Life is in the Blood

22 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 23 “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, You shall eat no fat, of ox or sheep or goat. 24 The fat of an animal that dies of itself and the fat of one that is torn by beasts may be put to any other use, but on no account shall you eat it. 25 For every person who eats of the fat of an animal of which a food offering may be made to the Lord shall be cut off from his people. 26 Moreover, you shall eat no blood whatever, whether of fowl or of animal, in any of your dwelling places. 27 Whoever eats any blood, that person shall be cut off from his people.”

28 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 29 “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, Whoever offers the sacrifice of his peace offerings to the Lord shall bring his offering to the Lord from the sacrifice of his peace offerings. 30 His own hands shall bring the Lord’s food offerings. He shall bring the fat with the breast, that the breast may be waved as a wave offering before the Lord. 31 The priest shall burn the fat on the altar, but the breast shall be for Aaron and his sons. 32 And the right thigh you shall give to the priest as a contribution from the sacrifice of your peace offerings. 33 Whoever among the sons of Aaron offers the blood of the peace offerings and the fat shall have the right thigh for a portion. 34 For the breast that is waved and the thigh that is contributed I have taken from the people of Israel, out of the sacrifices of their peace offerings, and have given them to Aaron the priest and to his sons, as a perpetual due from the people of Israel. 35 This is the portion of Aaron and of his sons from the Lord’s food offerings, from the day they were presented to serve as priests of the Lord. 36 The Lord commanded this to be given them by the people of Israel, from the day that he anointed them. It is a perpetual due throughout their generations.”

37 This is the law of the burnt offering, of the grain offering, of the sin offering, of the guilt offering, of the ordination offering, and of the peace offering, 38 which the Lord commanded Moses on Mount Sinai, on the day that he commanded the people of Israel to bring their offerings to the Lord, in the wilderness of Sinai. – Leviticus 7:22-38 ESV

In verses 22-27, God reemphasizes His restrictions on the Israelites consuming either the fat of an animal or its blood. He even expands this prohibition beyond the sacrificial system by placing off limits any animal that dies of natural causes or is killed by a wild beast. Regardless of how the animal dies, its fat and blood were not to be consumed under any circumstances. And God made this ban on the consumption of fat and blood very clear.

“All fat is the Lord's. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations, in all your dwelling places, that you eat neither fat nor blood.” – Leviticus 3:16-17 ESV

But these restrictions are far from arbitrary. God had a reason for prohibiting the Israelites from consuming the fat and the blood of an animal. The fat represented the best because it flavored the meat of the animal. The Hebrew word for this delicacy is חֵלֶב (ḥēleḇ) and it refers to the richest or choicest part of the animal. In fact, it was often used to refer to the “fatness” or abundance of the land. In the book of Genesis, Pharaoh tells Joseph to retrieve the rest of his family from Canaan and bring them to Egypt where he will provide them with “the fat of the land.”

And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Say to your brothers, ‘Do this: load your beasts and go back to the land of Canaan, and take your father and your households, and come to me, and I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you shall eat the fat (ḥēleḇ) of the land.’” – Genesis 45:17-18 ESV

Blood and fat are closely associated in Scripture. In the book of Exodus, Moses is commanded by God to consecrate Aaron and his sons as priests. Part of the ritual included the sacrifice of a bull. Moses was told to set apart the blood and fat of the animal as part of the consecration ritual. 

“…and shall take part of the blood of the bull and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger, and the rest of the blood you shall pour out at the base of the altar. And you shall take all the fat (ḥēleḇ) that covers the entrails, and the long lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys with the fat (ḥēleḇ) that is on them, and burn them on the altar.” – Exodus 29:12-13 ESV

It seems that these two elements, the fat and the blood, are associated for a reason. In Leviticus 17, God provides the reason for His outright ban on the consumption of blood.

“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.” – Leviticus 17:10-11 ESV

Blood is the key to life. The loss of blood ensures the end of life. And God set apart the blood as a means of providing atonement and forgiveness of sin. The author of Hebrews provides an explanation for God’s use of this life-giving substance as a means of payment for the sins of His people.

