LEVITICUS 17


Instructions concerning the altar continues in the record. It was prepared for the reconciliation of the people, and now Moses explains how this was to be effected.*

The Altar

as the One Place for Offerings (vv. 1-9);


1 And Yahweh 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 Yahweh 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,


The need for the people to offer all animals slain on penalty of death*

4 And bringeth it not unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, to offer an offering unto Yahweh before the tabernacle of Yahweh; blood shall be imputed unto that man; he hath shed blood; and that man shall be cut off from among his people:

Previously, in patriarchal times, it was permitted for an altar to be erected at various places where Yahweh manifested Himself (see Exod. 20:24); but now that is superceded in favour of the Altar of His appointing, in the court of the Tabernacle. Therefore, whereas Abraham built altars at certain places where Yahweh revealed Himself to the patriarch; now such liberty is prohibited. Logos Expos.p121



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 Yahweh, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, unto the priest, and offer them for peace offerings unto Yahweh.

6 And the priest shall sprinkle the blood upon the altar of Yahweh at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and burn the fat for a sweet savour unto Yahweh.

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.

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 Yahweh; even that man shall be cut off from among his people.

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.

The blood represented the life, and that was to be entirely devoted to Yahweh. Therefore the instruction was specific, as a teaching medium for the people. Blood shed in sacrifice was placed on the altar.*



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.


The sin-covering efficacy of the Yahweh-Name depended upon the person bearing it being a flesh and blood Messiah; for "without the shedding of blood there is no remission." The Spirit plainly testifies this in the prophets and apostles...

The reason given for blood being thus used is "because the soul of the flesh is in the very blood." The soul, nephesh, or life is in the blood. The blood contains or covers it, as it were; and as it is a question of life or death -- life forfeited for sin, the wages of which is death -- that is appointed to cover sin which covers life, namely, the blood. In this sense, "the life, or soul, of all flesh is the blood thereof;" because the vitality of all animals is in the blood. Hence, a bloodless man could not, upon the principles of the divine law, be a covering for sin. He must have real blood in his veins containing life, as in redeeming flesh and blood nature from death, he had to give the same sort of life for the life to be redeemed.

Now the blood of Jesus was more precious than the life-blood of any other man. If it had not been so, it would have been inadequate to the purchase of life for the world. The Spirit testifies in David, that there is no man rich enough to redeem his brother, nor to give God a ransom for his soul that it should live forever, and not see corruption; "for," he says, "the redemption of their soul will be costly, and it ceaseth to the Olahm" (Psal. xlix. 6-9).

If the wealthiest be impotent for the redemption of one soul, how precious must the blood of the Yahweh-Name be, seeing that it can ransom "a great multitude which no man can number!" (Apoc. vii. 9). The blood of Jesus was the only blood of all the generations of Adam, that had not been generated by the lust of the flesh; and which had not energized a man to the commission of sin. Jesus was an unblemished man, without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; for "he was holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners."

This precious "blood of sprinkling, which speaks better things than the blood of Abel," the sanctifying blood of the covenant shed for the remission of the sins of many (Heb. xii. 24: x. 29,22; Matt. xxvi. 28) is the principle which makes the Yahweh-Name sin cleansing, or a covering for the hiding of sin, so that the believer upon whom the name is invoked, may have "no more conscience of sins," or, as Peter expresses it, may have "the answer of a good conscience toward God" (1 Pet. iii. 21).

Eureka



The pouring out of the blood was therefore the pouring out of the life--therefore the infliction of death: and therefore an illustration of what was due to sin, and an acknowledgment on the part of the offerer that it was so. But being the blood of an animal which had nothing to do with sin, it was only a typical illustration or declaration of God's righteousness in the case. It was not a condemnation of sin in its own flesh, but a mere shadow which God was pleased to establish in Israel's midst, in educational preparation for the actual condemnation which was to be carried out in His own Son, in whom, "sent forth in the likeness of sinful flesh" for (as an offering for) sin, He "condemned sin in the flesh"

This sacrificial condemnation of sin in the eyes of all the world (for by record and report, all the world has seen Jesus on the cross), is otherwise said "to declare the righteousness of God for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God" (Rom. 3:25). These terms are as lucid as profound. They constitute an inspired definition of the object in the case. No view can be right that cannot be brought within the terms of that definition. It is, in fact, the final easement of all difficulty where the mind is able to rise to the Divine point of view involved in the statement. The crucifixion was a Divine declaration and enforcement of what is due to sin, and as it was God's righteous appointment that this should be due to sin, the infliction of it was a declaration of God's righteousness.

