John Carter – January 21, 2018

{ESV}

10 “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. 11 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. 12 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.

13 “Any one also of the people of Israel, or of the strangers who sojourn among them, who takes in hunting any beast or bird that may be eaten shall pour out its blood and cover it with earth. 14 For the life of every creature is its blood: its blood is its life. Therefore I have said to the people of Israel, You shall not eat the blood of any creature, for the life of every creature is its blood. Whoever eats it shall be cut off. 15 And every person who eats what dies of itself or what is torn by beasts, whether he is a native or a sojourner, shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening; then he shall be clean. 16 But if he does not wash them or bathe his flesh, he shall bear his iniquity.”

{Translation}

Any person from the house of Israel— or a sojourner who sojourns in your midst—who eats from the blood, I will put my face against the one who eats the blood, and I will cut him off from his people. For the life of the flesh is in the blood. It is I who gave it to you on the altar to atone for your lives; for the blood in the flesh will make atonement.

Therefore, say to the son of Israel, of all the life before you, do not eat the blood. Even the sojourner who sojourns in your midst, do not eat the blood.

Any person from the house of Israel— or a sojourner who sojourns in your midst—who hunts game, living beast or fowl, that is eaten, he shall pour out its blood and cover it with dirt. For the life of all flesh is in its blood. Say to the sons of Israel, do not eat the blood of any flesh. For the life of any flesh is its blood. Anywho eats it will be cut off.

Any life which eats a corpse mauled 9by animals)—native or sojourner—he must wash his garments and bathe in water. He will be unclean until evening and then he will be clean. If he does not wash (his garment) and bathe his flesh then he will carry his guilt.

{Manuscript/Outline}

INTRODUCTION

We should always be cautious with how we speak of death and life. For both are outside of our control. We cannot control life or death. We may participate but we do not exercise authority over either. The world is on a fruitless pursuit to extend life while simultaneously shortening the life of millions around them. Today is National Sanctity of Human Life Sunday. On this day we mourn the legalization of abortion and celebrate the value of human life over and above popular opinion.

Before I move further I want to make two clear remarks to two, perhaps three groups this morning.

1. To those who have never been personally affected by abortion, before you speak please season your words with grace and mercy. (Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. Colossians 4:6)
2. To those who have been through the horrors of abortion, today please be patient as I hope to bring you to a place of hope and not condemnation. For although sin may have been the story of your past, grace can be the story of your future. (Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered. 1 Peter 3:7)
3. To those who are believers, pray for both groups. Pray for healing, and pray for a clarity of the salvation offered to all. Fill this time of preaching with prayers. Pray for those who are believers today, and pray for those whom God is calling today. (praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, Ephesians 6:18)

Native or Sojourner – All have the same law

• OUTCAST
  244 – “Like all foreigners in an alien culture he was liable to exploitation, and many of the laws urge charity and fair play for the alien. Often he is grouped with the orphan and the widow and among the classes especially deserving of charity. More than once the native Israelite is reminded that he should be sensitive to the aliens’ problems because they themselves had been sojourners in Egypt.
  “On the other hand the resident alien was expected to conform to the main rules of Israelite society…That the law finds it necessary to specify that certain rules did apply to sojourners seems to imply that in some matters resident aliens were allowed to preserve their traditional customs.” – NICOT – The Book of Leviticus, by Gordon J. Wenham
• WORSHIP
  “Thus the focus is not on dietary matters but rather the worship of God, particularly the violation of the First and Second Commandments by the commission of idolatry. (Rooker, M. F. (2000). Leviticus (Vol. 3A, p. 232). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
• 335 – “God permitted no rivals for his people’s allegiance.” Holiness to the LORD by Allen P. Ross

Blood is for life – Blood is for atonement

• LIFE IS IN THE BLOOD
  Gen 9:4; Leviticus 7:26-27; Deut12:16, 23; 15:23; 1 Sam. 14:32
• 579 – “Although we may think that Christ’s blood (as evidence that his life had been given) would have exclusive reference to the removal of our judicial guilt before God – for this is its primary reference – the New Testament authors also attribute to it several other effects. By the blood of Christ our consciences are cleansed (Heb. 9:14), we gain bold access to God in worship and prayer (Heb. 10:19), we are progressively cleansed from remaining sin (1 John 1:7; cf. Rev. 1:5b), we are able to conquer the accuser of the brethren (Rev. 12:10-11), and we are rescued out of a sinful way of life (1 Peter 1:18-19).” Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem

