17 Leviticus - The Blood
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17 Leviticus – The Blood (Lunsford, J. (2006). Leviticus 101 (p. 152). Reformation Publishers.)
Chapters 17-26 are referred to as the “holiness code’ by many scholars – “that’s because these chapters 17-26 focus on the people of Israel collectively in terms of a collective or corporate responsibility to be holy.” Heiser. Chapter 17 will deal with proper worship on the part of the people corporately.
Leviticus 17
V.1 – the Word is to all the people, Priest and commoner, as well as us. God is Holy and He expects His people to be holy, even if they are not a priest.
V.2 / V.7 – go hand in hand. Remember, we are only weeks out of Egypt. GOD wants all idolatry stopped. The command isn’t against killing an animal, it’s against sacrificing animals to an idol.
Deuteronomy 12:15 Notwithstanding thou mayest kill and eat flesh in all thy gates, whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, according to the blessing of the LORD thy God which he hath given thee: the unclean and the clean may eat thereof, as of the roebuck, and as of the hart.
For a sacrifice to TRULY be a sacrifice, it had to be offered to GOD, at the Tabernacle and given under the hand of a priest. God had given specific instruction on how to sacrifice.
V.7 And they shall no more offer their sacrifices unto devils, after whom they have gone a whoring. –In verse seven the word translated demons in the Hebrew is Seirim. Seirim means goat or field-devil. The Egyptians worshiped satyrs like Pan, who was in the form of a goat.
Worshippers of Pan offered their sacrifices in tasteless and deplorable ways, so we see that God did not place this restriction on Israel simply because of the meat, rather it was because of who that sacrifice was intended for. In like manner, God doesn’t lay heavy restrictions on mankind just because it brings Him pleasure; God offers us laws and examples to live by so that we can better serve Him!
How can we witness for a God we say we love while dressing like the world, talking like the world, and living just like the world Jesus died to save us from? Not only does it destroy our witness, but it is appalling in the eyes of God!
Jesus had something similar to say in Matthew 6:24 – No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
V.8-9 – God expands the penalty of excommunication to include the foreigners living among the Hebrews. God is serious about this false worship thing! HE doesn’t intend to tolerate it among His chosen people.
V.10-12 – God begins to get to the heart of the matter concerning the shedding of blood. V.11 being a Key verse (if not the Key verse) “For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.
Let look more closely at this Blood”
· For the life of the flesh is in the blood – The life is in the blood and no life exist without the blood. No blood, no life.
o Plant life is a completely different kind of life and was always intended to be a source of supply to mankind – meant to be harvested.
· I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls – It is a gift from God with a very special purpose. God intended the blood to be shed – for “without the shedding of blood is no remission” Hebrews 9:22b.
· For it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. The blood of Jesus covers and cleanses us from all sin.
o “and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7
Things to consider in regard to life and the shedding of Blood
· God was willing to shed the blood of an animal to provide clothing for Adam and Eve –
o Genesis 3:21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.
· Ables preferred sacrifice unto God was that of an animal.
o Genesis 4:4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
· The first thing Noah did when he came off the Ark was to sacrifice an animal to God.
o Genesis 8:20 And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
· Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son to God; God provide a ram.
o Genesis 22:10-13 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. 11 And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. 12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. 13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns:
· At the exodus from Egypt God called for a lamb to be sacrifice and blood applied that the death angle would pass over the children of Israel.
o Exodus 12:13 And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.
· Fifty days later Moses and the children of Israel entered into a covenant with God through the sprinkling of blood.
o Exodus 24:8 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.
· God willingly accepted the shedding of animal blood for years until one day HE sent His Son to provide an everlasting sacrifice of blood for whosoever might believe upon Him.
o Matthew 26:28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
Hebrews 10:19-29. 26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, 27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. 28 He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: 29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? (See Matthew 12:31)
The Power of the Blood
God looks upon blood far differently than you or I. So much so that He placed great restrictions upon it.
Blood was …
1) Not to be shed in a field (vs. 1-7)
2) Not to eaten (vs. 8-10)
Then God gives us the reason why …
3) Blood contains life (vs. 11-16)