Life in the Blood, Lev. 17 - Part II
“‘I will set my face against any Israelite or any foreigner residing among them who eats blood, and I will cut them off from the 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 any foreigner residing among you eat blood.” - Lev. 17: 10-12
The LORD gave Israel the blood of animals to make atonement on the altar. That was the gift of blood - to atone for one’s life. Blood was not (is not) to be eaten. “for the life of a creature in in the blood.” What does this mean? And why is this law so important that even foreigners residing amongst the Israelites must keep it?
The LORD goes on to stipulate the blood of any hunted animal must be spilled on the ground and buried, “for the life of a creature is in its blood.” I have read a few commentaries on this stipulation, both Jewish and Christian, and have found little insight beyond the observation that burying an animal’s blood takes some effort. It shows a certain degree of respect for an creature to bury its blood. It is an acknowledgement of life taken. And it is interesting that scripture speaks of the life of a “creature” rather than a “beast.” The word translated creature is the same word that is used for “flesh,” including human flesh. It is the word used for the flesh of all God’s creatures, not only the beasts.
We are not supposed to drink blood, or eat meat with blood in it, because “the life of the creature is in the blood.” I do not know how that explanation sounded in the ears of our ancients forefathers. Were there some strange religious practices involving the drinking of animal blood in the nations around Israel? Was this prohibition another warning against pagan religion? It is hard to know since our knowledge of ancient pagan religious practice is limited; however, ritual consumption of blood is rather rare in cultures across the globe. What we do know is that this prohibition against ingesting blood was so ingrained in the Jewish psyche by the time Jesus arrived that the very thought of eating blood was repulsive. It was not only forbidden, it was abhorrent . So Jesus knew exactly how His words would land when He told the crowd following Him, “unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.”
This is the crowd which days before had eaten the bread He multiplied. They wanted to see another miracle. They wanted to eat free bread. Who knows? Perhaps the bread Jesus multiplied was better than any bread they had ever tasted, much like the wine He created at Canaan was the best the guests had drunk. But Jesus refused to repeat the the sign. Instead, He told the hungry crowd following Him that He was the bread of life. When the crowd grumbled, He went even further saying, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.” The people certainly could not imagine drinking blood of any kind - much less the blood of a man! And a fellow Jew at that! No wonder the crowds left him. I can even imagine why some thought Jesus was possessed by a demon.
Father, it is a mystery to us, but I know Your plan for salvation was ordained from the beginning. Revelation says the Lamb was slain “before the foundation of the world.” Surely this law in Leviticus was given with a view toward the Atonement which would give eternal life to men. Jesus is life, “and (His) life was the light of man.” John 1:4 It is only His blood on the altar that ends the cycle of animal sacrifice. It is only in His blood that we have life eternal. But what a shock! What an unexpected turn of history.
I believe part of the reason this prohibition against eating blood was to separate the blood of Your Son from all other blood. His is the only blood which may be consumed be humans. Drinking the blood of Christ does not cut anyone off from Your people; rather it binds us to You and to one another. How could anyone have predicted the way in which New Covenant would fulfill the law in such an unexpected way? Truly, Your ways are higher than our ways, and your thoughts are higher than our thoughts! (Is 55:9) Embracing Your ways will humble us all - and bring us to life eternal. Blessed be Your Name!