined it proper and necessary to have a peculiar place upon this earth that he might call his own. This place was unlike any other place on the earth for this place in particular was his home. This was the place where his family dwelled. This was his portion. This is not to suggest that his home was meant to be a permanent place upon the earth, for it is well known that early men had to travel and relocate their homes if for none other reason than survival. At least for the present, in the mind of the man, this home was his gift and rightful inheritance from his god, and it was the responsibility of his god to protect his peculiar portion.
The head of the household was from the beginning the man, for Adam was made to be first over his wife. Whether this is even before the fall of man in the garden, or merely a result of the fall, the bible is clear at least from that time forward.
But I suffer not a woman to teach,
nor to usurp authority over the man,
but to be in silence.
For Adam was first formed, then Eve.
And Adam was not deceived,
but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.(1 Tim 2:12-14 KJV)
Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands,
as unto the Lord.
For the husband is the head of the wife,
even as Christ is the head of the church:
and he is the saviour of the body.(Eph 5:22-23 KJV)
Before the man, being the recognized head or authority figure of the family, had taken possession of his home, he first would enter into a blood covenant with the family god. This god would properly be referred to as The God of the Threshold. This ancient covenant practice, although there be differing varieties of such, included the slaying of a sacrificial animal at the doorway or threshold which was the entrance to the home. As soon as the blood had flowed over or had been poured upon the sacred threshold, it became the responsibility of that threshold deity to protect the home and every member living within that home. Very often an altar was placed at the threshold or doorway.
The head of the house, being the family representative and the actual person in covenant with the god of the threshold, was also considered to be the priest of the home and the family. The head of the house was not only the head over material matters of the natural life but also perceived to be the recognized head in all spiritual matters concerning that family or home.
Being the head of the house and priest of the threshold god, it became the man's responsibility to be the divine protector of all who would enter into the protection of his home. He would be empowered by his god to carry out his commission, but at the same time it is he who had the divine responsibility and accountability to stand in this office or function. It was understood that when a stranger was invited to step across the threshold to enter a man's home, he was submitting himself under the authority of that man while being within the confines of his home.
Family groups often stayed grouped together and became tribes or clans. Man not only had his personal or family god, but tribes also often acknowledged one god as the greatest and most powerful of all. The family god came to be viewed more akin to a man's personal guardian angel, but the tribal god was considered to be far greater over all other gods. The concept of the tithe came into existence to support the upkeep of the temple, priesthood, etc., of this tribal god.
And this stone,
which I have set for a pillar,
shall be God's house:
and of all that thou shalt give me
I will surely give the tenth unto thee.(Gen 28:22 KJV)
The notion of the tithe is not a Jewish idea at all but seems to have been common throughout the primitive world. The other concept that seemed to be prevalent was the notion that the first born son belonged to the threshold god. The tribal god was considered to be the threshold god of the entire tribe as he was the protector of the entire tribe as one family unit, the threshold being the perceived tribal boundary markers of that tribe.
The threshold god had retained the legitimate ownership of every first born male, whether animal or human, to himself. The first born son was often offered to the threshold god upon the threshold just as the sacrificial animal had previously been slain. Apparently this was deemed necessary to demonstrate their personal faith and commitment to this god. The legitimate claim or right of the threshold god upon the first born son may also be seen within the scriptures.
Sanctify unto me all the firstborn,
whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of Israel,
both of man and of beast: it is mine.(Exo 13:2 KJV)
After a tribal god had been agreed upon or selected from among the various gods of the different families of that tribe, an altar would be erected, most often in the middle of the camp. This place would be considered to be the most holy place of the camp for this is the place where the tribal god would dwell. This concept of the sacredness of the threshold appears in the book of Leviticus and the religious rites of Judaism. Note the repeated references to the sacredness of this threshold in the following scripture.