Jesus Bleed (Died) so that you and I Might Live

• John 6:54
  Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. (ESV)
• Hebrew 9-10
• Hebrew 9:11-14
  CHRIST ENTER THE HOLY PLACE
  11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) 12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
• Hebrews 9:20-22
  Moses Inaugurates the temporary Covenant with blood
  “This is the blood of the covenant that God commanded for you.” 21 And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tent and all the vessels used in worship. 22 Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.
• Hebrew 10:4
  4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
• Outside clean, but not inside
• Hebrew 10:9-10
  SALVATION IS COMING
  He does away with the first in order to establish the second. 10 And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
• Hebrew 9:24-28
  24 For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. 25 Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, 26 for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, 28 so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.
• Hebrew 10:19-27
  WE DRAW NEAR TO GOD
  WE HOLD FAST
  WE GATHER
  WE ENCOURAGE
  WE PERSEVERE
  19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

26 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.

THOUGHTS

• Jesus – Eat my blood – John 6:54
• Hebrews – Perfect Blood sacrifice – More perfect than Able; Heb 9:22
• 10 – Cut off from his people – Israel or sojourner
• Blood makes atonement – life for life
  • This is a fundamental belief held by society
  • “You saved my life”
  • Military gave their life for your freedom
  • The hero who goes into the burning building to save the victim but in turn dies or suffers great loss
• The blood is the life – where blood flows life is lost
  • This plays into the women’s menstrual cycle
• Purposeless death is unholy.
  • We mourn an accidental death or freak accident differently than a purposeful death.A child who died in his sleep or a little girl who chokes on food is different than a police officer who dies in the line of duty. There is a nobility in one and a chaotic mess in the other. We mourn the loss of a family pet, but the death of a fish or a chicken for a meal is acceptable. These examples do not validate the Biblical truth. Rather, these examples demonstrate a biblical reality that is already in play.
• Eat not drink
• 1 CorinthainsD don’t eat meat sacrificed to animals
• Acts – do not eat blood
• If I Kill this life, then my life won’t end. I won’t have to die to myself to care for this life.
• If you have ever aborted a child, there is forgiveness and hope in the life-giving blood of Jesus Christ.
• If you sin the payment is your life. To sin is to die. Just like in the garden, if you eat the forbidden fruit you must die. There is no other acceptable payment for sin. What Jesus did on the cross was to die on behalf of the sinner, just like all of the millions of animals who died in place of the worshiper before Jesus. The difference between those animals and Jesus is that those animals could not defeat death, so they stayed dead. Jesus however not only died but defeated death by rising again. In this way, Jesus not only paid the penalty for a sinner’s sins, but he also gave the true worshiper eternal life.
• Abortion is an act of worship – It is a way to atone for sins.This is why abortion is such a viable option for so many. In some sick way, the people aborting babies believe that the blood of the baby being spilled will in some way atone for their sins. Not the sin of having a baby, for conceiving and bearing a child is not a sin. Rather, the sin of extramarital sex or the imposed sin of violent crime or the sin of pride that an undesired child who is not worthy of time and energy.
• Blood is not unclean as opposed to unclean animals. If blood were unclean then it would not be permitted to enter the tabernacle or the temple. So Jesus never declares blood clean, but the animals that were unclean he declares clean.
• Hebrew 10:29
• 1 Peter 1:18-19