For when every commandment of the law had been declared by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying, “This is the blood of the covenant that God commanded for you.” And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tent and all the vessels used in worship. Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. – Hebrews 9:19-22 ESV

The loss of life (shedding of blood) became the key to prolonging life (forgiveness of sin) because the wages of sin is death. Pouring out the animal’s blood literally robbed it of life. But that very same blood was then used to purify and atone for the sinner. And this payment was offered to God, whose judgment against sin must be satisfied. God did not take the loss of life lightly. This substitutionary sacrifice was necessary to atone for the sins of the guilty party. So, God would not allow His people to consume the blood in any way. And He put the same restriction on the fat of the animal.

And it seems that the fat, like the blood, was also designed to bring life to the animal. The particular fat God prohibited was that which “around the internal organs, 4 the two kidneys and the fat around them near the loins, and the long lobe of the liver” (Leviticus 7:3-4 NLT). The fat provided a protective layer for these vital and vulnerable organs of the body that helped to prolong life. The blood and fat were designed by God to ensure life. The kidneys and liver help keep the blood free from harmful contaminants by removing wastes and extra fluid from the body.  The kidneys also remove excess acid produced by the body’s cells and maintain a healthy balance of water, salts, and minerals—such as sodium, calcium, phosphorus, and potassium—in the blood.  The liver removes waste products and foreign substances from the bloodstream and helps to maintain proper blood sugar levels and creates essential nutrients necessary for the body’s health.

God’s prohibition against the consumption of blood and fat was meant to emphasize the importance of life. These two vital elements were the key to sustaining life, a gift given by God to both man and animals.

All the way back in the book of Genesis, Moses records the words God spoke to Noah immediately after the flood that destroyed all human and animal life.

Then God blessed Noah and his sons and told them, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth. All the animals of the earth, all the birds of the sky, all the small animals that scurry along the ground, and all the fish in the sea will look on you with fear and terror. I have placed them in your power. I have given them to you for food, just as I have given you grain and vegetables. But you must never eat any meat that still has the lifeblood in it.” – Genesis 9:1-4 NLT

Long before the law was given and the sacrificial system was established, God decreed His ban on the consumption of blood. But with the building of the Tabernacle and the inauguration of the sacrificial system, God provided His divine purpose behind this restriction. The blood would have a much greater purpose. Even in death, the blood would be used to extend life. The guilty would receive pardon and escape the penalty of death because innocent blood was poured out on his behalf.

God is the provider of all life. It is He who initiates all human, animal, and plant life, and He has given mankind the means of extending life through the consumption of meat, grain, fruits, and vegetables. Even in the sacrificial system, God made provision for life by providing the priests with their portion of the offering.

“Then the priest will burn the fat on the altar, but the breast will belong to Aaron and his descendants. Give the right thigh of your peace offering to the priest as a gift. The right thigh must always be given to the priest who offers the blood and the fat of the peace offering. For I have reserved the breast of the special offering and the right thigh of the sacred offering for the priests. It is the permanent right of Aaron and his descendants to share in the peace offerings brought by the people of Israel. This is their rightful share. The special gifts presented to the Lord have been reserved for Aaron and his descendants from the time they were set apart to serve the Lord as priests.” – Leviticus 7:31-35 NLT

Through the sacrificial system and the use of the blood and fat, God provided a means by which the sinner might enjoy life rather than death. But God also provided a way to extend and enhance the lives of those men who helped make atonement possible. Their lives had been set apart for God’s service. They were sacrificing their lives to the service of God’s people and would not receive any of the “fat of the land” in Canaan. But God would graciously provide them with life-giving meat and grain to eat, and He would do it through the sacrificial system.

But ultimately, God would provide eternal life through the death of His Son. It would be through the shed blood of Jesus, the sinless Lamb of God, that sinful mankind would find true atonement and a permanent means of finding restoration to a right relationship with God.

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace. which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. – Ephesians 1:7-10 NLT

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Food For Thought

11 “And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings that one may offer to the Lord. 12 If he offers it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the thanksgiving sacrifice unleavened loaves mixed with oil, unleavened wafers smeared with oil, and loaves of fine flour well mixed with oil. 13 With the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving he shall bring his offering with loaves of leavened bread. 14 And from it he shall offer one loaf from each offering, as a gift to the Lord. It shall belong to the priest who throws the blood of the peace offerings. 15 And the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving shall be eaten on the day of his offering. He shall not leave any of it until the morning. 16 But if the sacrifice of his offering is a vow offering or a freewill offering, it shall be eaten on the day that he offers his sacrifice, and on the next day what remains of it shall be eaten. 17 But what remains of the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day shall be burned up with fire. 18 If any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offering is eaten on the third day, he who offers it shall not be accepted, neither shall it be credited to him. It is tainted, and he who eats of it shall bear his iniquity.

