Daily Scripture Reading Leviticus 17:1-16
Samantha was scrolling on her phone and saw there had been another mass shooting. After looking briefly at the details, she brushed it off and continued scrolling. She came across an article about assisted suicide, particularly focusing on helping elderly people end their lives once they were unable to work. Samantha approved the practice, thinking death was better than suffering or being unproductive. She received a text from a friend who was thinking about getting an abortion. Samantha told her friend that her baby would interfere with her career; therefore, it was better to end the pregnancy.
Modern society has a very casual attitude toward life. When people are inconvenient or unproductive, there is little hesitation about ending their lives. The Bible teaches a different perspective, and we find this perspective throughout the Bible.
From the very beginning of human history, God taught the value of human life. When Cain killed Abel, Yahweh said Abel’s blood was crying out to Him from the ground (see Genesis 4:10). After Noah exited the ark, Yahweh gave Noah permission to eat meat, but he and his family were not allowed to eat the blood because the life is in the blood. Furthermore, any man who committed murder was to be put to death (see Genesis 9:3-6). We see similar teachings in the Mosaic Law.
Lev. 17:1 ¶ Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
Lev. 17:2 “Speak to Aaron and to his sons and to all the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘This is what Yahweh has commanded, saying,
Lev. 17:3 “Any man from the house of Israel who slaughters an ox or a lamb or a goat in the camp, or who slaughters it outside the camp,
Lev. 17:4 and has not brought it to the doorway of the tent of meeting to bring it near as an offering to Yahweh before the tabernacle of Yahweh, it will be counted as bloodguiltiness to that man. He has shed blood, and that man shall be cut off from among his people.
Look at the words “bloodguiltiness” and “shed blood”. Eating meat was permissible, and slaughtering animals for sacrifices was required. However, killing animals still had to be done properly because killing animals involves shedding blood.
The punishment for violating this command was to be cut off from his people.
Lev. 17:5 The reason is so that the sons of Israel may bring their sacrifices which they were sacrificing in the open field, that they may bring them in to Yahweh, at the doorway of the tent of meeting to the priest, and sacrifice them as sacrifices of peace offerings to Yahweh.
The priests received parts of the sacrifices as their income; therefore, part of the reason for this provision was to protect the livelihood of the priests.
Lev. 17:6 And the priest shall splash the blood on the altar of Yahweh at the doorway of the tent of meeting and offer up the fat in smoke as a soothing aroma to Yahweh.
Lev. 17:7 And they shall no longer sacrifice their sacrifices to the goat demons with which they play the harlot. This shall be a perpetual statute to them throughout their generations.”’
Part of the reason for these instructions was to prohibit idolatry.
Lev. 17:8 ¶ “Then you shall say to them, ‘Any man from the house of Israel, or from the sojourners who sojourn among them, who offers a burnt offering or sacrifice,
Lev. 17:9 and does not bring it to the doorway of the tent of meeting to offer it to Yahweh, that man also shall be cut off from his people.
Notice the word “cut off”. Offering a sacrifice in an improper manner required the offender to be cut off from his people.
Lev. 17:10 ¶ ‘And any man from the house of Israel, or from the sojourners who sojourn among them, who eats any blood, I will set My face against that person who eats blood and will cut him off from among his people.
Eating blood was forbidden.
Lev. 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life.’
Take note of the concept that life is in the blood. Shedding blood ends life. Also, shedding blood is what makes atonement. Jesus made atonement for all the sins of the world by shedding His blood.
Many people in the modern world have a flippant attitude about murder and ending life. However, just as Abel’s blood cried out from the ground and Noah was told murderers need to be eliminated, so too the Israelites were prohibited from eating blood because life is in the blood. Their sacrifices involved shedding blood; therefore, the sacrifices had to be performed in the proper place and according to the proper procedures.
Lev. 17:12 Therefore I said to the sons of Israel, ‘No person among you may eat blood, and no sojourner who sojourns among you may eat blood.’
Lev. 17:13 So any man from the sons of Israel, or from the sojourners who sojourn among them, who in hunting catches a beast or a bird which may be eaten, shall pour out its blood and cover it with earth.
One of the ways the Israelites were to respect life was to cover the blood when they killed an animal.
Lev. 17:14 ¶ “For as for the life of all flesh, its blood is identified with its life. Therefore I said to the sons of Israel, ‘You are not to eat the blood of any flesh, for the life of all flesh is its blood; whoever eats it shall be cut off.’
Lev. 17:15 And when any person eats an animal which dies or is torn by beasts, whether he is a native or a sojourner, he shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and remain unclean until evening; then he will become clean.
Lev. 17:16 But if he does not wash them or bathe his body, then he shall bear his guilt.”
Modern society has a very casual attitude about shedding blood. Murder, including abortion and assisted suicide, is rampant. Many people think ending life is better when a person is unwanted, inconvenient, or past the age of productivity.
However, the Bible teaches us that life is precious. The blood of Abel cried out to God from the ground (Genesis 4). Noah was told all murderers should be put to death (Genesis 9). The Israelites were prohibited from eating blood because life is in the blood (Leviticus 17). Jesus listed murder as an evil thought that comes out of the heart (Matthew 15) and which defiles a person (Mark 7). Paul included murder in a list of unrighteous deeds (Romans 1). Revelation tells us murderers belong in the lake of fire (Revelation 21).
Does your church teach the Biblical attitude toward life?
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“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”