If we limit our view to the individual "man Christ Jesus", and look at him in the light of what is due to individual character as between man and man according to the "justice" of common parlance, we may have a difficulty in seeing how the righteousness of God was declared in the scourging and death of a righteous man. But this is not looking at the subject in the light in which it is prophetically and apostolically exhibited. It is not looking at it in the character that belongs to it.

Jesus did not come into the world as an individual, but as a representative, though an individual. In this sense, he came "not for himself", but for others, though he was included in the coming. And it was to carry out Divine objects towards all. As he said, "I came not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me".

He speaks of the work which the Father had given him to do. This work was to establish salvation by forgiveness, but forgiveness on conditions, and these conditions involved the declaration of the Father's righteousness in the public condemnation of sin in its own flesh in the person of a guiltless possessor of that flesh. Paul declares it was so, and controversy really ends with his words.

It only remains that we realize how completely the fact is in harmony with the statement. We cannot see this unless we recognize that Jesus was a wearer of Adam's condemned nature, and the bearer of the sins of the people--not that Christ might be punished for others, but that God's righteousness might be declared for others to recognize, that they might be forgiven.

The gospel provides an opportunity of close identification with what was done: "Buried with him by baptism into death"; "Crucified with Christ", In this posture, they receive the remission of sins "through the forbearance of God" (Rom. 3:25). This is the other great fact of the case--God's forbearance, His kindness, His readiness to pardon when His claims are conceded.

This excludes the popular view of vicarious suffering. If Christ paid our debts, there would be no forgiveness, but exaction, and thus would be blotted out the crowning glory of the apostolic proclamation. God is kind and will forgive, but God is great and will be exalted: and in the matter of life eternal, He has provided His own method both of exalting Himself and humbling us; and in the presence of it, there is nothing left for us but to bow in reverence--before the crucified but resurrected son of His love.

Law of Moses Ch 18.



INTELLIGENT DESIGN NOT CHANCE.

The blood is the life of the flesh Atonement.

The life of the flesh is in the blood. Lev.I7.11 This highlights the vital importance of blood to mortal man as the active principle of mortal terminable life, unlike the immortal Elohistic state, where the animating principle is spirit, and therefore indestructible and non corruptible (Lk 4.39, Jhn 3.6, Pslm.8.5, 1 Cor.I5.52-54, Pslm.104.4).

Blood, therefore, under the law had to be poured out in sacrifice, and not partaken of, teaching that with out the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins or expiation (Gen. 3 .21, Hb. 9 .22). This is fundamental atonement doctrine.

Oxygen bearer. The blood carries oxygen around the body to every cell by the circulation system, discovered by William Harvey in the reign of Elizabeth 1, in 1578, although known to Yahweh who made man from the outset (Gen. 1,2). The circulation system and composition of blood upon which life depends is a marvel of engineering which could only be the design of an omniscient all wise Creator, and no way by chance.

The essential components are lungs to take in oxygen (the process of respiration), heart (pump), arteries flow to cells, veins, ( deoxygenated blood returned), red blood cells (carry oxygen by haemoglobin), white blood cells (fight invaders) (7 components + plasma =8). Every one of these integrated components is a miracle that could not happen by chance, only by design.

Oxygen.

This occurs in about 20 parts to 100 in the atmosphere; about 78% being inactive nitrogen, which simply passes through the body and is exhaled. The oxygen or nishmath chayim (breath of lite) (Gen.2.7) is the life sustaining principle carried by the blood. The fact that the atmosphere has just the right amount of oxygen (about 20%) is in itself a miracle of ordered systems for life on planet earth, and is not simply coincidence or fortuitous as the evolutionist makes out.