Speak unto Aaron, and unto his sons, and unto all the children of Israel, and say unto them; This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded, saying, What man soever there be of the house of Israel, that killeth an ox, or lamb, or goat, in the camp, or that killeth it out of the camp, And bringeth it not unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, to offer an offering unto the LORD before the tabernacle of the LORD; blood shall be imputed unto that man; he hath shed blood; and that man
shall be cut off from among his people: To the end that the children of Israel may bring their sacrifices, which they offer in the open field, even that they may bring them unto the LORD, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, unto the priest, and offer them for peace offerings unto the LORD. And the priest shall sprinkle the blood upon the altar of the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and burn the fat for a sweet savour unto the LORD.And they shall no more offer their sacrifices unto devils, after whom they have gone a whoring. This shall be a statute for ever unto them throughout their generations. And thou shalt say unto them, Whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers which sojourn among you, that offereth a burnt offering or sacrifice, And bringeth it not unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, to offer it unto the LORD; even that man shall be cut off from among his people.
(Lev 17:2-9 KJV)
The Aaronic priesthood was to be consecrated at the threshold of the tent of the tabernacle. It was at this very threshold or door of the tabernacle that the glory of the Lord would descend and communicate with Moses, while the people in fear would hide within their own tents, watching from their own doorways and standing within the very threshold of their own tents. The altar of burnt offerings was located directly at the threshold of the tabernacle and whoever would offer up a sacrifice to God, had been required to offer it up at the very sacred threshold of that tabernacle.
Those primitive ideas that were true concerning the family and threshold god were now included, being also attributed to the tribal god. The sacred threshold of the home grew into the notion of the sacred boundary line of a tribe. It may be assumed that when these borders were established, sacrificial animals would also be slain so that blood may be poured upon the threshold or boundary line of the camp.
Wars between tribes were viewed as war between their gods. The victor would often be considered to be the greater god. Very often the god of the conquering tribe would replace the god of the conquered. When this was not the case, it was usually customary for the other tribe to at least acknowledge the new stronger god and begin to worship him as well.
After the tribal god had been chosen and the temple had been erected, a need for a caretaker of the holy place would naturally arise. Such caretakers would eventually grow into a recognized priesthood. Maintenance of the families of the priesthood and the general upkeep of the sacred temples would necessitate the establishment of the concept of regular tithes and offerings along with the provisional sacrificial animals. The priesthood would begin to establish their homes within the temples and eventually it would be necessary to have quarters built for the priests and their families. Often these priests had no personal ownership of houses or lands as their inheritance was to dwell with their god. The priest was able to claim a portion of what came into the temple. Often this could result in an extremely profitable situation for some of these priests as the priesthood would naturally develop into some kind of hierarchical order. At the head of this priestly caste would of course be the High or Chief Priest. Religion would eventually become big business and the office of the priest would become extremely political and powerful.
Entrance into the priesthood would often be awarded by right of birth into the priestly caste or family. Due the command of enormous amounts of wealth at the head positions, such offices were usually appointed to men of renown, often great military and political leaders having nothing at all to do with the actual religious rites and practices carried out by the lower priests. Even in our day it is obvious that many seek such religious positions, not because of a great love or zeal for god, but for the perception of the great potential of wealth to be gained.
To cross the tribal boundary without being invited, would often suggest a possible intent to do harm to the people within. To do so would mean to also incur the wrath of the tribal god as he, being the god of the threshold, was ultimately the divine protector of the tribe having the same responsibility as already stated. To deceptively modify the border marker of a family's property often brought forth a curse from the threshold god who had given that inheritance to another.
Thou shalt not remove thy neighbour's landmark,
which they of old time have set in thine inheritance,
which thou shalt inherit in the land that the
LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it.(Deu 19:14 KJV)
Cursed be he that removeth his neighbour's landmark.
