The covenant meal

I was not sure if this should be another part of the Melchizedek series or not. But I will leave it a general note that will provide context for the next part of the series but also for other topics we have discussed on this blog. In ancient Israel, covenants were often associated with a meal. This was a way to seal the deal, so to speak, or the means for reconciliation between two parties. There are no formal instructions of a covenant meal in the Old Testament, it was simply a part of the culture that went without saying. But there are numerous examples describing such events.

The covenant meal in the Bible

Two persons or groups of people could covenant (for instance a peace treaty or other promises) and would share a meal together as a sign of unity and commitment. In the Old Testament, God is frequently one of the two parties. How can you share a meal with God? It turns out that there are ways to do that. What I will get to in the next post on the Melchizedek series is the meeting with Abraham where Melchizedek brings bread and wine in Genesis 14. This is of course shared between two men, but Melchizedek as the "priest of the most high God", can also be seen as a representative for God in this case.

Later in Genesis 18, Abraham is visited by three messengers. They share a meal together as the men deliver the message that Sarah will bear a son as part of the covenant promise that Abraham will become a great nation (see Genesis 18:8-18).

Exodus 24 is another interesting example.

7 And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the Lord hath said will we do, and be obedient.

8 And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the Lord hath made with you concerning all these words.

9 ¶ Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel:

10 And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness.

11 And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink.

In this case, they actually eat and drink in the presence of God. This is the establishment of the Mosaic covenant. Moses reads the covenant terms and the people promise to follow it after which the elders of Israel see God and have a meal in his presence. It is of course quite rare to physically eat with the Lord. But just like the Mosaic covenant (old covenant/testament) was instituted with a meal in Exodus 24, so was the new covenant/testament. As Jesus and his disciples ate the Passover lamb (another covenant meal by the way), he took bread and wine, gave it to his disciples and said.

For this is my blood of the new testament [or covenant, depending on the translation], which is shed for many for the remission of sins. (Matthew 26:28)

This is another example of the Lord himself sharing a covenant meal with his people. Both the old (Mosaic) covenant and the new covenant were associated with a meal shared between the physically present Lord himself and his elders/apostles.

Another more common way to share a meal with the Lord is through sacrifice. See for instance this instruction in Leviticus.

14 And this is the law of the meat offering: the sons of Aaron shall offer it before the Lord, before the altar.

15 And he shall take of it his handful, of the flour of the meat offering, and of the oil thereof, and all the frankincense which is upon the meat offering, and shall burn it upon the altar for a sweet savour, even the memorial of it, unto the Lord.

16 And the remainder thereof shall Aaron and his sons eat: with unleavened bread shall it be eaten in the holy place; in the court of the tabernacle of the congregation they shall eat it. (Leviticus 6)

Here, the sons of Aaron are instructed to burn the offering "before the Lord" and then "eat the remainder thereof". Offerings would usually consist of a part that was burnt and a part that the priests, who made the sacrifice, ate. This can be viewed as a meal with the Lord where they give him his share in the form of "a sweet savour" ascending to heaven. Sacrifices were done in temples (or tabernacles) and Lord Wilmore has recently written about the meals in the temple. 

There are several other examples of such covenant meals in the Old Testament, like Moses and Jethro in Exodus 18:12, Jacob and Laban in Genesis 31, etc. but I will not get into all of those. But I will bring up a well-known verse in Psalm 23 that I think is worth re-reading in this context.

5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

This is not just the Lord assuring the psalmist that he will have enough to eat and drink. It is the concept of reconciliation and covenant associated with a meal. ("in the presence of mine enemies" and "dwell in the house of the Lord"). There is a Middle Eastern concept of "sulha" (coming from the Hebrew word, "shulchan" – meaning table) where two rival groups come together in discussion over a big meal and at the end of the meal are fully reconciled. This is described in more detail here.

I will include the Book of Revelation as a final example from the Bible. In Revelation 3:20, we read

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.

This leads our thoughts to the last supper and a meal with the mediator of the new covenant. "I...with him, and he with me" indicates a two-way covenant, where each party makes promises. But it may also hint at the future supper at the great wedding feast described in Revelation 19. Or at least that chapter describes another covenant meal. In the grand feast of tabernacles described in this post, the Lord reunites with his covenant people. 

The covenant meal in the Book of Mormon?

There are not many descriptions of meals in the Book of Mormon at all. The only one I could think of (except for the sacrament in 3 Nephi) was Amulek sharing a meal with Alma. But this example does fit the context as discussed. Alma had been cast out of Ammonihah by a people hostile to him. Eating with one of its inhabitants later would signify reconciliation and unity with at least one of its inhabitants, even though many others would still reject him. After the meal, Alma the high priest also pronounced a special high priestly blessing on Amulek and his household. 

7 As I was journeying to see a very near kindred, behold an angel of the Lord appeared unto me and said: Amulek, return to thine own house, for thou shalt feed a prophet of the Lord; yea, a holy man, who is a chosen man of God; for he has fasted many days because of the sins of this people, and he is an hungered, and thou shalt receive him into thy house and feed him, and he shall bless thee and thy house; and the blessing of the Lord shall rest upon thee and thy house...

11 For behold, he hath blessed mine house, he hath blessed me, and my women, and my children, and my father and my kinsfolk; yea, even all my kindred hath he blessed, and the blessing of the Lord hath rested upon us according to the words which he spake. (Alma 10)

Notice that after they have eaten together, "a chosen man of God" and the high priest, Alma, gave a blessing that became the blessing of the Lord. This is exactly what we see when the high priest, Melchizedek, blesses Abraham, but we will look into that in detail in the next post.