The Blood Is Enough
The Blood Is Enough
Sermon Text
Introduction
Background
Ritual Effects of Blood
The detailed instructions for sacrifices in biblical law include specific stipulations for how the blood is to be handled. These instructions are not always explicit about the exact purpose for each act. In general, the biblical text focuses more on ritual practice than on ritual purpose. Often, no strong distinction is made and the three typical effects attributed to blood—consecrating, cleansing, and atoning—are associated with the same acts. For example, on the Day of Atonement—the only time the chief priest could enter the holy of holies—the high priest took the blood from the sacrifices and spattered the blood on and in front of the cover of the ark of the covenant (כַּפֹּ֫רֶת, kapporeth; “mercy seat; atonement cover”; Lev 16:14–15). This ritual served to “make atonement for the sanctuary from the Israelites’ impurities and from their transgressions for all their sins” (Lev 16:16 LEB). Then he would use the remaining blood to “make atonement” for the altar by putting the blood on the horns of the altar and spattering it on the altar seven times (Lev 16:18–19). In this way, the priest would “cleanse it and consecrate it from the Israelites’ impurities” (Lev 16:19 LEB). The single act of applying blood to the altar served to make atonement, cleanse, and consecrate. Perhaps, from the biblical point of view, these effects were one and the same—making atonement, cleansing, and consecrating all represent a transition from common and profane to holy and sacred, fit for use or service before Yahweh.
Purification and Consecration. In some cases, blood was to be used for purification or ritual cleansing. For example, the ritual for purifying someone who had a leprous disease but who had healed was a several-stage process that involved, among other things, sprinkling the person with blood (Lev 14:5–7), and applying the blood of a “guilt offering” to the person’s right earlobe, right thumb, and right big toe (Lev 14:14). A similar ritual was necessary for cleansing a house after dealing with surface discoloration like mold or mildew in the walls (Lev 14:49–52).
The rituals that purified and consecrated the priests and the tabernacle involved anointing with oil and the application of blood, but only the blood is said to have “purified the altar” (Lev 8:15). The blood rituals in Num 19:1–6 and Lev 16 are also associated with cleansing sacred spaces with blood. Milgrom sees the connection between blood and life as the key to explain its purifying function in the biblical sacrificial system. Seeing blood as the ritual detergent that purges impurity, he concludes that since impurity “is the realm of death,” the antidote to impurity is life, represented by blood (Milgrom, Leviticus 1–16, 711). Blood cleanses the sanctuary, purging it of impurity, because it “nullifies, overpowers, and absorbs the Israelites’ impurities that adhere to the sanctuary, thereby allowing the divine presence to remain and Israel to survive” (Milgrom, Leviticus 1–16, 712).
In addition to purifying the priests and the tabernacle, the blood rituals associated with the ordination of the priests and the dedication of the tabernacle function to consecrate them (Lev 8:10–30; compare Exod 29:10–21). When Moses poured blood at the base of the altar, he “consecrated it in order to make atonement for it” (Lev 8:15). Then, after Aaron and his sons had been anointed with oil (Lev 8:12–13), Moses used the blood from the “ram of ordination” to consecrate them as well (Lev 8:22–30).
The ritual at the giving of the law (Exod 24), where Moses sprinkled the blood of the sacrifices on the people, is likely an example of consecration as well. It is also the only ritual described in the Bible where all the people of Israel are anointed with blood (Peeler, “Desiring God,” 187). One common approach to interpreting this ritual is to identify it as signifying the people had become “parties to the covenant” with Yahweh (Stuart, Exodus, 555; compare Heb 9:19–20). Another approach understands the ritual in terms of the purifying and consecrating effects of the rituals in Lev 8–9 (Peeler, “Desiring God,” 189). From this perspective, the blood served to purge Israel of impurities, which enabled Moses, the priests, and the elders to enter God’s presence on Sinai (Exod 24:9–11). However, these approaches are not mutually exclusive. In the context of the covenant ceremony, the ritual undoubtedly serves to ratify and confirm the covenant (Hendel, “Sacrifice,” 370). In the context of similar blood rituals, the ritual also probably serves to purify and consecrate the people (Peeler, “Desiring God,” 190–91; Hendel, “Sacrifice,” 375).
The use of blood as a symbol of the covenant relationship is also evident in the New Testament references to the “blood of the covenant” (Matt 26:28; Mark 14:24; Luke 22:20; Heb 10:29; 13:20). While the Old Testament covenant was established by the death of animals, the new covenant was established by the death of Christ (Heb 9:14–18). Both covenants required the shedding of blood for purification and redemption (Heb 9:11–28).
Atonement. The third ritual effect associated with blood is the making of atonement (e.g., Lev 8:15; 16:16–19). Atonement is a complex theological topic and the exact process and nature of atonement is debated. However, it can be generally understood as a state of restoration or reconciliation. In the Old Testament, atonement is associated with the Hebrew root כפר (kpr), often defined as “cover” (see Rodrigues, “Atonement”). Milgrom points out that while “atone” is a common translation for כפר (kpr), the actual usage of the word reveals a much more complicated range of possible meanings in context, including “wipe,” “remove,” “purify,” “decontaminate,” “cover,” “rub,” and “ransom”; Milgrom prefers to use “purge” in most contexts (Milgrom, Leviticus 1–16, 1079–82).
Blood is a key ingredient for bringing about atonement in the biblical system. Most cases where a priest makes atonement for someone or something involve an animal sacrifice (e.g., Lev 1:4; 4:20; 5:6), though there were exceptions where a monetary offering was required for atonement (e.g., Exod 30:11–16). The practice of animal sacrifice for atonement is commonly interpreted as a case of substitution—where the animal’s blood is offered in place of the sinner’s to expiate (or remove) the person’s guilt (Rooker, Leviticus, 53). According to Hebrews 9:22, blood is an essential ingredient for atonement (for how ἄφεσις, aphesis; relates to atonement, see Koester, Hebrews, 420–21).