Week 5: February 3^rd, 2019

Topic: The Blood of the Lamb – Part 1

Bible Reading: Revelation 5:1-13

Introduction

Blood is the red liquid that circulates in the heart, arteries, capillaries and veins of humans and other vertebrate animals, carrying nourishment and oxygen to all parts of the body and bringing carbon dioxide or waste products from the tissues of the body. It can also be described as the red fluid in the body that contains white and red blood cells, platelets, proteins and other elements. The blood is transported throughout the body by the circulatory system and it functions in two directions namely the arterial and venous.

The Bible stated that “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being” Genesis 2:7. Since ‘The breath of life’ is spiritual and invisible, the blood is the physical indication of the breath of life. It is the blood that signifies ‘The breath of life.’ It was demonstrated by the story of Abel and Cain. After Cain murdered Abel, God said “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground. So now you are cursed from the earth, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand” Genesis 4:10-11. God cursed Cain for killing his brother, so do not shed innocent blood if you don’t want to be cursed. ‘Breath of life’ is the property of God; life which is the blood belongs to God, so do not take the life that you cannot create. Do not shed the blood of the innocent else you will not go unpunished.

Remember that “Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed; for in the image of God He made man” Genesis 9:6. Since God created humans to be like Himself, He will punish whoever takes a human life (unlawfully) by death. For this reason, “You shall not pollute the land where you are; for blood defiles the land, and no atonement can be made for the land, for the blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of him who shed it” Numbers 35:33. Keep bloodshed/murder out of your land! Keep your community/nation pure, and never pollute wherever you live with blood.

Shedding of blood and eating of blood are not acceptable to God, because the life is in the blood, so do not eat any meat/flesh with its blood. The scripture says “But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood” Genesis 9:4. Therefore, you must not consume any of the animals’ blood, but you must pour it on the ground just like water. It is the command of the Lord that you must not eat the blood of any animal, but let the blood drain out on the ground. As it is written “Only you shall not eat the blood; you shall pour it on the earth like water” Deuteronomy 12:16. Henceforth, do not consume blood in the guise of medication, edible things or drinks because it is against the directives of the Lord.

When Saul misbehaved and disobeyed the instructions of the Lord, God took the throne of Israel from him and appointed David as the King of Israel 1 Samuel 13:13-14. King Saul’s action made God to remove him and replaced him with David to rule in Israel. Then God made this statement “I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will” Acts 13:22. Despite the fact that God referred to David as ‘A man after My own heart’ He was denied the privilege to build a house for God. David was forbidden to build a house for the name of God because he had killed too many people in battle.

God did not consider that David was a soldier, and he shed many blood in self-defense as a warrior, but He refused to allow David to build a temple to honor His name. The Bible says “But God said to me, ‘You shall not build a house for My name because you have been a man of war and have shed blood’” 1 Chronicle 28:3. God sent Nathan to David saying “You have shed much blood and have made great wars; you shall not build a house for My name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in My sight” 1 Chronicles 22:8. If David who is called the ‘Man after My own heart’ was disqualified from building a temple for the Lord because he had killed too many people in battle, then you will realize the degree of hatred which God has for bloodshed. For this reason, it is better to avoid bloodshed even if it is for self-defense so that God will not deny you certain opportunities.

Characteristics of the Blood

The blood has several qualities, but we shall only discuss some of them because of time constraint.

Deliverance and salvation purposes: God instructed the people of Israel living in the Land of Goshen in Egypt to kill unblemished male, a year-old sheep or goat per household, and put some of the blood of the animals on the two doorposts, and on the lintel of the house where they will eat the animal/Passover Exodus 12:5-7. The purpose of the blood on their doorposts was to serve as a sign, marking the houses where they are staying for the Passover so that when the Lord sees the blood, He will pass over them, and the plague of death of first-born will neither touch them nor come into their abode, when the Lord strike and punish the land of Egypt Exodus 12:12-13. The blood on the door post is for salvation purposes because God used it to save the lives of the people of Israel while the Egyptians perished.

For consecration and covenant purposes: The Bible says “Moses took half the blood and put it in basins, and half the blood he sprinkled on the altar. Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read in the hearing of the people. And they said, ‘All that the Lord has said we will do, and be obedient’. And Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said ‘This is the blood of covenant which the Lord has made with you according to all these words’” Exodus 24:6-8. Moses used the blood to consecrate the altar and to seal the covenant of God with the people of Israel.

