“The blood was everywhere,” is a possible commentary on a bad accident or act of violence. A look back on earth’s history gives a similar conclusion. The blood is everywhere. The perfect, tranquil calm of creation soon gave way to blood, toil, sweat, and tears. What might this blood imply?
Blood is the testimony of a struggle.
This is evident from the beginning. God said to the first born, The voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground. Not a singular incident; ever since, blood has been evidence of the struggle between right and wrong, person and person. Dominance, greed, lust, envy, and such like has left a bloody trail all noticed by God. Years afterward God said to Noah, the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Bloodshed is not only evidence of our degenerate condition, but also of the struggle between right and wrong behind the scenes. Jesus said, The thief cometh not but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy; I am come that they might have life, a conflict over man’s soul.
Here is an abridged conversation. God, “Have you noticed Job?” Satan, “Yes, you have given him all he could want. Take this hedge away and he will deny you.” God, “Ok, fine, but don’t hurt his body.” The blood flowed. The Sabeans slaughtered servants and took the cattle. Fire burned the sheep and more servants. Chaldeans slaughtered more servants and took the camels. The house roof fell on Job’s children and crushed them to death. God, “Have you noticed Job retains his integrity?” Satan, “Sure, but skin for skin.” God, “Go ahead then. Hurt him but spare his life.”
A behind the scenes look at one incident – what has been going on in the background with the rest of us? How much blood was shed over the test of this one man? How much blood has been shed in the spiritual struggle over the rest of man? Or as a result of carnal violence and war? Only God knows.
Read in Israel’s Bible history the numbered and unnumbered men who died in war. How many other nations were warring also? How many wars in the thousands of years between then and now. How many died in recent wars? WWI -18-23 million. WWII – 50-80 million. The Holocaust – 17 million.
Blood is the testimony of life.
Following the flood, when God authorized man to eat animals, He made it clear, But flesh, with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat. (Gen. 9:4) Why would He care? He gives to us the muscle to eat, but not the blood? For the life of the flesh is in the blood...for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. Therefore, I said unto the children of Israel, no soul of you shall eat blood. (Lev. 17:11,12). This was a repeated command, listed with other familiar prohibitions. Ye shall not eat anything with the blood: neither shall ye use enchantment, nor observe times. Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the Lord. (Lev. 19:26, 28). Violators, even that soul shall be cut off from his people. (Lev. 7:27). For how long to be enforced? It shall be a perpetual statute for your generations throughout all your dwellings. (Lev. 3:17)
Later this was also reinforced to promote peace in the early church as one of the three requirements for the Gentiles. Acts 15:20 says, That they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled and from blood.
Blood is the testimony of God’s purpose of redemption.
God’s holy verdict for transgressors- “the soul that sinneth it shall die,” condemns us all. God’s solution has been bloody. For the life of flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for the soul. (Lev. 17:11) Many of the religious ceremonies involved blood. With the burnt sacrifice, the peace offering, the sin offering, and the trespass offering, the bull, or sheep, or goat, or dove, or pigeon was brought before the Lord, and with the participant’s hand on the head of the offering, was killed. The blood was either sprinkled on the altar, around the altar, before the Lord onto the veil, onto the horns of the altar, or poured out at the base of the altar. When the priests were consecrated for service, a bull was killed for a sin offering, one ram for a burnt offering, and another ram for consecration. The consecration ram blood was put on the priest’s right ear, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the toe of his right foot, and then sprinkled on themselves and their clothes. Could you have been an observant Jew in those days and not noticed the bloodshed involved in worship?
Next time you climb into your fine, well-cultured automobile to attend one of your fine, clean, well-ordered church services, imagine taking with you the smelly backyard goat to be dissected as an offering before the Lord. Can you picture the contrast between our clean observances and theirs? Can you imagine how many animals must have died? On one occasion, Solomon offered 22,000 bulls and 120,000 sheep. Could there actually have been over 250,000 gallons of bloodshed in just this one worship incident?
Blood is a testimony of triumph.
And the children of Israel went out with an high hand. (Ex 14:8). After hundreds of years as residents and slaves of Egypt, Israel was marching out with triumph. What interceding, blood, waters, frogs, darkness, fire, hail, and other despicable plagues could not do, death did. Death stopped Pharaoh in his tracks. Death stops us all – except for the blood. Those who chose to paint the doorposts and lintel of their house with blood will successfully stave off the death angel. What a remedy! We have all found ourselves as slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt. In bondage to a taskmaster daily beating our last of life away. While Canaan is real, and not far away, aside from the blood of our unblemished Lamb, is not in our grasp.
Praise God for victory through the blood of the Lamb. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony (Rev 12:11). Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. (1Pe 1:18,19). No wonder we sing so many bloody songs. “Redeemed How I Love to Proclaim it,” “Not All the Blood of Beasts,” “What Can Wash Away My Sin,” “Arise My Soul Arise,” and many others. What is painted and proclaimed on your doorposts? Don’t be content with humanism, materialism, traditionalism, sportism, or any other isms. Make it red – only the blood will do.