Leviticus
chapter 17 reminds us of the ultimate value of blood. Three times we
are told, “The
life of every creature is in the blood“.
The chapter begins, “Any
Israelite who sacrifices and ox, a lamb or a goat… instead of
bringing it to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting to present it as
an offering to the Lord- that man shall be considered guilty of
bloodshed and will be cut off from his people“.
So many people today have a “do my own thing” religion.
It is usually based on a set of beliefs that anything they do is OK
with God, but anything beyond that is bad. The problem is, the
threshold for “wrong” moves continuously. As believers, we
honor God’s standards, not man’s. The verse continues, “They
must bring it to the priest, that is to the Lord… and sacrifice
them as a fellowship offering“.
Remember, in the fellowship offering, the blood and the fat were
burned on the altar along with the offerers prayers and praise. A
beautiful fellowship with God, giving Him thanks for His provision
and a time of petition “an
aroma pleasing to the Lord“.
I believe God loves to hear our praise and loves to hear our
prayers, but we have access only though the blood of Christ, our High
Priest. Only through Christ, can our praise be a pleasing aroma to
the Lord.
The
chapter continues, “They
must no longer offer any of their sacrifices to idols”
or they must be cut off from the people. And we are told why, “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“.
Ephesians 1:7 explains, as believers we receive forgiveness only
through the blood of Jesus. His sacrifice paid the penalty for my
sin, all that is required is to believe. “In
Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our
trespasses, according to the riches of His grace“.
And the rich supply of God’s grace is endless!
The
chapter ends with a warning not to eat blood, “I
will set my face against that person who eats blood and cut him off
from his people“.
As we have read, this is God’s portion and we need to be careful not
to take what belongs to God. We are also told, any animal killed in
a hunt, before it is eaten, “drain
out the blood and cover it with earth“.
Apart from Christ, we are more unclean than the dirt! Hebrews 10:29
explains to those that think we can do our own thing and honor God,
“trample
under foot the Son of God”
and “insult
the Sprit of Grace“.
May you know the intimacy of our loving God purchased through the
blood of our Savior, Jesus Christ.