"What’s With All The Blood in the Bible?" (Week 7)

​​We have an unspoken agreement in our home: my husband is the puke guy. He’s also the blood guy… the splinter guy… the otherwise “any bodily fluids” guy.
 
I gladly handle dirty dishes, dirty laundry, and dirty floors. But I simply cannot stomach that other stuff.
 
When I read through the Old Testament, I often think to myself, Really, Lord?  Not just a few, but many stories and scriptures are not quite censored for those with weak stomachs.

​Case in point: Exodus 12 is the first time Moses addresses the entire community of Israel as a congregation, a united people. In this inaugural address, do you know what he tells them to do?

1. Select a lamb or goat from among their flock and bring it into the house to live with them for a while
2. Kill said lamb or goat
3. Spread its blood over the doorposts of the home
4. Cook and eat the flesh

 
Then, and only then, would they be saved from God’s wrath about to be poured out on the Egyptians. And this event wasn’t just meant to be a one-time ordeal, God told them to observe “Passover” indefinitely, in the first month of each year.
 
So what is the deal with all of the blood in the Bible?
 
If you remember back to when Adam and Eve first sinned, the scriptures tell us they became filled with shame. In an attempt to hide that sin and shame, they covered themselves with leaves. But God provided another, more complete covering— animal skins. This was the very first sacrifice, but it wouldn’t be the last. Sin had a price tag, and that price tag was death (Romans 6:23).
 
Leviticus 17:11 says, “For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have appointed it to you to make atonement on the altar for your lives, since it is the lifeblood that makes atonement.”
 
The sacrifice of specific animals (depending on the offense) became the only way for peace with God, or atonement (reparation for sin).
 
Fast-forward back to Exodus and this first Passover actually paints a beautiful picture of salvation. The blood on the doorposts set apart the Israelite people. While the Egyptians suffered the consequences of their sin and hardened hearts, those who trusted in the blood of the unblemished lamb were saved from destruction.
 
Hundreds of years later, on the night Jesus was crucified, He celebrated Passover with His disciples. Little did they know they were sitting with the Spotless Lamb who was about to pay the price for their sins and save them from destruction once and for all.
 
Animal sacrifice was our insufficient attempt to cover our sin and shame, but God, once again, provided the complete covering we needed. The shedding of His perfect blood didn’t just cover the sins of one man— it covered the sins of every man who would put their trust in Him.
 
The price for our rebellion and disobedience was death. Jesus’ blood paid that debt.
 
Friends, we can rest in this assurance:

• Jesus’ blood covers every sin. Past, present, future. Fully and completely. There is therefore now no condemnation for those who put their trust in Him.

 

• Jesus’ blood saves us from destruction. The cost for our sin was death, and Jesus paid it all. We can rest assured that Jesus is preparing us a place in eternity with Him.

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• Jesus’ blood allows us to commune with Him directly. We don’t need a middle-man. We, personally, can approach His throne of grace with confidence.

 
Weak stomach or not, that’s reason to celebrate. Let’s slow down, acknowledge, and give thanks for all He has done, today.

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About the Author

Katie Gibson is a wife, mom, author, writer, and the Founder and Executive Director of Rooted Moms Ministries. She resides in North Georgia with her husband, Craig, and their three children.

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