Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, “This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.” – Exodus 24:8

Today’s Scripture Reading (July 29, 2015): Exodus 24

Blood. For many it is simply a squeamish reminder of life. It is the thing that freaks out our young kids when they fall and skin their knees. We give life when we decide to donate it. It is the things that pulses in our veins. In our modern society, blood can be the carrier of disease. We take special care whenever we handle blood, hopefully so that disease will not flow from the blood to us – or from us to the blood. And whether we realize it or not, it is life – because life is impossible without it.

For the Hebrew people, blood had a very special role in daily life. They respected it. They never ate it because it was the life of everything that lived. And the spilling of blood had drastic consequences when it was done without reason. Blood was revered – because life was impossible without it.

As God steps down out of heaven to meet with Moses, his intention is to seal a covenant (a promise) between himself and his people. David Guzik notes that the covenant had four stages. First, it must be written down. And so Moses wrote down everything that God had told him. This would not be an oral agreement – this covenant would be written down for all to read. Secondly, the covenant would deal with human failure. This is why it focuses on sacrifice. The act of sacrifice reinforces that we are not God, and that we are the ones who fail. There was no chance that God would fail us (therefore no heavenly altar was ever built). There was a good chance that we would fail God, and so the earthly altar is built. Third, the covenant is communicated to the people. Never is there a question of whether the people are in agreement with the covenant. To enter into the covenant means that we accept God’s covenant based on his words and his terms – not our words and our terms.

And finally the blood was applied – a symbol of life. This was to be a living covenant, between a living God and a living people. And the life of an animal would seal the deal now – and would continue to atone for the failures of men in the future. The blood was not incidental. The blood had a price tag attached to it. It would be a sacrifice for the animal who would give up its life to give the blood for the covenant, but it was also an economic hardship for the person who owned the animal and had to give up all that the animal represented financially for the family. Blood would never be cheap.

On the night that Jesus was betrayed, the night before his crucifixion, Jesus makes mention of this ritual as he sits with his friends in the upper room. Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. (Matthew 26:27-28). The price of the new covenant could only be paid by him. It was his blood that would be applied to the altar so that we might have life. And once again we are reminded that the blood would never come cheap.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Exodus 25