“When I see the blood, I will pass over you.” Exodus 12:13
“ACCORDING TO THE LAW ALMOST EVERYTHING WAS PURIFIED WITH BLOOD, AND WITHOUT THE SHEDDING OF BLOOD THERE IS NO FORGIVENESS.” Hebrews 9:22
“FOR THE LIFE OF THE FLESH IS IN THE BLOOD, AND I HAVE GIVEN IT TO YOU ON THE ALTAR TO MAKE ATONEMENT FOR YOUR SOULS, FOR IT IS THE BLOOD BY REASON OF THE LIFE THAT MAKES ATONEMENT.” Leviticus 17:11
THE NECESSITY OF A DEATH OR THE SHEDDING OF BLOOD IS FIRST INTRODUCED TO US IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN WHEN THE LORD HAD TO KILL AN ANIMAL AND USE THE SKINS OF THAT ANIMAL TO COVER THE NAKEDNESS OF ADAM AND EVE. THE COVERING THAT ADAM AND EVE HAD MADE FOR THEMSELVES WAS NOT ADEQUATE.
HOW SHOCKING TO ADAM AND EVE WAS THE SLAYING OF AN ANIMAL IN THAT PRISTINE GARDEN. THEY HAD NEVER SEEN DEATH. THE DEATH OF THAT ANIMAL WAS THEIR FIRST VISION OF WHAT THEIR SIN WAS. ADEQUATE COVERING FOR THEM REQUIRED DEATH OF AN ANIMAL.
THE WORD “ATONEMENT” MEANS COVERING, THAT WHICH COVERS OUR SIN AND UNRIGHTEOUSNESS. EVEN THE MOST BEAUTIFUL HUMAN BODY HAS A SHAME ABOUT IT. HUMAN NAKEDNESS IS FOUND AMONG THOSE WHO HAVE LITTLE CONSCIOUSNESS OF GOD.
NAKEDNESS SUGGESTS INCOMPLETENESS. ADAM AND EVE WERE NAKED BEFORE THEY EVER SINNED. Genesis 2:25 MAN IS THE ONLY CREATURE ON EARTH THAT IS UNCLOTHED. EVERY OTHER CREATURE IS COVERED WITH SOMETHING – FUR, HAIR, FEATHERS, SCALES, SHELLS.
GOD CREATED MAN TO BE IN HIS OWN IMAGE AND LIKENESS. MAN WAS MADE TO BE CLOTHED WITH THE GLORY OF GOD. ROMANS 3:23 STATES THAT WE FALL SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD.
THE ANIMAL SKINS WERE A TEMPORARY COVERING. THE COVERING WAS NOT AN INTEGRAL PART OF ADAM AND EVE’S BEING. IT WAS A SPECIAL PROVISION MADE BY GOD, AS WERE THE ANIMAL SACRIFICES OFFERED ACCORDING TO THE LAW GIVEN TO MOSES BY GOD.
THE NEXT TIME WE SEE REFERENCE TO SACRIFICE IN THE BIBLE IS IN THE OFFERINGS OF CAIN AND ABEL. THE FACT THAT THEY WERE BRINGING AN OFFERING TO GOD TELLS US THAT THEY WERE SEEKING TO PLEASE GOD, THAT THEY OWED GOD SOMETHING. THE REASON THAT CAIN’S BEAUTIFUL AND DELICIOUS OFFERING WAS NOT ACCEPTABLE TO GOD WAS THAT IT WAS NOT ENOUGH. IT WAS NOT WHAT GOD WAS SEEKING. ABEL OFFERED A LIFE, THE LIFE OF A LAMB. WHAT GOD IS LOOKING FOR IS LIFE. THE BLOOD REPRESENTS THE GIVING OF LIFE.
LEVITICUS 17:11 TELLS US THAT IT IS THE LIFE IN THE BLOOD THAT MAKES ATONEMENT. GOD IS NOT SEEKING DEATH BUT LIFE. THE BLOOD REPRESENTS THE LIFE OF THE SACRIFICE.
