FOUR COVENANTS IN KETUBAH
Part 2 Obedience and Friend

Jn 15:15  I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

CUP 2 – The Cup of Dedication

At this point, both parties would sit down for a meal in the bride’s home.  But before the meal could be served, the 2nd CUP of the betrothal was consumed, this time by just the two fathers, along with the bride and groom.

This was known as the “Cup of Dedication”. This cup initiated the meal that would follow, which in Old Testament terms represented the “salt covenant” that declared eternal friendship. This covenant was historically sealed by the dipping of bread into a bowl of salt that had been combined from the personal salt pouches of the respective parties. 

In an interesting bit of symbolism, once this ritual was completed, each party would pour half of the salt back in their personal salt pouches.  But at this point, some of the salt now in their bag would have come from the other party’s bag, and vice versa.  It would be impossible to separate them again, and they would remain intertwined with the grains from the other pouch for as long as that salt lasted.  In the same way, this act symbolized an irrevocable relationship between parties that could not be undone.

Let the Negotiations Begin!

Once the 2nd Cup had been consumed, the meal would be served as the betrothal negotiations between the parties began in earnest.  These negotiations were often quite intense and were conducted as a business proposition during this meal. This was an important cultural tradition, and was recognized by Jesus in the same verse, Revelation 3:20, that was noted earlier;

“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” 

By this statement, Jesus was alluding to the meal and corresponding negotiations that always took place at this time.  These specific items could include almost anything, but they were generally limited to highly practical issues such as how the groom would support his bride and provide for her, or what kind of housing he would arrange. 

 “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling….” (Phil 2:12) 

Covenant stage 2- Friend

This is where we learn to talk to Pappa. Where Jesus is our friend. However, this is also where we begin to take offence. We often try and spiritualise our encounters with God. Bill Johnson story.  We can chat and He will tell us stuff but it isn’t always for us to do something about. It’s a conversation. Eg 2004 tsunami and air crashes in 2014 and 2015. This can also be the place that disappointments and misunderstanding settle when we don’t understand the love of the Father

Rom 5:5  Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Romans 8:38-39 New International Version (NIV)

³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,^[a] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Ephesians 3:17-19 New International Version (NIV)

¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸ may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, ¹⁹ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Ungodly dimensions and our hearts:

1. The ungodly Depth: Wounding, accusations, judgements, agreements with death, humiliation, bitterness place us in the ungodly depth. Prov 9:18 But he does not know that the dead are there, That her guests are in the depths of hell.

Godly Depth = Revelation. – Is the digging and finding treasure and gems. It is the revelation that Pappa hides for us to find. Is 45:3

Ungodly depth – is a place of death. Wounds, accusations, lies, judgements that we believe and so partner with death.

Revelation vs Death

2. The ungodly Height: When things aren’t going the way we want and God is not answering, or when we can’t hear God, we make our own plan and do it in our own strength. This puts all or part of our spirit in the ungodly height, where we are in control and not the Lord. In this place we help support satan’s throne and we receive spiritual guidance and power from the wrong kingdom. Religious spirit rules through us.

Isa 14:14  I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’ (Lucifer)

Ezek 31:10 …. And its heart was lifted up in its height.

Godly height – Ruling and reigning with Christ. Taking our position as Sons.

Ungodly height – Is all about control and our plan B. It is in our strength that we make things happen.

Kingdom vs our world

3. The ungodly Width: Distorted perceptions prevent us from fully seeing and believing God’s goodness and therefore we are unable to trust and to receive. It is a place of Hope Deferred. We have inherited distorted perceptions through our family tree. These distortions have been built. Ungodly precept upon precept, line upon line through the ages and have produced (amongst other things) doctrines that have error in them. Doctrines that divide the Body of Christ.

Prov 13:12  Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.

Godly width – Faith, trust, hope, love. Freedom from ungodly width brings joy.

Ungodly width – Hope deferred, doubt and unbelief puts us in slavery.

Joy vs Hope deferred

4. The ungodly Length: When ungodly unity takes place, including ungodly sexual unity, all or parts of our spirit is placed in the ungodly length. This is where all the ungodly soul ties and spiritual ties are found.

We are united with the enemy and other ungodly people. The enemy used the principal of unity for making his plans possible as at Babel. (Gen 11:6  And the LORD said, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them.) Repent, break ties, agreements, covenants.

Godly length – unity with Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Unity with other believers. When we agree with His plans and all things are possible.

Ungodly length – false unity and soul ties

Unity vs soul ties

Written by Claudia Purser