It Can be Easy to Forget that Everything God Created is Good – Even Blood and Land (Leviticus 16 – 22)

Lifeblood

If any one of the house of Israel or of the strangers who sojourn among them 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 for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life. Therefore I have said to the people of Israel, No person among you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger who sojourns among you eat blood.

Leviticus 17:10-12

Blood is a common theme throughout the Bible. Starting back in Genesis, we see the importance of respecting anything that has lifeblood. I’ll highlight just a couple in prior reading:

• The end of Genesis 1 alludes to all creatures with the breath of life being offered only plants for food. (Genesis 1:30)
• Genesis 4 states that the voice of Abel’s blood (the first murder to occur) cried to Him from the ground. (Genesis 4:10)
• After the flood, Genesis 9 reveals that animals and people demand an accounting for their deaths because they had lifeblood. (Genesis 9:4-6)
• Nearly every sacrifice performed including pouring out the blood of an animal and/or sprinkling it on the altar.
• The ordination of Aaron, his sons, and future priests involved putting blood on the lobe of their right ear, the thumb of their right hand, and the big toes of their right feet. (Leviticus 8:23)

This is an important concept to take with us as we journey through the Bible as everything God created is good. See, the blood for sacrifices was sacred because it took the life of a sacrificial victim. If we value life like God does, then any shedding of blood carries with it accountability and responsibility in our actions. This is why eating blood was strictly forbidden because the life of every creature is its blood. This carried through to Pagan practices, drinking the blood to preserve it or increase the life-force within him by drinking ‘life’.

Looking past their current culture, we see it as a beautiful picture that God is preparing the Israelites for the ultimate blood sacrifice: Jesus’ death on the cross. The blood for sacrifices taught substitution with blood for someone still with lifeblood would satisfy the requirements for atonement and purification.

Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.

Hebrews 9:22

Land

While it is a common thought to have that Creation is of God and, therefore, holy, I know that for me, it never really sunk in about the details to which holiness radiates. One thing that fascinates me is that God is in all of the details. It is so easy (for me, at least) to forget that.

Chapter 18 of Leviticus draws us to this view of God in everything. God instructs Moses to not follow the pagan culture regarding the unlawful sexual relations practiced. He lists them out in detail.

Six times in that one chapter alone, we see the phrase “I am the Lord your God”. This statement usually surrounds instructions for holy living. These were serious offenses!

So much so, that we read that the land vomited out the Canaanites for these practices.

Do not make yourselves unclean by any of these things, for by all these the nations I am driving out before you have become unclean, and the land became unclean, so that I punished its iniquity, and the land vomited out its inhabitants. But you shall keep my statutes and my rules and do none of these abominations, either the native or the stranger who sojourns among you (for the people of the land, who were before you, did all of these abominations, so that the land became unclean), lest the land vomit you out when you make it unclean, as it vomited out the nation that was before you. For everyone who does any of these abominations, the persons who do them shall be cut off from among their people. So keep my charge never to practice any of these abominable customs that were practiced before you, and never to make yourselves unclean by them: I am the Lord your God.

Leviticus 18:24-30

Let that sink in, the choices of the people, the sins they committed, rendered the land unclean. That is a detail not often talked about. But again, this compels us to look back at Creation itself and forward to the Creator Himself.

In Genesis 2, we read that God took the man and charged him to care and work it. After the fall, the ground became cursed and he now had to toil and WORK for his food.

[C]ursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

Genesis 3:17b-19

Not only was the ground cursed, but we can see another pattern of holiness here. God created the ground, He created man from the ground, and back to the ground man will go when he dies. It comes full circle in this verse to understand the importance of the land. Genesis displays this aspect often.

• After Cain murdered his brother, God told him part of his punishment would be that he would have to work the land for food but that it wouldn’t produce crops for him. “Now the ground, soaked with his brother’s blood, would symbolize death and would no longer yield for him its produce.” (NIV Study Bible footnotes)
• We see in the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah that it wasn’t just the people who were destroyed, but all the vegetation as well.
• The plagues destroyed the Egyptian land’s produce making it worthless.

Again and again, we see the concept that those who live on the land can effect an unholy association with that land.

Looking back to the tabernacle, it makes it easier to understand the regulations surrounding the land and every article it held. Everything had to be purified, every person atoned for, even the priests had to wear specific undergarments so they would not incur guilt.

You can keep these ideas in the back of your mind as you read through the Bible as it helps offer another piece of the puzzle to the great mysteries the Bible holds. When reading in Revelation, it comes full circle again as we understand the importance of a new Heaven and a new earth.

What God created was holy. Every detail and item. We are to treat His Creation(s) as such.

---

Last Week

---

Anchored Truth Tuesdays

~It is appreciated but not required that you follow my social media accounts

~A new Anchored Abode podcast (iTunes) has been started, and I would love for subscribers and positive reviews (SoundCloud)

~I do ask that you use the Anchored Truth Tuesdays logo above on your site somewhere or on the post itself; if you click on the picture above a new window will open with html instructions

~ Family friendly posts only (I reserve the right to delete any that are deemed inappropriate); with a direct link to a specific blog post

~It is appreciated if you spread the blogging love to those around you in the Anchored community by visiting their sites, following them, or liking/sharing posts

~We have a Pinterest group board, Anchored Truth Tuesdays, where all who link up are welcome to also upload their content–you’ll just need to like Anchored Abode first, and then request to join

~By submitting a link, you are agreeing to be added to our email list as well as allowing the use of pictures/content as featured posts on our social media accounts