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LEVITICUS
CHAPTER 17

Before we discuss this chapter, allow me to make a few notes concerning
the remainder of Leviticus.
AFTER atonement and cleansing, God wants us to stay CLOSE to Him. Here,
from Leviticus 17:1 to the end of this book, is a plan written for the
Jews to stay CLOSE to God.
These laws deal with sacrifices, standards, practices and just plain old
daily living. The general understanding is that we should try to be as
GOD would have us to be.
Leviticus 19:2 says, "Speak unto all the congregation of the children of
Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy."
That sounds a lot like Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount.
For instance, Matthew 5:48 says, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your
Father which is in heaven is perfect."

1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Speak unto Aaron, and unto his sons, and unto all the children of Israel, and say unto them; This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded, saying, 3 What man soever there be of the house of Israel, that killeth an ox, or lamb, or goat, in the camp, or that killeth it out of the camp, 4 And bringeth it not unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, to offer an offering unto the LORD before the tabernacle of the LORD; blood shall be imputed unto that man; he hath shed blood; and that man shall be cut off from among his people: 5 To the end that the children of Israel may bring their sacrifices, which they offer in the open field, even that they may bring them unto the LORD, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, unto the priest, and offer them for peace offerings unto the LORD. 6 And the priest shall sprinkle the blood upon the altar of the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and burn the fat for a sweet savour unto the LORD. 7 And they shall no more offer their sacrifices unto devils, after whom they have gone a whoring. This shall be a statute for ever unto them throughout their generations.

Any animal killed for feasting should be "offered" in the tabernacle. This meant
that the blood would be drained, and not in the animal. This also meant that the
people would be acknowledging that "Every good an every perfect gift is from
above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with Whom there is no variableness,
neither shadow of turning."(James 1:17)
Do we publicly praise God for all our blessings?
Do we take time to THANK God for every meal?
Before this time, every man could build an altar, and offer sacrifices as he saw fit.
There was no central priesthood. But this liberty became license, and
soon led to IDOLATRY. For even these Israelites who had come out of Egypt had
practiced blood offerings to other gods.
Do we allow our liberty in Christ to become license?

8 And thou shalt say unto them, Whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers which sojourn among you, that offereth a burnt offering or sacrifice, 9 And bringeth it not unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, to offer it unto the LORD; even that man shall be cut off from among his people.

Notice in verse 4 (and verse 9), the guiltiness of such practice was heavy indeed.
They were held accountable for "shedding blood" if the sacrifice were not offered
to God for praise and thanksgiving. And the penalty was to be "cut off" from among
the people. The word for "cut off" (Hebrew - krt) can mean cast out, maim, or destroy.

10 And whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, that eateth any manner of blood; I will even set my face against that soul that eateth blood, and will cut him off from among his people. 11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. 12 Therefore I said unto the children of Israel, No soul of you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger that sojourneth among you eat blood. 13 And whatsoever man there be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, which hunteth and catcheth any beast or fowl that may be eaten; he shall even pour out the blood thereof, and cover it with dust. 14 For it is the life of all flesh; the blood of it is for the life thereof: therefore I said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh: for the life of all flesh is the blood thereof: whosoever eateth it shall be cut off.

To eat blood meant to eat products made with blood or to eat an animal that had not
been properly drained. Both were practices by heathen worshippers (still are today).
Perhaps and example is the "blood pie" in South Louisiana.
These practices were ritualistic in worship of heathen gods and symbolized authrity
to take life from an animal. God wants us to understand that He gives
life through sacrifice; we do not take it.
Besides this, the practice of eating blood is very unsanitary and can cause all kinds
of disease and physical problems.

15 And every soul that eateth that which died of itself, or that which was torn with beasts, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger, he shall both wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even: then shall he be clean. 16 But if he wash them not, nor bathe his flesh; then he shall bear his iniquity.

YEP! Roadkill is definitely OUT!! Can you think of any reasons WHY?
Notice back in verse 13, that even clean animals taken in hunting were to have the
blood drained and the blood buried.

Why all this discussion about the BLOOD? Because God has said that "the life of
the flesh is in the blood" (Leviticus 17:11).
That's why it is important that we understand Jesus shed His BLOOD for our lives!

Please continue to follow along in Bible study with us.