Today’s passage: Leviticus 17
Helpful thoughts:
- If any sacrifices are going to be made, they are to be made to the Lord and they are to be made in the manner which He prescribed.
- To sacrifice/give worship to a false god is sin.
- To sacrifice/give worship to God in “your own” way (A way that differs from the way God commanded) is sin.
- The valuing of blood communicates an important lesson to Israel. It is through the shedding of blood that the dead will be brought to life. There is life in the blood. (Hebrews 9:22)
- The blood of animals who died naturally or at the hands of other beasts would not be able to drain properly. So, those who ate the meat from these animals were considered “unclean” and needed to be cleansed.
Questions to consider:
- What did these commands prevent Israel from doing? What was the apparent physical restriction? What were the spiritual restrictions which would have kept Israel’s focus on the Lord and the redemption He alone provides?
- How does the first bullet-point above still apply today? Even when we desire to follow, serve and worship the Lord, how should we go about it? What is our guide and standard as we give ourselves as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1-2)?
- How does this picture of life coming from the death of another point forward to Christ (2 Corinthians 5:15)?