Blood is Life - Communion Devo 1
I have the responsibility of doing a devotional before we take communion every week this month. So, I figured, as a way to sort-of revive my blog from the ashes of just getting too busy to write one, I will post the devotionals. Given, this is just a short devotional that has limited research and development, but I think it will be a nice change of pace for this month. So without further to do, in the words of Monty Python...
It took Son of God, whose life was pure. Whose father was God himself. We sacrificed him and threw his blood against the sides of the cross. He was our sacrifice who went willingly. It is only through contact with his blood that we come in contact with his life-force and can atone for sin. We come in contact with this blood every week though this communion.
GET ON WITH IT!
In the Torah, blood contains the living soul of a
creature. Even animals have a living essence that Leviticus tells us is in the
blood. The word “nefesh” is translated in Leviticus as “life” in the ESV, but
there is another word that we use to refer to our eternal souls (“neshamah”).
However, an animal’s life or its life essence is in its blood according to
ancient Hebrew thinking.
Leviticus 17:11
“For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life.”
“For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life.”
Focus in on that “by life” at the end there. Watch
what is done with that blood.
Leviticus
1:4-5
“He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him. Then he shall kill the bull before the Lord, and Aaron's sons the priests shall bring the blood and throw the blood against the sides of the altar that is at the entrance of the tent of meeting.”
“He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him. Then he shall kill the bull before the Lord, and Aaron's sons the priests shall bring the blood and throw the blood against the sides of the altar that is at the entrance of the tent of meeting.”
In the ancient world, an altar was a place that man
could go and make contact with God. It was a touching point between Heaven and
Earth. Here, the offerer, not the priest, actually shed the blood of the
sacrifice.Then the animal’s blood was thrown against the altar. The animal’s
life-force was thrown against their touching point between Heaven and Earth.
So,
what’s the point, and what does all this have to do with
the Lord’s Supper? In ancient Hebrew understanding, it was not the death of the
victim that atoned for sins, but the life that is found within its blood. When
they sacrificed at the altar, they came in contact with God through that blood.
But these sacrifices happened year after year because the blood of bulls and
goats could not take away sin as we read in Hebrews 10:4.
It took Son of God, whose life was pure. Whose father was God himself. We sacrificed him and threw his blood against the sides of the cross. He was our sacrifice who went willingly. It is only through contact with his blood that we come in contact with his life-force and can atone for sin. We come in contact with this blood every week though this communion.
Much of this information comes from a book called What About The Sacrifices? by D. Thomas Lancaster
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