19 “Flesh that touches any unclean thing shall not be eaten. It shall be burned up with fire. All who are clean may eat flesh, 20 but the person who eats of the flesh of the sacrifice of the Lord’s peace offerings while an uncleanness is on him, that person shall be cut off from his people. 21 And if anyone touches an unclean thing, whether human uncleanness or an unclean beast or any unclean detestable creature, and then eats some flesh from the sacrifice of the Lord’s peace offerings, that person shall be cut off from his people.” – Leviticus 7:11-21 ESV

God turns His attention once again to the peace offerings for thanksgiving. These types of offerings were covered in chapter three and followed God’s exposition on the sin and guilt sacrifices. Those two types of offerings involved atonement and cleansing, whereas the peace offering was designed as an opportunity for the formerly guilty party to enjoy his restored relationship with God by providing the appropriate gift. This was intended to be a time of worship as the one who had received atonement partook of a meal with the Lord.

One of the things that set this particular offering apart from all others it that a portion of the meat that was sacrificed was to be shared by the giver. This section of chapter seven clarifies who could eat what part of the sacrifice. Any grain offering or bread was to be the property of the priest, but a portion of the meat was reserved for the one who offered up the animal as a peace offering.

“This peace offering of thanksgiving must also be accompanied by loaves of bread made with yeast. One of each kind of bread must be presented as a gift to the Lord. It will then belong to the priest who splatters the blood of the peace offering against the altar. The meat of the peace offering of thanksgiving must be eaten on the same day it is offered. None of it may be saved for the next morning.” – Leviticus 7:13-15 NLT

The worshiper was allowed to eat any of the leftover meat but it had to be consumed according to God’s parameters. The one who gave the offering was required to eat it on the same day. Any attempt to preserve the meat for the following day was strictly prohibited. This meal was to be enjoyed by the giver and anyone else he chose to join him. It was the priest’s job to ensure that God’s commands were carried out.

In the case of a vow offering, God extended the time for consuming the meat a second day.

“If you bring an offering to fulfill a vow or as a voluntary offering, the meat must be eaten on the same day the sacrifice is offered, but whatever is left over may be eaten on the second day.” – Leviticus 7:16 NLT

God provides no explanation for this slight variation between the two offerings. What distinguished the various types of peace offerings was the motivation behind the gift. The category of peace offering contained three subtypes: The thank offering, the vow offering, and the freewill offering. The first of these three was really a praise offering. The Hebrew word translated as “thanksgiving” is תּוֹדָה (tôḏâ) and might better be translated as “acknowledgment” or “praise.” This offering was given in recognition of God’s providential care and faithful provision. The giver was expected to declare to the entire congregation what God had done for them. In giving his gift, the giver would be accompanied by friends and family members to whom he would express the ways in which God had richly provided for all his needs. These invitees would then join him in consuming the sacrificial meal as a form of worship to Yahweh for His goodness and generosity.

“It was an integral part of the public act of thanksgiving. The ceremony concluded with a joyful communal meal, involving the worshiper, family, priests, Levites, and the poor (Psalm 22:25, 25).” – Kenneth A. Matthew, Leviticus: Holy God, Holy People

From the time the Israelites departed Mount Sinai to the moment they entered the land of Canaan, they would have plenty of reasons and opportunities to praise God for His provision of all their needs. The “praise” offering was instituted as a means of expressing gratitude to God for all He had done, and because it was to be a public confession of God’s goodness and greatness, it was meant to encourage the entire community to place their trust in Him for all their needs.

God outlined two additional fellowship offerings that were closely related to the peace offering. One was the votive or vow offering and the other was the freewill offering. The first of these was an offering given to celebrate or commemorate the successful completion of a vow. Having fulfilled a commitment made to God, the worshiper offered a gift to celebrate the occasion. The freewill offering was a voluntary gift given to God as an expression of praise and gratitude. It was not tied to a vow or associated with the confession of a particular sin. This gift was given willingly and gladly as a public display of one’s gratefulness to God. And each of these offerings included a communal meal so that others could celebrate Yahweh alongside the giver.

