SAVING BLOODSHED

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark

"The Lord said to Moses, "Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites and say to them: 'This is what the Lord has commanded: Any Israelite who sacrifices an ox, a lamb or a goat in the camp or outside of it instead of bringing it to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting to present it as an offering to the Lord in front of the tabernacle of the Lord -that man shall be considered guilty of bloodshed; he has shed blood and must be cut off from his people. This is so the Israelites will bring to the Lord the sacrifices they are now making in the open fields. They must bring them to the priest, that is, to the Lord, at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and sacrifice them as fellowship offerings. The priest is to sprinkle the blood against the altar of the Lord at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and burn the fat as an aroma pleasing to the Lord. They must no longer offer any of their sacrifices to the goat idols to whom they prostitute themselves. This is to be a lasting ordinance for them and for the generations to come.' "Say to them: 'Any Israelite or any alien living among them who offers a burnt offering or sacrifice and does not bring it to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting to sacrifice it to the Lord -that man must be cut off from his people.

" 'Any Israelite or any alien living among them who eats any blood—I will set my face against that person who eats blood and will cut him off from his people. For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life. Therefore I say to the Israelites, "None of you may eat blood, nor may an alien living among you eat blood." " 'Any Israelite or any alien living among you who hunts any animal or bird that may be eaten must drain out the blood and cover it with earth, because the life of every creature is its blood. That is why I have said to the Israelites, "You must not eat the blood of any creature, because the life of every creature is its blood; anyone who eats it must be cut off." " 'Anyone, whether native-born or alien, who eats anything found dead or torn by wild animals must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be ceremonially unclean till evening; then he will be clean. But if he does not wash his clothes and bathe himself, he will be held responsible.' " Leviticus 17

As we reach Chapter 17 of Leviticus, we see the Lord addressing two more problems: improper sacrificing and the eating of blood.

The Lord had given strict direction as to how sacrifices were to be conducted and all of them involved the assigned high priest performing the sacrifice rituals within the tabernacle (also referred to sometimes as the Tent of Meeting).

As we read in this chapter, some of the Israelites were performing their own sacrifices. Specifically, scripture refers to "sacrifices to the goat idols" which is in direct disobedient to God’s commandments to not have any gods before Him and never worship false idols. This caused the Lord to issue the following command:

"Any Israelite who sacrifices an ox, a lamb or a goat in the camp or outside of it instead of bringing it to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting to present it as an offering to the Lord in front of the tabernacle of the Lord -that man shall be considered guilty of bloodshed; he has shed blood and must be cut off from his people."

Offerings sacrifices to idols was consistent with the pagan worship rituals performed by the Canaanites and the Lord was laying down the law now to prevent the people of Israel from being assimilated into the polytheistic, sinful religion once entering the Promised Land. Unfortunately, we will see later in the Old Testament where the people still sinned in this matter, despite God’s command not to.

The other issue the Lord mentions is the matter of eating blood. Blood was considered sacred and represented the life of the creature. After every sacrifice, the blood of the creature was either wiped or sprinkled on the altar and was central to the atonement process with life being substituted for life…the life of the sacrifice and its shed blood assuming the place of the sinner.

So given the sacred nature of blood, it was not to be eaten and any animal hunted and killed was to be drained of its blood first. We also read where any dead animal or one torn by other animals could be eaten but would result in one being unclean until evening and required to wash their clothes and themselves.

Back to the matter of blood and sacrifice.

Today was Communion Sunday at my church. A time to once again share in the Lord’s Supper and remember the great sacred offering God made to save us when He gave His one and only Son Jesus to die on the cross for us. And during communion, we’re not just reminded of His body that was beaten, broken, bruised and pierced for us but we also reminded of His blood shed for us and the eternal hope it brings. We’re also reminded of the assurance of the scriptures that say:

"When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living. This is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood. When Moses had proclaimed every commandment of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves, together with water, scarlet wool and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people. He said, "This is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded you to keep. "In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies. In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God's presence. Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him." Hebrews 9:11-28

As we get set to enter a new week, may we keep our hearts and minds centered on the One High Priest…the One Mediator…the One sacrifice…the One blood…the One Salvation…the One who saved us and led us from death to life. Let us stay focused and centered on Jesus. Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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