The Blood

LEVITICUS 17:12

Therefore I said to the children of Israel, ‘No one among you shall eat blood, nor shall any stranger who dwells among you eat blood.’ Lev 17:12 NKJV

As ghoulish as it sounds, there’s blood in the Bible.  The children of Israel painted blood on the lintel and the door frames to keep the angel of death from striking the firstborn son when God called the children of Israel out of Egypt.

Blood is a big part of the Christian faith because it was by His blood…the blood of Jesus Christ that God forgives us our sins. I often wondered why eating blood from under-cooked meat seemed abhorrent. Now I know. 

This verse is from the Old Testament where God is giving the children of Israel standards to live by. In those days it was sinful to eat the blood of an animal. Blood is sacred. And it’s life-giving. Without blood, we die. It’s that simple.

Blood types were unknown to ancient Israel but we know about them today. Maybe you’ve donated blood in a blood drive on in times of crisis.  I remember donating blood on 9-11.  I was the last person they would accept for a donation.  It was almost midnight by the time they could take my blood and I was happy to do it.  We all have the potential to save someone with our life-giving blood. Donate today!   

And there may have been a practical reason for God to give His children this command. He knew something about animals’ blood they didn’t. The animals in those days may have had diseases unknown to the Israelites. Today, the same is true but for a very different reason.  Conglomerate farms keep animals penned in crowded environments and fed less than healthy diets. If the meat is organic, bought from a small single-owned farmer, then a person is ahead of the game but it’s expensive. 

When I see a verse like this, I want to apply it to today’s living and I can. How about you?

Leave a reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *