It’s almost unfair to write about Leviticus 17:11. The phrase “the life is in the blood” has so many applications—sacrifice, purity, biological, Jesus—that I could probably camp here for a few months and still not exhaust the entirety of the subject.
Most of the conversation (rightfully) centers around the idea that “life” (i.e. blood itself) is shed on the altar for the forgiveness of Israel’s sins, and Jesus’ blood was shed for the forgiveness of our sins.
Still others will point out that God knew long before conventional science that blood literally held the “life” of a person. The unfortunate passing of George Washington was hastened by the horrific practice of bloodletting–a process by which the blood is drained from the body in droves to get rid of any impurities that might cause illness.
If you take Leviticus 17:11 down to its absolute basest level though, the simplest teaching from this passage is that blood is valuable. It is literally the only thing that can take away sins. Nothing else even comes close to the power of blood.
That’s probably why so many cultures throughout time have drank blood. Some drank it to heal physical maladies, others did it to absorb the vitality from the fallen, while more than one people drank blood to establish a deeper connection. The truly barbaric just enjoyed the carnage.
Blood is the ultimate currency. As Satan argued in Job 2:4, “Everything a man will give in exchange for his life.” We don’t give our life up willingly—and if we do, it’s in a cause that is far greater than just ourselves.
It’s the only thing that can’t really be duplicated. Scientists have made great strides in cloning body parts, but as of the time of this writing, no one has successfully created artificial blood that can replace the real thing. In order to help someone who needs a transfusion, actual, human blood needs to be donated.
Think about that concept for us as Christians. Despite all of our accomplishments, humans cannot manifest the very thing that gives us life. It has to be given by God directly. There is no substitute.
And if there is no physical substitute for human blood in physical applications, then there is no spiritual substitute for the blood in spiritual applications. It has to be donated—given willingly by Someone for a cause that is far greater than ourselves.
Thankfully, we have such a Donor. His name is Jesus, and He gave every drop He had in order to save us from our sins. Our life is in His blood.
