“Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you.” (Hebrews 9:20)
Blood is very important in the body of living mammals. And in ancient times, people recognized its importance in the body. Without it meant death. There are ten known ancient civilizations that practiced human sacrifice as part of their religion. Mostly these sacrifices were done to appease their gods, and some were brutal and violent.
In Judaism, blood is very significant because blood is important in the living organism. God required the Jews to sacrifice innocent and perfect animals, shedding their blood. Shedding blood in a sacrifice meant death. It was to illustrate the horror of sin. Sin is death. “For the wages of sin is death...” (Romans 6:23) It’s life apart from God the Giver of life and everything good. God’s Goodness and holiness is the opposite of sin. God’s justice and righteousness is wrath for sin. Sinful man needed the horror of shedding the blood of perfect innocent animals to recognize the cost of their sin in their relationship with a good and holy God. The death of the innocent animal took their place and took the wrath of God for sin, which is death. But it didn’t totally take away their sin. It merely covered it until a perfect sacrifice would be able to take away their sin. Human sacrifice would not suffice. Man is sinful and not perfect. How can an imperfect and tarnished sacrifice take away sin? It wouldn’t be a good enough sacrifice.
Just like God provided Abraham with a perfect sacrifice, He provides mankind with a perfect sacrifice. Abraham spoke his faith in God’s provision, even though he thought he would have to go through killing the son of his promise. “And Abraham said, My son, God will provide Himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.” (Genesis 22:8) And as he was about to even go the length of killing his son in obedience to God, God provided a sacrifice. “And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.” (Genesis 22:10-14)
God provided the perfect sacrifice for man that would shed innocent blood and take the wrath of God for man’s sin, Jesus. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but He that believeth not is condemned already, because He hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:16-18) This is the covenant God has made and sealed with the death and shed blood of Jesus. The second person of the Godhead, the Son of God, Himself came to be a sacrifice and redeem man, rescue him from the bondage of the enemy which could not be done by any earthly sacrifice, but was sealed by the sacrifice of the holy and perfect God the Son, Jesus.
God is a God of covenant. He sealed our redemption with the Covenant of Jesus. It was a new covenant, to take over the old covenant which pointed to the covenant that would eternally remove the sin of man. And we partake of this covenant when we believe on Jesus. (John 3:18) It is a work of God, not man. It is eternal and not earthly. It has life for us. It not only took away our sin but gives us eternal life because Jesus took our death away. This is the Good News. This is the Gospel.
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