For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life. – Leviticus 17:11

Today’s Scripture Reading (October 6, 2018): Leviticus 17

T. S. Eliot once commented that “The purpose of literature is to turn blood into ink.” The purpose of literature is to take what is important to you, what it is that constitutes your life force, and attempt to put it down on paper. I recognize that my best writing is about ideas and concepts that are important to me. I get to pour my life into the work, attempting to change, one more time, my blood into ink.

In ancient times, blood was a mysterious force. We may not have understood all of the ways that blood carried life throughout our bodies, but we knew that it did. We understood that the life force inside of us did not exist without the red stuff in our veins, or in the veins of the animals around us. Slit the throat of any animal, and life oozes out with the blood, even though none of the organs have been damaged. Even without understanding the various purposes of the blood that circulates within our body, it was easy to conclude that the presence of blood means the possibility of life. And so it is easy to understand what T. S. Eliot means when he speaks of turning blood into ink; he is pouring himself, and his life, into what it is that he was writing.

Because blood carries our life force, God declared that all blood was sacred. Life is sacred. It does not matter where we might find it, it is special and created by God. And because life was sacred, blood had a special purpose. Blood was necessary to make atonement for our sins against God. Blood was required to bring back to life those who had died because of their guilt. Blood was the way back to life. The priest would take the blood of the sacrifice and pour it over the horns of the altar, an offering to the God of Life. Life would be given so that we could go on living without the overwhelming guilt of our sin. It was an ancient principle, life was given, but it was also taken.

Again, this supports Paul’s assertions in Romans. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), and “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). Jesus blood was necessary to give us a life that we did not deserve but is ours anyway. His blood opens the door to living life that is not just forever but should be full in this present moment.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Leviticus 18