Sanctification and dedication: God said to Moses “And you shall take some of the blood that is on the altar, and some of the anointing oil, and sprinkled it on Aaron and on his garments, on his sons and on the garments of his sons with him, and he and his garments shall be hallowed, and his sons and his sons; garments with him” Exodus 29:21. It is evident that blood was used to sanctify Aaron, his sons and their garments. “Then Moses took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood which was on the altar, and sprinkled it on Aaron, on his garments, on his sons, and on the garments of his sons with him: and he consecrated Aaron, his garments, his sons, and the garments of his sons with him” Leviticus 8:30.

Atonement purposes: Before the coming of Jesus Christ into this world, God gave us the privilege to use the blood of animals to sacrifice in place of our own blood since life is in the blood. The life of every living thing is in the blood, and that is why the Lord commanded that all blood be poured out on the altar to take away people’s sins. It is only the blood which is the life that take away sins as it is written “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” Leviticus 17:11. Do not forget that blood is not for your consumptions but you have been given the blood to be used to sacrifice on the altar to purify you and make you right with the Lord. Remember, it is the blood given in exchange for a life that make purification possible.

Commandments concerning Blood

Do not eat blood: God commanded the people of Israel never to use the blood of birds or animals for food wherever they live. Which means, Christians must not consume any blood whatsoever, whether the blood of birds or animals according to the scripture which says, “Moreover you shall not eat any blood in any of your dwellings, whether of bird or beast” Leviticus 7:26. Therefore, the consumption of blood in any form is forbidden by the Lord God your Creator. “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.’ Whatever man of the children of Israel, or the strangers who dwell among you, who hunts and catches any animal or bird that may be eaten, he shall pour out its blood and cover it with dust’” Leviticus 17:12-13. Pay attention to this warning, do not eat blood but drain the blood of any animal/bird before eating and cover it with dirt/soil. You must never eat life with the meat/flesh. The Bible says “Only be sure that you do not eat the blood, for the blood is the life; you may not eat the life with the meat” Deuteronomy 12:23. Harken to the voice of your Creator and cease consuming blood. “This shall be a perpetual statue throughout your generations in all your dwellings: you shall eat neither fat nor blood” Leviticus 3:17. This law will never change, and it is a rule to be kept forever by believers wherever they live; they and their descendants must never eat fat or blood, not even in the privacy of their homes. It is a permanent law to be observed from generation to generation.

The punishment for blood consumption: You were forbidden from eating blood, else, you will no longer belong to the people of God. Since the life of every creature is its blood, then you must not consume the blood of any creature, else you will be cut off from the assembly/congregation of the people of God. It is written “For it is the life of all flesh. Its blood sustains its life. Therefore, I said to the children of Israel, ‘You shall not eat the blood of any flesh, for the life of all flesh is its blood. Whoever eats it shall be cut off’” Leviticus 17:14. Never forget whoever eat or drink blood will be cut off from the community of the saints. The Lord will turn against anyone who consumes blood; He will oppose the person and eliminate such person from His people according to the Bible passage which says “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” Leviticus 17:10. Whether you are a believer or not, do not consume blood so that you will not be banished from the people of God. Be warned, since the Lord prohibited the consumption of blood in any manner; do not break this law, else, you will no longer be considered as one of God’s people. The scripture says “Whoever eats any blood, that person shall be cut off from his people” Leviticus 7:27. For this reason, do not consume blood.

Women are unclean during their impurity: When a woman has her monthly period, she remains unclean for seven day. Anyone who touches her must sanctify himself/herself and remain unclean until evening. Whenever a woman has her regular flow of blood (menstruation), the impurity of her monthly period will last seven days and anyone who touches her will be unclean till evening Leviticus 15:19. Women must realize that they are unclean during their menstrual period. Any woman who has a flow of blood outside her regular monthly period is unclean until it stops, just as she is during her monthly period. If a woman has a flow of blood for many days that is unrelated to her menstrual period or not during the time of her menstruation, or if her impure discharge continues, she shall be as she is in the days of her normal menstrual impurity; she is unclean Leviticus 15:25. Our mothers must take note of this important information so as not to defile the sacred/consecrated things or locations in the Church of God.