Le 17:10-14
10 “Anyone from the house of Israel or from the foreigners who live among them who eats any blood, I will turn against that person who eats blood and cut him off from his people. 11 For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have appointed it to you to make atonement on the altar for your lives, since it is the lifeblood that makes atonement. 12 Therefore I say to the Israelites: None of you and no foreigner who lives among you may eat blood.
13 “Any Israelite or foreigner living among them, who hunts down a wild animal or bird that may be eaten must drain its blood and cover it with dirt. 14 Since the life of every creature is its blood, I have told the Israelites: You must not eat the blood of any creature, because the life of every creature is its blood; whoever eats it must be cut off.
Chapter summary. These chapters launch the fourth major section of Leviticus, which lists rules for holy living. These moral rules focus on personal relationships. First, however, Moses reminds Israel that God has given them the blood of animals to make atonement. All sacrifices are to be made to God at the tabernacle (17:1–9), and blood is to be used for no other purpose than sacrifice (vv. 10–16). God’s standards are high. But He is a forgiving God, who accepts the sinner who comes with blood to confess and to be restored.
Moses then goes on to list sexual relationships which defile the individual and pollute the land (18:1–28). Anyone who makes a practice of these forbidden sins is to be “cut off from their people” (vv. 29–30).
Key verses. 17:11; 18:29: Atonement is blood bought.
Personal application. As God’s purified people it is up to us to choose purity in our personal relationships.
Richards, L. O. (1991; Published in electronic form by Logos Research Systems, 1996). The Bible readers companion (electronic ed.) (85). Wheaton: Victor Books.
As I was reading this it occurred to me, I know that this seems painfully obvious, that the sacrifice of the animals should have been the execution of people. Think about everything that we have been reading about in Leviticus...they should have been doing this to the people. THE ANIMALS WERE TAKING THEIR PLACE. Men and women as they reached the age of accountability should have marched to the tabernacle had their throats slit and everything that was done to the animals should have been done to them. You might be thinking, Mark, are you in a bad mood, did you get up on the wrong side of the bed this morning? Are you going mad? I hope not:) Consider Psalm 29:10-11 The Lord sat enthroned at the flood; the Lord sits enthroned, King forever. 11 The Lord gives His people strength; the Lord blesses His people with peace. What do we learn from 1 Peter 3:20, when God patiently waited in the days of Noah while an ark was being prepared; in it, a few—that is, eight people —were saved through water.
So often ladies will choose Noah's ark as a theme for their baby shower...cute pictures of the ark and the animals...so precious! To that point in human history the Ark was the most horrific moment...it makes tsunamis and earthquakes look like child's play by comparison. ALL BUT 8 DIED...DROWNED...HUMANS AND ANIMALS. I suppose if you portrayed the thousands, probably millions outside the Ark screaming at the top of their lungs in desperation before they drowned you probably would not sell much baby shower gift wrap.
This was worse than Sodom and Gomorrah...the entire earth was destroyed...as the Lord sat enthroned! This is what sin deserves, this is what you and I deserve...THIS IS FAIR, RIGHT AND JUST! AND WE SHOULD BE IN AWE AND STUNNED THAT IT WILL NOT HAPPEN TO US. To be spared from hell is enough, to be made a child of the most high God, an heir of HIS and a joint heir with JESUS should consume you with awe. Then to realize that HE did it by shedding HIS own blood...what happened to HIM should have happened to you and to me...and after they were done, then for us to spend eternity in hell would be right, just and fair.
Ac 20:28 -Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among whom the Holy Spirit has appointed you as overseers, to shepherd the church of God, which He purchased with His own blood.
Jn 3:16 “For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.
Are you amazed, are you extremely astonished at Jesus and what HE has done...God Himself, took your place and shed HIS blood for you and for me. Sometimes it feels like the "entitlement" mentality in our county has made its way into the church...this should not be! The only thing you and I should be entitled to is a horrible death, eternal separation from a Holy God..."for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
Mk 7:37 -They were extremely astonished and said, “He has done everything well! He even makes deaf people hear, and people unable to speak, talk!”
JESUS INDEED...HAS DONE EVERYTHING WELL! VERY WELL!
THANK YOU...THANK YOU...THANK YOU...FOR TAKING MY PLACE, FOR DYING THE DEATH I DESERVE, FOR TAKING MY SIN AND GRANTING ME YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS...THANK YOU SEEMS HORRIBLY INADEQUATE, BUT IT IS ALL I HAVE...THANK YOU!
LORD...PLEASE ENABLE ME TO LIVE A LIFE THAT WILL BE AN OUTWARD EXPRESSION OF OVERFLOWING JOY AND GRATITUDE...DELIGHTING IN WHO YOU ARE AND WHAT YOU HAVE DONE...DELIGHTING IN YOU AND THEN BY YOUR GRACE SHARING THAT WITH ALL WHO WILL HAVE EYES TO SEE AND EARS TO HEAR. FOR YOUR GLORY AND THE JOY OF YOUR PEOPLE...IN JESUS NAME...AMEN...
love,
m