Good day and happy Friday. The first Friday in June. Can you believe it’s already June? It’s pretty nice that it hasn’t gotten too hot yet. I was out in the yard early this morning to water the new sod and boy was it nice. There’s just something special about the early morning hours. Still, quiet, a gentle breeze stirring. God’s new day is about to spring forth. There’s also something special about being outside in the early morning. I’ve noticed for several reasons, we don’t spend nearly the time outdoors as we did at our old house and especially as we did in Maui. Time outdoors is important. God blesses us with a home to live in, but nothing can parallel being smack dab in the middle of God’s creation. The trees, the grass, the sun on your face. All God’s beautiful handy-work nourishes our soul. More of this please.
Well, this morning we find ourselves in Genesis chapter 9, a full 9 days into the Old Testament. Things move very quickly in Genesis and we have already seen God create the Heavens and the Earth, man and woman, all animals, fish and birds and then destroy them all in a flood because of their egregious sin. That’s a lot for 8 chapters! Today we see the aftermath of the flood as Noah and his family’s feet finally hit dry ground after 370 days on a ship with a bunch of animal couples. And it doesn’t take long for the shenanigans to materialize as Noah gets drunk and sin follows closely. But today something struck me that I want to touch on. Blood in God’s Word.
As God is defining the covenant that He is establishing with Noah, He clearly defines man’s new relationship with animals as food and has specifics concerning their blood.
“But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. 5 And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man.6 “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.”
We kinda think of blood as gross but if you really think about it, there is no greater life force in existence than blood. Without it we die…quickly. The same with any other animal on the planet. It is the sustaining force of life. In itself, blood is very complicated. Part liquid, part solid, white blood cells, red blood cells, platelets, oxygen and iron. And beyond this God created 4 different types of it in humans. Blood is a very complicated, life giving miracle from God.
As a result, God gives blood a very large part in His Word. I think when you really break it down to the lowest common denominator, blood is life. And God is life. Therefore, the life of God is in the blood.
The importance of the idea of blood in the Bible is shown by how often the word is used. It is used 424 times in 357 separate verses (in the New King James Version). I came across this great list of examples of how blood is used for numerous reasons in God’s Word. (EnduringWord.com) Let’s take a look.
· Blood was the sign of mercy for Israel at the first Passover (Exodus 12:13).
· Blood sealed God’s covenant with Israel (Exodus 24:8).
· Blood sanctified the altar (Exodus 29:12).
· Blood set aside the priests (Exodus 29:20).
· Blood made atonement for God’s people (Exodus 30:10).
· Blood sealed the new covenant (Matthew 26:28).
· Blood justifies us (Romans 5:9).
· Blood brings redemption (Ephesians 1:7).
· Blood brings peace with God (Colossians 1:20).
· Blood cleanses us (Hebrews 9:14 and 1 John 1:7).
· Blood gives entrance to God’s holy place (Hebrews 10:19).
· Blood sanctifies us (Hebrews 13:12).
· Blood enables us to overcome Satan (Revelation 12:11).
As the old Hymn from 1899 goes, “There is Power in the Blood.” Without the miracle of blood there is no physical life and without Jesus there is no eternal life. The precious blood of Jesus being shed on that cross changed the life of every single person that has ever lived. Our job? To go and tell. The great commission, which was some of Jesus’ last words, is summarized in some form in each of the four gospels and Acts. Jesus’ last command was important indeed.
“18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
There is power in the blood but only when you hear about the blood. There are people all over the world that have never heard of the power of the blood. There are people in your city and state that have not heard of the power of the blood. And believe it or not, there are more than likely people on the very street you live on that have not heard about the power of the blood. The precious blood of Jesus can save anyone from the death of their sins, they just have to believe on Him and claim Him. But in order to do that they need to hear. Go out into the world today and be ready to tell people about Jesus. The world needs to hear.
“How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” Romans 10:13-15
Blessings upon you as you go and tell. There is power in the blood indeed.
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