All other planets either have no atmosphere or one extremely toxic. The fact that nitrogen in its uncombined elemental form is unreactive is also a miracle since it is extremely toxic, yet passes through the body harmlessly. Lightning storms convert nitrogen into nitrates in the soil, which are absorbed in plant growth. This is a marvel in itself which could not happen except by design of an omnipotent Creator.

The lungs.

These are complex airbags which expand and contract in inhalation and exhalation, A system of bronchioles (tubes) and smaller minute tubes (alveoli), not only facilitate transportation of Oxygen, but also allow gaseous exchange (life giving oxygen tor (waste) C02 expelled from cells, via the veins, through the process of respiration. This is all a marvel of design advanced state of the art engineering and biochemical process which sustains mortal lite, without us having to think about it.

The Heart.

The journey is first breathing into the lungs (respiration process), this is then passed through the bronchioles into the arteries to the heart, which then pumps it round the body. In working order this pump keeps going, without pause, 24 hours a day throughout a persons's life. The blood comes into the left ventricle and from there by a series of valves into the aorta and arteries around the body delivered into cells via minute capillaries.

The blood deoxygenated with waste products is then returned by veins to the right ventricle of the heart, through various valves, and then pumped to the lungs, where the process of gaseous exchange takes place again and the whole cycle repeated continuously every second and every minute. If anything fails in the heart, or alveoli become dogged (e.g. 'through smoking), then this inhibits respiration with possible death. The heart is a marvel of engineering design.

Blood.

Blood consists of two parts plasma fluid (water and dissolved food, wastes, enzymes). and blood cells (red and white) .• Red cells carry oxygen in a complex protein Hemoglobin which is iron bearing, and the iron attaches to the oxygen, The iron is the cause of the red colour, and these red cells are manufactured in the bone marrow. The white cells are part of the bodies defences and devour bacteria and viruses. The whole is a miracle.

Bro Richard Lister

THE APOCALYPTIC MESSENGER, July 2017

thomas.lister1@btinternet.com



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.

Blood shed for food, to sustain the flesh hidden away (covered 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.



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. 


Allegorical and typical significance

 

IN view of the detestation in which death was legally held by the entire institution of the law of Moses, it is not wonderful that the Israelites should have been forbidden to eat

 "that which died of itself, or that which was torn with beasts" , 

or that the same imputation of uncleanness should arise in such a case, and the same necessity exist for purification. To eat that which had died of itself was contact with death in a more intimate form than by touching a dead body or entering a death-defiled tent.

It might be supposed that eating flesh-meat in any case would be the contraction of this defilement seeing that creatures must be dead before they can be eaten. It would have been so if the law of Moses had been merely a hygienic system like vegetarianism. or any other attempt to found human feeding on the natural effects of certain foods on the human system.

But the law of Moses was not a hygienic system, though all its principles were in harmony with the best hygienic principles: it was a system of spiritual significances adapted to serve the double purpose of physical well being and spiritual education. Therefore, while forbidding the eating of the flesh of animals that had died a natural death or been slain by other animals, it could consistently allow the eating of flesh properly killed: because although the physical state of the flesh might be the same in both cases, the allegorical bearings were not the same.

Flesh dying of itself would be diseased, and flesh rent for the sustenance of beasts of prey would be flesh dying in animal wantonness or in accident--neither of which could prefigure the sinless Lamb of God laying down his life in obedience to the commandment of the Father.

So far as physical considerations were concerned, the meat in question was fit enough to be eaten. Hence, the Israelites were at liberty to

 "give it unto the stranger that is in thy gates, that he may eat it: or sell it unto an alien" (Deut. 14:21). 

As for themselves, they were "an holy people unto the Lord thy God", and therefore bound by all that was involved in the law given to them.

Law of Moses Ch 29


16 But if he wash them not, nor bathe his flesh; then he shall bear his iniquity.