But these meals had restrictions as well. While these offerings were not given for the purpose of confession or atonement, they were still required to be holy and pure before God. No shortcuts or concessions could be made. Unclean or defiled meat was not allowed. Any violation of God’s commands regarding the timeline for consuming the meat would render the gift unacceptable. God had a reason behind His regulations concerning the timely consumption of sacrificial meat. These rules were not arbitrary.

“Any meat left over until the third day must be completely burned up. If any of the meat from the peace offering is eaten on the third day, the person who presented it will not be accepted by the Lord. You will receive no credit for offering it. By then the meat will be contaminated; if you eat it, you will be punished for your sin.” – Leviticus 7:17-18 NLT

God was protecting His people from incurring guilt and His wrath. In the process of offering their praise to Him, the people of God could actually end up contaminating themselves and negating the efficacy of their gift.

It was the job of the priest to ensure that none of these rules were broken. If the meat of the sacrifice inadvertently touched something unclean, it was to be burned with fire. The priest was not to allow anyone to consume the contaminated meat. He was also to regulate the participation of all those who gathered to partake in the communal meal. It was essential that the sacrificial meat be consumed only by those who were ceremonially clean. If someone had come into contact with an unclean person or object and then attempted to partake in the communal meal, they would be held guilty and punished for their action.

“If you are ceremonially unclean and you eat meat from a peace offering that was presented to the Lord, you will be cut off from the community. If you touch anything that is unclean (whether it is human defilement or an unclean animal or any other unclean, detestable thing) and then eat meat from a peace offering presented to the Lord, you will be cut off from the community.” – Leviticus 7:20-21 NLT

Since these offerings were built around the idea of a celebratory meal, you can see how the Israelites might treat them with less seriousness than the sacrifices for sin and atonement. In their eagerness to enjoy a meal together, they might make unnecessary concessions that would taint and disqualify the sacrifice. Rather than focusing on the offering’s primary purpose of worshiping God, the meal might become the focus. And people might be tempted to cut corners to enjoy a quality meal with their friends. But God wanted all sacrifices to be treated with a soberness and seriousness that reflected a respect for His holiness. 

The one thing the people of Israel needed to understand was that each of these sacrifices was to be dedicated to God. And the peace offerings were especially important because they each involved a meal eaten in communion with God. He was allowing the giver to partake of part of the meat that had been sacrificed and dedicated to Him. He was graciously sharing a meal with His people, and He expected them to treat that special occasion with the proper dignity and decorum it deserved.

Centuries later, the apostle Paul would warn the believers in Corinth against taking the Lord’s table in an unworthy manner. This too was a meal eaten in celebration of God’s graciousness and goodness. It was a communal meal commemorating God’s gift of His Son and intended to express gratitude for the undeserved atonement provided by Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross. But Paul’s audience was guilty of misusing this meal. It had lost its original significance and become just another opportunity to satisfy their own fleshly desires.

When you meet together, you are not really interested in the Lord’s Supper. For some of you hurry to eat your own meal without sharing with others. As a result, some go hungry while others get drunk. – 1 Corinthians 11:20-21 NLT

So, he warned them to realign their priorities and treat the Lord’s Table with the reverence it deserved.

So anyone who eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup. For if you eat the bread or drink the cup without honoring the body of Christ, you are eating and drinking God’s judgment upon yourself. That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died. – 1 Corinthians 11:27-30 NLT

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Payment for Services Rendered

1 “This is the law of the guilt offering. It is most holy. 2 In the place where they kill the burnt offering they shall kill the guilt offering, and its blood shall be thrown against the sides of the altar. 3 And all its fat shall be offered, the fat tail, the fat that covers the entrails, 4 the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins, and the long lobe of the liver that he shall remove with the kidneys. 5 The priest shall burn them on the altar as a food offering to the Lord; it is a guilt offering. 6 Every male among the priests may eat of it. It shall be eaten in a holy place. It is most holy. 7 The guilt offering is just like the sin offering; there is one law for them. The priest who makes atonement with it shall have it. 8 And the priest who offers any man’s burnt offering shall have for himself the skin of the burnt offering that he has offered. 9 And every grain offering baked in the oven and all that is prepared on a pan or a griddle shall belong to the priest who offers it. 10 And every grain offering, mixed with oil or dry, shall be shared equally among all the sons of Aaron.” – Leviticus 7:1-10 ESV

Chapter 5 contains God’s regulations regarding the guilt offering.

