Leviticus 7:22-27: a reflection

22The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 23“Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘You shall eat no fat, of bull, or sheep, or goat. 24The fat of that which dies of itself, and the fat of that which is torn of animals, may be used for any other service, but you shall in no way eat of it. 25For whoever eats the fat of the animal which men offer as an offering made by fire to the LORD, even the soul who eats it shall be cut off from his people. 26You shall not eat any blood, whether it is of bird or of animal, in any of your dwellings. 27Whoever it is who eats any blood, that soul shall be cut off from his people.’”

In the law of the offerings, the blood was not to be eaten but reserved to God, treated as sacred because it represents life, which is God's. You shall not eat any blood, God commands, whether of bird or of animal, in any of your dwellings. The blood, which throughout Scripture represents life, was not to be treated as common food; it was set apart, reserved, treated as sacred, because life itself is God's and holy. To reverence the blood was to reverence life as belonging to God. This pointing to the sacredness of life, given by God, prepares the way for the deepest reverence of all, for the precious blood of Christ, poured out for us. This shows the sacredness of life, represented by the blood, as belonging to God. Life, represented by the blood, is sacred and belongs to God. Reverence life as God's gift, not to be treated as common. The sacredness of blood and life points ultimately to the precious blood of Christ. Do not treat life, which is God's, lightly.

Notice why the blood was set apart. The command was that the blood not be eaten, but reserved. This was not an arbitrary rule; throughout Scripture, the blood represents life, and life belongs to God, who gives it. So the blood was treated as sacred, set apart from common use, reverenced as representing the life that is God's. To reverence the blood in this way was to reverence life itself as God's, holy, not to be treated lightly or as common. This holds a truth about the sacredness of life. Life is not a cheap or common thing, to be treated lightly; it is God's gift, and belongs to him, and is therefore sacred. The reverence for blood in the law reflects a reverence for life as belonging to God, a reminder that life, our own and others', is God's gift and holy, not to be treated carelessly or cheaply. And this reverence for the blood, for life as God's, prepares the way for and points to the deepest reverence of all: the precious blood of Christ, his life poured out for us. If the blood of animals was treated as sacred because it represented life, how much more sacred and precious is the blood of Christ, by which we are redeemed. The reverence for life taught in the law finds its fulfillment in reverence for the blood of Christ, the most precious of all. We do well to reverence life as God's sacred gift, and to hold in deepest reverence the precious blood of Christ, poured out for us. Reverence life as God's sacred gift, not to be treated lightly or as common. The reverence for blood points to the sacredness of life, which is God's. Hold in deepest reverence the precious blood of Christ, his life poured out for you. Do not treat life, your own or others', carelessly or cheaply.

That is worth taking to heart, for life, represented by the blood, is sacred and belongs to God, and this points to the precious blood of Christ, as the law set the blood apart. We can treat life lightly or as common; but the law reserved the blood as sacred, because life is God's. Reverence life. Do not treat life, your own or others', carelessly or cheaply; reverence it as God's sacred gift, and hold in deepest reverence the precious blood of Christ, his life poured out for you. Reverence life as God's sacred gift, not treating it lightly or as common, and hold in deepest reverence the precious blood of Christ, his life poured out for you, as in the law of the offerings the blood was not to be eaten but reserved to God and treated as sacred because it represents life which is God's, since God commanded that no blood be eaten in any of their dwellings; for the blood, which throughout Scripture represents life, was not to be treated as common food but set apart and reserved and treated as sacred because life itself is God's and holy, so that to reverence the blood was to reverence life as belonging to God, this pointing to the sacredness of life given by God and preparing the way for the deepest reverence of all, for the precious blood of Christ poured out for us, which holds a truth about the sacredness of life, that life is not a cheap or common thing to be treated lightly but God's gift belonging to him and therefore sacred, the reverence for blood in the law reflecting a reverence for life as God's and a reminder that life, our own and others', is God's gift and holy and not to be treated carelessly, and this reverence preparing the way for and pointing to the deepest reverence of all, the precious blood of Christ, his life poured out for us, since if the blood of animals was treated as sacred because it represented life how much more sacred and precious is the blood of Christ by which we are redeemed, so that the reverence for life taught in the law finds its fulfillment in reverence for the blood of Christ, and we do well to reverence life as God's sacred gift and hold in deepest reverence the precious blood of Christ.

Lord, in the law of the offerings, the blood was not to be eaten but reserved to you, treated as sacred because it represents life, which is yours. You shall not eat any blood, you command, whether of bird or of animal, in any of your dwellings. The blood, which throughout Scripture represents life, was not to be treated as common food; it was set apart, reserved, treated as sacred, because life itself is yours and holy. To reverence the blood was to reverence life as belonging to you. This pointing to the sacredness of life, given by you, prepares the way for the deepest reverence of all, for the precious blood of Christ, poured out for me. Show me why the blood was set apart. The command was that the blood not be eaten, but reserved. This was not an arbitrary rule; throughout Scripture, the blood represents life, and life belongs to you, who give it. So the blood was treated as sacred, set apart from common use, reverenced as representing the life that is yours. To reverence the blood in this way was to reverence life itself as yours, holy, not to be treated lightly or as common. This holds a truth about the sacredness of life. Life is not a cheap or common thing, to be treated lightly; it is your gift, and belongs to you, and is therefore sacred. The reverence for blood in the law reflects a reverence for life as belonging to you, a reminder that life, my own and others', is your gift and holy, not to be treated carelessly or cheaply. And this reverence for the blood prepares the way for and points to the deepest reverence of all: the precious blood of Christ, his life poured out for me. If the blood of animals was treated as sacred because it represented life, how much more sacred and precious is the blood of Christ, by which I am redeemed. Take that to my heart. Keep me from treating life, my own or others', carelessly or cheaply; help me reverence life as your sacred gift, Lord, not to be treated as common, and hold in deepest reverence the precious blood of Christ, his life poured out for me, by which I am redeemed.