Shalom dear friends, in the last newsletter we began our study on the blood in the Old Testament.

In retrospect, we see that God did not require a sacrifice from Adam and Noah because these covenants did not have personal implications.

Again I must stress that the blood required by God had personal implications. It implied that one could not enter into fellowship with God without the forgiveness of sin. God will not ask anyone to bring a sacrifice without understanding why. Faith is the key.

When the Bible described Abraham’s faith, it was then that God required a sacrifice from him. My point in this is that any other sacrifice brought before Abraham (like by Noah for example) was not offered to the Lord through faith for the forgivness of sin, but was a token of thankfulness. It wasn’t because Noah did not have any faith, but his sacrifice was not for the forgiveness of sin. God wants us to know that before we can thank him (have fellowship with Him), our sins must be forgiven through the blood.

The next important event to look at is in Exodus 12, where God liberated Israel out of Egypt . Here we see how God begins to reveal the importance of the blood sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins. Exodus 12:13 states that the blood was a sign. Why did God say the blood was a sign? It was a guarantee or assurance that through the blood, we are forgiven. The blood and only the blood, is a sign that we are saved!

In Exodus chapter 20, the Lord led Moses to the mountain to receive the Ten Commandments.  By giving Israel His Ten Commandments, God began to reveal His standard for daily living in order to underline the importance of the blood and the power of forgiveness. The requirements were difficult for people who were born and walked in sin. Yet God was leading Israel to the point that through the blood, and with the forgiveness of their sins, they could have the power to fulfill God’s requirements and walk in them.

After the giving of the Ten Commandments, we begin to see the sacrificial system being developed in more depth. Again, it was only after Israel realized the requirements of God. In Exodus 24:4-8, Moses for the first time, demonstrated the power of the blood and what it will do for God’s people. He took the book of the covenant and read it in the hearing of the people. The people responded, “All that the Lord has said, we will do, and be obedient.”  In verse 8, “Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, this is the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you according to all these words.”

In summary, we can see through both passages in Exodus, that after the forgiveness of our sins, God makes a covenant through the blood, in order for us to walk and obey His Word.

We will continue this subject within our next newsletter where we will explore the book of Leviticus and see in even greater detail, the power found in the blood and the forgiveness of sin. It is an amazing benefit bestowed by God upon people to walk in forgiveness, freedom and fellowship with God.

Shalom!

By: Messianic Rabbi Gennady Livshits