Just a cursory reading of the Bible and you’ll eventually read something about blood.
“…The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground.” Genesis 4:10 (ESV) [God talking to Cain after Cain killed his brother Abel.]
“But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, the blood.” Genesis 9:4 (ESV) [God telling Noah how to eat meat after the great flood.]
“Take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and touch the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin.” Exodus 12:22 (ESV) [God’s telling the Israelites to kill a lamb or goat and put its blood on their doorposts prior to God going through Egypt and freeing the Israelites.]
“But you must not eat the blood; pour it out on the ground like water.” Deuteronomy 12:16 (NIV)
“and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7 (NIV)
It seems Yehovah (God / the LORD) puts importance on blood and gave people rules concerning it.
But what does this have to do with Christians, for, as I hear often, “we are no longer under the law!”?
Well, consider the following:
– Three of the above quotes are from before the “Law” was given (on mount Sinai).
– The apostles, including Paul, and the early Jerusalem church leaders, considered the issue of blood of fundamental importance to Gentile believers.
In Acts 15 we find what is called the “Jerusalem Council.” They wrote to all Gentile churches the following, expecting all believers to obey:
“…that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality.” Acts 15:29 (ESV)
So what? you may ask. This doesn’t affect my walk with Jesus (Yeshua).
Our walk with Yeshua (Jesus), and his knowing us, is deepened when we do as He asks. When we do as He asks, we are humbling ourselves and saying to him, “your way is the right way; not my way.”
What better way to get to know Yeshua (Jesus) better, and be known by him, then to walk as he walked and do what pleases him!
And obeying is training in righteousness. How can we say that we will listen to Him when the spirit speaks to us when we won’t listen when His words are in black and white before us! As we learn to do the easy things, and listen to the easy to hear words, we will grow nearer to Him and hear Him clearer in all things!
After this you may also ask, “what does it mean to abstain from blood?” That is an important question as the Bible does not clearly spell it out. Looking into this opens up a huge discussion on what it means, and what it implies. But that is for a later post….
Shalom! -Yosef