THE NEXT LESSON ABOUT SACRIFICE THAT GOD GIVES US IN THE BIBLE IS FOUND IN ABRAHAM’S OFFERING OF HIS SON ISAAC. Genesis 22 THIS INCIDENT DID NOT TAKE PLACE UNTIL ABRAHAM HAD WALKED WITH GOD FOR MANY YEARS AND HAD GROWN IN FAITH. ABRAHAM HAD THE NAME OF BEING THE FRIEND OF GOD. IN THIS INCIDENT, GOD WAS NOT ONLY TESTING ABRAHAM BUT TEACHING HIM AND SHARING HIS OWN SECRETS WITH HIM. JESUS SAID THAT ABRAHAM HAD SEEN HIS DAY AND WAS GLAD. John 8:56
THE RELIGIOUS PRACTICE OF HUMAN SACRIFICE WAS COMMON IN THAT DAY. ABRAHAM WOULD BE VERY FAMILIAR WITH IT. BUT ABRAHAM’S FAITH WAS SUCH THAT HE BELIEVED GOD COULD RAISE UP ISAAC EVEN FROM THE DEAD. Hebrews 11:17-19
THE GREAT MOMENT WAS WHEN ABRAHAM HAD HIS KNIFE READY TO KILL HIS SON AND GOD CALLED TO HIM FROM HEAVEN TO STOP AND WITH THAT ABRAHAM SAW A RAM CAUGHT IN THE THICKET BY ITS HORNS AND HE OFFERED THE RAM INSTEAD OF HIS SON. THAT PLACE WAS CALLED, “THE LORD WILL PROVIDE.” THE INCIDENT BECAME SO WELL KNOWN THAT THE SAYING SPREAD, “IN THE MOUNT OF THE LORD IT WILL BE PROVIDED.” Genesis 22:14
ISAAC’S LIFE WOULD NOT HAVE SATISFIED GOD AND THE INNUMERABLE ANIMAL SACRIFICES OFFERED UNDER THE LAW OF MOSES NEVER TRULY SATISFIED GOD. PSALM 40 SAYS THAT GOD’S REAL DESIRE IS NOT IN SACRIFICES AND OFFERINGS BUT IN ONE WHOSE DELIGHT IS IN DOING GOD’S WILL.
WHEN GOD DELIVERED ABRAHAM’S DESCENDENTS FROM EGYPT, IT WAS ONLY AFTER THEY SAID, “ALL THAT THE LORD HAS SPOKEN WE WILL DO,” Exodus 19:8 THAT THE LAW WAS GIVEN, TO SHOW THEM WHAT THEY COULD NOT DO. THROUGH THE LAW AND THE OFFERINGS, TEMPORARY PROVISION WAS MADE FOR THEIR ACCEPTANCE BEFORE GOD.
ANIMAL SACRIFICE IS BUT THE FIGURE AND SYMBOL OF THE REALITY, THE REALITY THAT ABRAHAM SAW WHEN HE OFFERED UP HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, JEHOVAH JIREH, GOD WILL PROVIDE. THE BEST THAT WE CAN OFFER TO GOD IS NOT ENOUGH. WHAT GOD IS SEEKING IN US IS THAT WHICH HE ALONE CAN PROVIDE, AND THAT IS HIS VERY OWN UNCREATED HOLY LIFE.
UNFORTUNATELY, THE SYMBOL IS TOO OFTEN MADE THE REALITY. GOING BACK TO THE BEGINNING, IT WAS MAN’S NAKEDNESS, HIS FALLING SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD THAT REQUIRED GOD’S PROVISION OF A COVERING OR ATONEMENT. GOD KNEW FROM THE BEGINNING THAT WHAT MANKIND NEEDED TO BE MADE WHOLE AND COMPLETE COULD COME ONLY FROM HIM. AND IN THE FULLNESS OF TIME, GOD GAVE HIS OWN LIFE TO THE HUMAN RACE IN THE INCARNATION, AND THAT GIVING CONTINUED ALL THE WAY TO THE CROSS.
