This Month's Subject: The Blood - Its Value and Meaning

From: Bible Student: Volume 3, 1883

• 5 min. read • grade level: 9

The subject worked out for this month is—The Blood—its value and meaning.

In the Old Testament, the great thought presented to us in the Old Testament concerning blood is that it represents life: the passages which show this are too numerous to cite. Two however are prominent—Genesis 9:4⁴But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat. (Genesis 9:4), “the life thereof which is the blood thereof,” and Leviticus 17:11, 14¹¹For 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. (Leviticus 17:11)
¹⁴For 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. (Leviticus 17:14), “For the life of the flesh is in the blood.” To the former of these passages is added the solemn warning as to murder, as to which read Numbers 35, and to the latter the important truth that “it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.” It is in connection with this truth we find the blood used in a figurative sense.

The directions in Exodus 12 as to the blood of the passover lamb are of the deepest interest: in our number for June last the various aspects in which this sacrifice was typical of our Lord were clearly brought before us, and we may now notice the manner in which its blood was to be used. The blood was to be sprinkled on the two sideposts and the lintel of each house in which the passover lamb was eaten, and this ensured the safety of the inmates, for God said “When I see the blood I will pass over you.” Exodus 12:13¹³And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt. (Exodus 12:13).

In Exodus 24:6-8⁶And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basons; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. ⁷And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the Lord hath said will we do, and be obedient. ⁸And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the Lord hath made with you concerning all these words. (Exodus 24:6‑8) we find the blood used in connection with and as the basis of the covenant of works under which the people of Israel voluntarily placed themselves. This is called the old covenant (Hebrews 8.53), and may be contrasted with the terms in which the Lord speaks of the new covenant (Matthew 26:28²⁸For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. (Matthew 26:28), etc.) See also Zechariah 9:11¹¹As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water. (Zechariah 9:11) margin.

In Exodus 29 it is used in connection with the consecration of the priests. Here the blood of the ram of consecration was to be put on the tip of Aaron’s right ear, the thumb of his right hand and the great toe of his right foot, and similarly with his sons; and it was further to be sprinkled upon the altar and some taken therefrom and sprinkled upon them and upon their garments. See also Leviticus 14:25²⁵And he shall kill the lamb of the trespass offering, and the priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering, and put it upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot: (Leviticus 14:25).

We now come to the offerings and sacrifices of Leviticus where the fullest teaching is presented: In the burnt offering, the blood was to be sprinkled round about upon the altar, Leviticus 1:5⁵And he shall kill the bullock before the Lord: and the priests, Aaron's sons, shall bring the blood, and sprinkle the blood round about upon the altar that is by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. (Leviticus 1:5).

In the peace offering—, the blood was to be sprinkled in a similar manner round about upon the altar (Chapter 3:2).

In the trespass offering, the blood was to be sprinkled seven times before the Lord, before the vail of the sanctuary (Chapter 4:6), some was to be put upon the horns of the altar of sweet incense (4:7) and the rest was to be poured out at the bottom of the altar of burnt offering (4:7),—these instructions were for the cases in which a priest, or the whole congregation sinned: when a ruler or one of the common people sinned the blood was not sprinkled before the vail of the sanctuary.

If any garment was sprinkled with the blood of a sin offering it was to be washed in the holy place (Chapter 6:27).

Blood was on no account to be eaten, the penalty being death. This important injunction is frequently repeated (Chapter 3:17; 7:26, 27, etc., also Acts 15:20, 29²⁰But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood. (Acts 15:20)
²⁹That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well. (Acts 15:29)). Notice the failure of Israel in this respect, 1 Samuel 32-34.

In the cleansing of the leper, the living bird, the cedar wood, the scarlet and the hyssop were dipped in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water, and the leper was to be sprinkled seven times, Leviticus 14:6-17⁶As for the living bird, he shall take it, and the cedar wood, and the scarlet, and the hyssop, and shall dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water: ⁷And he shall sprinkle upon him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird loose into the open field. ⁸And he that is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, and shave off all his hair, and wash himself in water, that he may be clean: and after that he shall come into the camp, and shall tarry abroad out of his tent seven days. ⁹But it shall be on the seventh day, that he shall shave all his hair off his head and his beard and his eyebrows, even all his hair he shall shave off: and he shall wash his clothes, also he shall wash his flesh in water, and he shall be clean. ¹⁰And on the eighth day he shall take two he lambs without blemish, and one ewe lamb of the first year without blemish, and three tenth deals of fine flour for a meat offering, mingled with oil, and one log of oil. ¹¹And the priest that maketh him clean shall present the man that is to be made clean, and those things, before the Lord, at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: ¹²And the priest shall take one he lamb, and offer him for a trespass offering, and the log of oil, and wave them for a wave offering before the Lord: ¹³And he shall slay the lamb in the place where he shall kill the sin offering and the burnt offering, in the holy place: for as the sin offering is the priest's, so is the trespass offering: it is most holy: ¹⁴And the priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering, and the priest shall put it upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot: ¹⁵And the priest shall take some of the log of oil, and pour it into the palm of his own left hand: ¹⁶And the priest shall dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand, and shall sprinkle of the oil with his finger seven times before the Lord: ¹⁷And of the rest of the oil that is in his hand shall the priest put upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot, upon the blood of the trespass offering: (Leviticus 14:6‑17).

In the sin offering of the great day of atonement, the blood of the sacrifice was to be sprinkled upon the mercy seat eastward, and before the mercy seat seven times: the altar of burnt offering was also to be sprinkled seven times, and blood to be put upon its horns.

The blood of the red heifer (Numbers 19), whose ashes were to be kept for a water of separation, was to be sprinkled directly before the tabernacle of the congregation seven times.

“And the priests killed them, and they made reconciliation with their blood upon the altar, to make an atonement for all Israel.” 2 Chronicles 29:24²⁴And the priests killed them, and they made reconciliation with their blood upon the altar, to make an atonement for all Israel: for the king commanded that the burnt offering and the sin offering should be made for all Israel. (2 Chronicles 29:24).

Human blood was not to be offered in sacrifice, Psalms 106:38³⁸And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted with blood. (Psalm 106:38).

In the New Testament:

The Blood Of Christ: