The human consumption of blood was strictly forbidden by divine decree. No citizen or resident alien of Israel was permitted to ingest any blood at any time while living in the Holy Land or residing anywhere else on earth. In order to be considered one of God’s special people, all dietary intake of blood had to be spurned.
“And whatever man of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell among you, who eats any blood, I will set My face against that person who eats blood and will cut him off from among his people. For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.’ Therefore I said to the children of Israel, ‘No one among you shall eat blood, nor shall any stranger who dwells among you eat blood.’ Leviticus 17:10-12
This practice was upheld even in the Christian Church because new believers were strictly cautioned to avoid the intake of blood.
“We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who will also report the same things by word of mouth. For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.” Acts 15:27-29.
Within the Outer Court of the wilderness sanctuary, there was always a great deal of blood. Because animal sacrifices were frequently being killed in that location. Not only bullocks, sheep, and goats but also birds. The person who invariably did the slaughtering was the penitent sinner. He always entered that specified area leading the substitutionary sacrifice with a rope. Or carrying it in his hands.
Now the Lord called to Moses, and spoke to him from the tabernacle of meeting, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel and say to them: ‘When any one of you brings an offering to the Lord, you shall bring your offering of the livestock—of the herd and of the flock. ‘If his offering is a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish; he shall offer it of his own free will at the door of the tabernacle of meeting before the Lord. Then he shall put his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him. He shall kill the bull before the Lord; and the priests, Aaron’s sons, shall bring the blood and sprinkle the blood all around on the altar that is by the door of the tabernacle of meeting. And he shall skin the burnt offering and cut it into its pieces. The sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire on the altar and lay the wood in order on the fire. Then the priests, Aaron’s sons, shall lay the parts, the head, and the fat in order on the wood that is on the fire upon the altar; but he shall wash its entrails and its legs with water. And the priest shall burn all on the altar as a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the Lord. Leviticus 1:1-9.
The contrite malefactor himself slaughtered the animal, skinned it, washed it, and cut it into several pieces. But only the Aaronic priest took the blood and sprinkled it upon all four sides of the brazen altar. Thereafter, he placed and arranged all the pieces of the burnt offering in order upon the altar, and inserted firewood beneath it so that it would be completely consumed. These acts of the repentant sinner and the priest represent two different periods of time. The dispensation of the Hebrew Church in which the Saviour was cut in pieces by human treachery and wickedness and actually killed. Followed by the Christian era when all the merits and righteousness of Christ would benefit every Christian believer. They would be cleansed by His blood, just as the blood of the sacrifice was repeatedly sprinkled upon all four sides of the Brazen Altar. They would also be covered by His life just as the priest carefully arranged every piece of the sacrifice upon the grill of the altar.
The offering made by fire was a sweet-smelling aroma to The Lord. Because the Burnt Offering represented the sinless, perfect life that the Saviour lived on earth before His sacrificial death. His perfect life was especially pleasing to The Father. “When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:16-17.
On The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), blood was especially significant. Throughout the course of each year, the sins of the penitent worshippers were transferred to the Altar of Burnt Offering. From there they were transferred by the ministering priests to The Tabernacle of Meeting who entered to eat and drink at the Table of The Show Bread and also to trim the lamps and pour oil into them. By the time The Festival of The Atonement arrived many sins had accumulated in the Sanctuary and accordingly The Tabernacle of Meeting had to be cleansed of all sins once every year. One of the cogent truths carefully taught in scripture is that the Aaronic priestly family were sinners. Not high-handed, rebellious, impenitent sinners. But erring mortals nevertheless. Therefore when The Day of Atonement arrived Aaron the high priest had to ensure that the sins of his family were atoned for.
“And Aaron shall bring the bull of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make atonement for himself and for his house, and shall kill the bull as the sin offering which is for himself. Then he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from the altar before the Lord, with his hands full of sweet incense beaten fine, and bring it inside the veil. And he shall put the incense on the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of incense may cover the mercy seat that is on the Testimony, lest he dies. He shall take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the mercy seat on the east side, and before the mercy seat he shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times.” Leviticus 16:11-14.
(TO BE CONTINUED)
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