Even though the function of blood and how it circulates in
the human body was discovered in 1615 by William Harvey, yet across the world,
every nation has had mysteries attached to blood from ancient times. At least
every culture has some kind of rite or ritual associated with blood, some of
which are practiced to date.
There are those who argue that the Biblical aspect of the
blood was borrowed from ancient Near East Semitic tribes, but that notion does
not have a strong basis. The Bible being the most reliable and accurate
ancient source of history1,
seems to have set in motion the universal reverential fear which emanates from
the shedding of blood (Gen 4:10). From here also stems the universal dignity
for human life.
It seems logical enough that, after the flood, as people
migrated to different parts of the world, they also moved with the reverential
fear of blood. As time went by, blood rituals were developed, probably out of
curiosity or because of the mysterious aspect of the subject.
Although eating of blood was prohibited by God in earliest
time2, yet among the
heathen nations it was done as a religious rite. There is a sharp contrast of
how blood was perceived by the Hebrews in comparison to the heathens. For
Mesopotamia Semites, blood was not used as a purifier but rather as food for
the gods. This is in contrast to what the Hebrews perceived about blood. To the
Hebrews, blood was the universal purifier and consecrator.
In Exodus 12, the foundational relevance of blood to the
Hebrews and later to the Christians is laid out. Here the Hebrews are about to
be set free from bondage in Egypt. Almost 400 years had passed since their
ancestors came down to Egypt from Canaan. On the night before their departure,
God gave Moses instructions on what to do. Among the instructions, God told
Moses to smear the blood of the Passover lamb on top of the door frames of the
houses where the Hebrews were staying. The blood was to be a sign for the
Hebrews, which when the destroyer saw, he would pass over the house hence not
kill the occupants. Further on, God instructed Moses to commemorate the day for
the generations to come, and that is what comes down to us as the Passover. (Read here about the Passover and the Lord's Table)
It is through the Passover that the divine nature of blood
is set forth. The Passover, unlike other blood rites practiced by the Semites
of Near East, portrays the divine importance of blood. “Passover-like blood
rites may well have been in the ritual of the earliest nomads of Near East, but
intrinsic meaning of blood is still not spelled out, and the explicit claim
that blood is life and so divine remains isolated to Israel”3.
In Leviticus 17:11, God established the basis for atonement. He
stated that the life of the creature is in the blood and that that is what He
has to give man to atone for his life on the alter. The animal had to be without blemish or sin
so that its blood (life) can be able to atone for their lives.
The animal sacrifice was a temporary spiritual solution
symbolizing the permanent and universal atonement offered through the blood of
Jesus. Jesus had to die in order for his blood to atone for the sins of man. He
had to give his life, which is in the blood, for “the life of a creature is in
the blood4”. Without his
death, he wouldn’t have offered atonement for the world, for it is written that
“without shedding of blood is no remission5”.
It was a heavy price to pay for man. A price that no amount of money, good
works, kindness or even generosity from our side can pay for. He (Christ)
offered a perfect sacrifice, for he was without sin. It is a divine mystery
that set man free. It is my hope that you find the freedom to man offered
through the blood of Jesus.
1 Josh McDowell; A Ready Defense; P 42-55
2 Genesis 9:4
3 Dennis J. McCarthy; The Symbolism of Blood and Sacrifice; P 174
4 Leviticus 17:11
5 Hebrews 9:22
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