And all the people shall say, Amen.(Deu 27:17 KJV)
This idea of the sacredness of the threshold would naturally be further developed into other various superstitious beliefs. It has been said that even a thief would not violate the threshold out of fear of incurring the wrath of that household god. It was considered proper for a thief to enter into a persons home from some other way other than the door. By not crossing over the threshold he was considered to be safe from the wrath of that god and need only worry about the threat of being discovered by the owner. Jesus alludes to this practice among thieves but commentators generally do not either understand or simply chose not to expound upon these things.
Verily, verily, I say unto you,
He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold,
but climbeth up some other way,
the same is a thief and a robber.(John 10:1 KJV)
It is most interesting that even Jesus himself would not take it upon himself to violate the threshold of another human being. Notice how Jesus stands outside the door knocking until he is invited in. The emphasis of the sacredness of the threshold is totally missed by most. On the other hand, a revelation of this truth answers many questions for us. We can begin to understand why not every man is saved, although it is most certainly God's will that everyone should enter into life. It becomes clear while God will allow a man to struggle with certain evils in his life, never seeming to even attempt to lift a finger to deliver him. It answers why a man must petition God for the things he requires, even though God already knows that he is in need of them. It answers why even a child of God might be afflicted with an illness which God seems to totally ignore. The absolute first step the man must make is to open the door so that Jesus might enter. This requires faith that the Son of God stands outside the door, ready to enter if invited. Of course, it does not enter all our questions, but it does seem to give us a better starting place that we might begin to understand more and more.
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock:
if any man hear my voice, and open the door,
I will come in to him, and will sup with him,
and he with me.(Rev 3:20 KJV)
The meaning of "will sup with him" refers to the partaking of the covenant meal which is a part of the covenant ritual. We shall cover this more thoroughly soon enough but for now, let us just state that with this meal comes an overflowing power of peace. The peace of God implies deliverance, healing, and divine assistance or help.
The other revelation that we should understand from the concept of this threshold covenant, is when Jesus enters into your life through the door, thereby crossing of the sacred threshold, he becomes submissive to you. His ability is therefore limited by our own faith and willingness to comply with those behaviors which his wisdom or advice should dictate. He does not enter into our lives and begin forcing us to do certain things. His presence is a soft as the dove's feather, and as quite as a gentle wind. This is extremely important to understand. Jesus will not make us walk out of a death bed of sickness, from one job to another, or from the sin that we allow to keep us bound. God will not force us to do something that we are afraid to do. As such, our own fears stay the mighty hand of God within our lives. To do so would be to violate the sacred boundary line. God cannot save the person who refuses to answer or open the door. God cannot raise up the minister who willingly ignores the call.
A carryover into our own time from such ancient beliefs surrounding the threshold may even be witnessed today by those who are reluctant to step on the threshold. This carries over from the belief that to step upon the sacred threshold was original thought to tread upon the family god, thereby inviting his curse upon ones' self. Such action as treading upon the threshold was considered to be one of the greatest insults a man could do against another. This insult was not only viewed to be done against the man and his family, but also was perceived as a dare and an insult to the threshold god. Note below the allusion to this concept within the scriptures.
Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye,
shall he be thought worthy,
who hath trodden under foot the Son of God,
and hath counted the blood of the covenant,
wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing,
and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?(Heb 10:29 KJV)
It becomes obvious when we begin to examine the scriptures, we discover that there are many different doors (or gates) which await us on our pathway through this life. Whenever we approach one these many doors within our lives, it would do us good to remember the concept of crossing over the threshold. We should not be in a hurry to enter through a door just because that door has been suddenly opened up before us. We should be warned that not every door is of God. Doorways that lead to certain kinds of sinful behavior, if entered, will cause us to become submitted to the god of that threshold. These gods are demonic spirits who can keep us bound for as long as we continue to remain within that house. This is why we must repent and turn away from the sin. Jesus has empowered us to leave the room, to turn around and go back through the door again. No demon in hell can cause the Christian to remain in a house of sin against his own will. The fact is however, that whether we be a Christian or not, Jesus will not force us to leave that house of sin. If we choose to remain in that house then, we willingly become subjected to the demon of that house.