THE HOLY HUMAN LIFE OF GOD’S ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, JESUS, IS GOD’S SATISFACTION OR PROPITIATION. OUR HOLY LOVING GOD IS NOT A BLOOD THIRSTY VENGEFUL GOD THAT CAN ONLY BE SATISFIED BY DEATH.
THEN WHY, WE MAY ASK, DID JESUS HAVE TO DIE? MANKIND’S SIN IS WHAT LED TO THE CROSS. THE BOOK OF ACTS MAKES IT VERY CLEAR THAT IT WAS MAN WHO MURDERED JESUS. YES, THE FATHER ALLOWED IT BUT WE DID IT. GOD DID NOT ALLOW ABRAHAM TO KILL ISAAC, BUT GOD DID ALLOW SINFUL MANKIND TO KILL HIS SON. GOD KNEW THAT THIS HUMAN SON OF HIS COULD AND WOULD NULLIFY SIN.
THE POPULAR IDEA THAT THE BLOODY ATTACK ON JESUS WAS GOD’S DOING IS BLASPHEMOUS AND AKIN TO A PAGAN CONCEPT OF A VENGEFUL GOD WHO CAN BE APPEASED ONLY BY BLOODY OFFERINGS. SUCH PICTURES OF GOD RIGHTLY LEAD TO THE ACCUSATION THAT GOD IS GUILTY OF CHILD ABUSE.
THE SYMBOL OR FIGURE OF THE ANIMAL SACRIFICES DOES NOT EXPLAIN THE REALITY, IT IS THE REVELATION OF JESUS, WHO IS THE REALITY, THAT EXPLAINS THE SYMBOL.
JESUS’ WHOLE LIFE WAS A SACRIFICE. HE LOVED US AND OFFERED HIMSELF TO US UNTO DEATH, EVEN DEATH ON A CROSS. OUR SIN COULD NOT TOUCH HIM UNTIL HE HAD FINISHED THE WORK HE CAME TO DO. HE TOLD PILATE THAT HE HAD COME TO BEAR WITNESS TO THE TRUTH, THE TRUTH OF HIS OWN HUMAN PERFECTION, THE TRUTH OF GOD’S BEING, AND THE TRUTH OF OUR SIN AND DEATH. JESUS IS THE RESURRECTION OF MANKIND. HE PROCLAIMED THIS TO MARTHA BEFORE HE EVER DIED. John 11:25
IN REVELATION, CHAPTER 5, WE SEE IN THE MIDST OF THE THRONE OF GOD A LAMB AS IT HAD BEEN SLAIN. GOD KNEW FROM ETERNITY THAT IT WOULD TAKE THE DEATH IF HIS SON TO GIVE HIS LIFE TO US. THE INCARNATION WAS NO AFTERTHOUGHT NECESSITATED BY OUR SIN. GOD’S ETERNAL PURPOSE IN CREATION WAS TO CREATE A BEING WHO WOULD BE ABLE TO SHARE AND EXPRESS HIS OWN LIFE. JESUS SAID THAT HE HAD COME THAT WE MIGHT HAVE LIFE AND HAVE IT ABUNDANTLY.
THE BLOOD MAKES ATONEMENT BY REASON OF ITS LIFE, THE DIVINE LIFE OF JESUS, SON OF GOD AND SON OF MAN. HE IS OUR LIFE. WHEN WE RECEIVE HIS ATONING LIFE INTO OUR BEING, WE HAVE WITHIN US THAT WHICH COVERS OUR SIN AND NAKEDNESS, AND MAKES US WHOLE WITH THE PROMISE OF A GLORIFIED BODY IN HIS PERFECT IMAGE.
Rosemary E Hyslop November 3, 2015