“…he [the guilty party] shall bring to the Lord as his compensation, a ram without blemish out of the flock, valued in silver shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, for a guilt offering.” – Leviticus 5:15 ESV

God made it clear what the offering was to be and exactly what sin it was meant to atone for.

“He shall also make restitution for what he has done amiss in the holy thing and shall add a fifth to it and give it to the priest. And the priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering, and he shall be forgiven.”  Leviticus 5:16 ESV

But God did not spell out what the priest was to do with the ram after its life was taken. This opening section of chapter 7 provides Aaron and his sons with the details concerning their role in the process of providing atonement for the penitent sinner. The protocol for the guilt offering followed that of the burnt offering.

“In the place where they kill the burnt offering they shall kill the guilt offering, and its blood shall be thrown against the sides of the altar.” – Leviticus 7:2 ESV

The blood of the slaughtered animal must be used to anoint and cleanse the bronze altar. Then the officiating priest was to butcher the animal, placing the fatty portions of the animal on the altar to be consumed as a pleasing aroma to the Lord. And God was very specific about what parts of the animal were to be burned.

“Then the one making the offering must present all its fat: the fatty tail, the fat covering the entrails, the two kidneys and the fat on their sinews, and the protruding lobe on the liver (which he must remove along with the kidneys)…” – Leviticus 7:3-4 ESV

The fatty portion of the animal was considered to be the best part because it was the most flavorful and represented health and vitality. This favored part of the animal was dedicated to God and offered as a gift to the Lord. But God was willing to share this offering with His priestly mediators.

“Every male among the priests may eat of it…” – Leviticus 7:6 ESV

These delicacies, while dedicated to God, were made available to His servants as payment for their role in the atonement of His people. These men had dedicated their lives to the service of the rest of the nation and God made sure they were adequately compensated for their efforts. He even gave the presiding priest the rest of the meat from the sacrifice along with the hide that had been removed during the butchering. This generous compensation plan also included the burnt offering and the grain offering. The priests were richly rewarded for their work. When they served well, they also ate well. They would never run short of food, because there would never be a shortage of sacrifices. Their role in providing atonement for the people earned them the favor and generosity of God Almighty. No part of the animal went to waste. Even the flour used for the grain offering was used to bake cakes that filled the stomachs of God’s priests. The repentance of the people brought them repentance and prolonged their lives, but it also nourished the lives of the men who served as their faithful mediators.

The role of the priest was to offer sacrifices on behalf of the people. But this was also their sole means of livelihood. The priests were not bi-vocational. Their job was so demanding that they had no time to earn an income on the side. So, they were completely dependent upon God for their sustenance. And the very sacrifices the people made to atone for their sins, God used to feed and nourish His priests. Oddly enough, because sin was going to be a constant problem for the Israelites, offering sacrifices would become a permanent part of their lives., and it provided the priests with job security and a steady source of nourishment.

The apostle Paul picked up on this divine compensation plan when he wrote his first letter to his young protege, Timothy.

Elders who do their work well should be respected and paid well, especially those who work hard at both preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, “You must not muzzle an ox to keep it from eating as it treads out the grain.” And in another place, “Those who work deserve their pay!” – 1 Timothy 5:17-18 NLT

Paul actually quoted from Deuteronomy 25:4, using timeless wisdom regarding the fair treatment of a laboring ox to encourage the proper compensation of a pastor, elder, or teacher.  He also picked up a statement made by Jesus when He was sending out 72 of His disciples on a missionary journey.

“Don’t move around from home to home. Stay in one place, eating and drinking what they provide. Don’t hesitate to accept hospitality, because those who work deserve their pay.” – Luke 10:7 NLT

The priests deserved to be compensated for their work and God was the one who made sure that they were more than adequately provided for. Without their efforts, the sacrifices of the people would mean nothing. The faithful efforts of the priestly class would ensure that the people received forgiveness from God and, in return, the priests would receive the benefit of the gifts the people provided as payment for their sins. It was a win-win for all involved.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.