{Reading Notes}

NICOT –  The Book of Leviticus, by Gordon J. Wenham

• 241 – “I prefer to view ch. 17 as a hinge linking the two halves of the book: chs. 1—16 containing the ritual regulations for public life and worship, and chs. 18—25 regulating the personal and private affairs of individuals.”
• 241 – “If an Israelite wished to eat meat, he must bring his chosen animal to the tabernacle as a peace offering.”
• 243 – “This law could be effective only when eating meat was a rare luxury, and when everyone lived close to the sanctuary as during the wilderness wanderings. After the settlement it was no longer feasible to insist that all slaughtering be restricted to the tabernacle. It would have compelled those who lived a long way from the sanctuary to become vegetarians. Deut. 12:20FF. therefore allows them to slaughter and eat sheep and oxen without going through the sacrificial procedures laid down in Leviticus, though the passage still insists that the regulations about blood must be observed.”
• Thought: This would seem to influence Daniel and R. M. and A’s decision to go without meat. They were unable to have the meat blessed and made holy through the work of the priests.
• 244 – “Like all foreigners in an alien culture he was liable to exploitation, and many of the laws urge charity and fair play for the alien. Often he is grouped with the orphan and the widow and among the classes especially deserving of charity. More than once the native Israelite is reminded that he should be sensitive to the aliens’ problems because they themselves had been sojourners in Egypt.
  “On the other hand the resident alien was expected to conform to the main rules of Israelite society…That the law finds it necessary to specify that certain rules did apply to sojourners seems to imply that in some matters resident aliens were allowed to preserve their traditional customs.”
• Gen 9:4; Leviticus 7:26-27; Deut12:16, 23; 15:23; 1 Sam. 14:32
• 244 – “Its precise significance is elusive.” – kinda, YHWH told us explicitly
• The life is not in the blood the blood is in the life.
• 245 – “By refraining from eating flesh with blood in it, man is honoring life. To eat blood is to despise life.”
• 245 – “Thus one purpose of this law is the inculcation of respect for all life.”
• 245 – “the ransom price for man’s life is not monetary payment but the life of an animal represented by its blood splashed over that altar. Because animal blood atones for human sin in this way, it is sacred and ought not to be consumed by man.”
• 246 – “If an animal dies naturally, or as the result of an attack by another creature, one cannot be sure whether its blood has drained away properly.”
• 247 – “(drinking blood) is one of the few ritual obligations from the OT whose observance was enjoined on the early church.”
• 247 – “it seems likely, therefore, that Paul did not view eating blood as something intrinsically wrong, but held that it should be avoided whenever it might offend Jewish Christians.”

New American Commentary: Leviticus by M.F. Rooker

• “Thus the focus is not on dietary matters but rather the worship of God, particularly the violation of the First and Second Commandments by the commission of idolatry. (Rooker, M. F. (2000). Leviticus (Vol. 3A, p. 232). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
• “Blood and life are associated as lexical pairs and thus understood as parallel in meaning in Ugaritic and Akkadian as well as in Hebrew. Because of this close association blood is considered the source of life, and because blood represents life.” (Gen 9:4; Deut 12:23), it may expiate for life (Rooker, M. F. (2000). Leviticus (Vol. 3A, p. 236). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
• “Since blood is sacrosanct, it is not available for human use; it belongs only to God, the giver of life. This evaluation of blood in the Old Testament was unique among the cultures of the ancient world.” (Rooker, M. F. (2000). Leviticus (Vol. 3A, p. 237). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
• “But while the Old Testament sacrifices were only shadows, the substance was Christ (Heb 10:4).” Rooker, M. F. (2000). Leviticus (Vol. 3A, p. 238). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

Holiness to the LORD by Allen P. Ross

• 335 – “God permitted no rivals for his people’s allegiance.”
• 335 – “The leaders might have had a role in giving this person over to the LORD for judgment., but many of the sins for which cutting off is the penalty in the law are secret sins, making legal procedures impossible.”
• 335 – “Throughout the Bible blood is not only the symbol of life—it is the life.”
• 336 – “Since God had designed blood for atonement, it had to be brought to God.”
• 337 – “By doing so, his life, voluntarily laid down for us, is transferred to us.”
• 337 – “In Corinth the people turned the Lord’s Super into a common feast. They lost the meaning of the ritual…for this cause, some of them died prematurely—they were ‘cut off.’”

Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem

• 579 – “Although we may think that Christ’s blood (as evidence that his life had been given) would have exclusive reference to the removal of our judicial guilt before God – for this is its primary reference – the New Testament authors also attribute to it several other effects. By the blood of Christ our consciences are cleansed (Heb. 9:14), we gain bold access to God in worship and prayer (Heb. 10:19), we are progressively cleansed from remaining sin (1 John 1:7; cf. Rev. 1:5b), we are able to conquer the accuser of the brethren (Rev. 12:10-11), and we are rescued out of a sinful way of life (1 Peter 1:18-19).”

[1] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus+17%3A10-16&version=ESV – Retrivied 1/18/18