It is the union of two lives traditionally symbolised by the mixing of their blood. Just as that blended blood can never be separated, the blood covenant bond between friends can never be broken. The two have become one soul until "death us do part".
We need to think the way that the Biblical writers thought about friendship and covenant in order to understand the depth of the relationship which God wants to have with us. Today we use the term 'friend' very loosely. However, in Middle Eastern thinking a friend was someone that you were so close to that you had entered into blood covenant with them. It was after Abraham entered into covenant with God, that God called him His friend. Jesus said that this friendship love was the greatest love of all when He said "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends." (John 15:13) This is the same agape love which is described in 1 Corinthians 13.
Covenant is different to a contract. It is not a legal document. A contract is based on mistrust, where the parties try to protect their personal interests. With a contract one must always be careful to read the "fine print". In contrast, a covenant is a complete giving of yourself to the other person with absolutely no concern for yourself at all. In a covenant relationship your concern and focus is on the other person, not on yourself.
Covenant is friendship and it incorporates intimacy, selflessness, agreement, love, and relationship. In our study we trace and examine the covenant relationships between God and Mankind throughout history as recorded in the Holy Bible.
So many people question whether or not God could really love them. But that is the wrong question to ask. God loves you and IS your friend. The real question to ask is "Will you be God's friend?".
John 3:16 (NKJV) For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
God is indeed our Covenant God!