Often when temples were built, they were equipped with a false door. The door was believed to lead, or at least was meant to represent, the pathway that led to the underworld. The reason it was properly called a false door was primarily because there was no room or corridor on the other side. Such a corridor was believed to exist in the spiritual dimension alone.
One of these doors which Jesus speaks about is the Strait Gate. The word here is
which implies that the gate is narrow and restricted. The restriction is perhaps suggestive of the required submission to the threshold god who in this case is clearly Christ himself. Kittel suggests that the illustration of the narrowness and restriction of this gate may be found within the teaching of the camel passing through the eye of the needle, through which the rich man cannot pass.
Enter ye in at the strait gate:
for wide is the gate, and broad is the way,
that leadeth to destruction,
and many there be which go in thereat:(Mat 7:13 KJV)
The wide gate on the other hand seems to be in conjunction with an allusion to that false door, for its corridor leads to
(destruction). According to Kittel a destruction not merely of physical extinction, but more accurately represents a plunge into Hades. When used in the Septuagint, often implies a personification of man's worst enemy,
,
"Destruction and death say, We have heard the fame thereof with our ears". (Job 28:22 KJV). In John 17:12 (KJV) we see its usage as
when speaking of the "son of perdition" as also we find in 2 Thes. 2:3 (KJV).
What we must automatically conclude from Jesus' words is that all people are walking through the false door which eventually leads them down into Hades. The corridor is extremely wide and unseen by the natural eye. Irrespective of their knowledge however, they are plunging themselves into destruction. As they cross over the threshold, even from the time of their initial entry into this world, they are sold under the submission to and authority of the Lord of Darkness. As such, they cannot be freed from his authority over them unless it is possible to translate their souls from out of that room and into another, the kingdom of light. And so we read those familiar words of Paul.
Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness,
and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:(Col 1:13 KJV)
When one begins to see the words of this book in the light of the covenant tongue, it becomes obvious that there can be no other hope for mankind. Our responsibility then seems to be limited to entering the right door. The door that led to Satan and the kingdom of darkness finds its origin back to the days of Adam and Eve. At that time, Adam passed through the door that led him into Hades. The return to God was prevented by the cherubim who stood at the door leading back to the paradise of God. The covenant of works offered Adam a choice, but once that choice had been made, the covenant of death prevented his return.
The threshold covenant marked the boundary and limitation of the man's access to God. By sacrificing the animal and allowing its blood to flow marking the threshold line, a door or entrance way leading directly into the garden of God had clearly been established. Without such a line visibly drawn in the sight of the man, he would not be aware of any limitation in his access, communion, or fellowship with God. The sacrifice creating the blood line was therefore slain between God and man. Between them both ran the line of blood that separated the one from the other. In doing this, God had shown the man what it meant to be separated from him. Firmly fixed now in the man's mind is a line of blood. Man realizes that his access to God is only possible by passing over that line of blood. Preventing man's crossing over is a cherubim who is said to have been placed at the door. In this way God has firmly established in the man's mind, a holy place of which man had no right, authority, or privilege to gain access. The altar for man's sacrifices would now be located at the threshold of that door itself.
When Moses brought forth the covenant of grace, the way back to God was made, but the threshold had not yet been sanctified by the blood of the sacrificial lamb. What Jesus accomplished in his body was the opening up of the door leading to God which Moses initially had brought to man.
I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door,
and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength,
and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.(Rev 3:8 KJV)
The mentioning here of works is a reminder of the covenant of works established from the beginning. That covenant is still in existence and as such, the person who does the works of God enters into the covenant of life. But what are the works of God which allows us to enter into that covenant of life? It is simply to believe on him whom God has sent. Because of Jesus, that door is now an open door which no being can shut, not even the Lord of Death.
Jesus answered and said unto them,
This is the work of God,
that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.(John 6:29 KJV)
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