The Shedding Of Blood
THE SHEDDING OF BLOOD
HEBREWS 9:18-22
In the Bible, forgiveness is never cheap: the death of Jesus was the price he paid to atone for our sins.
We move back in thought to the old covenant described in Exodus 24. Its establishment illustrates the principle that blood must be shed to bring into effect a covenant, for Moses sprinkled blood when that covenant was brought into effect. The author gives us some information not found in Exodus 24, for example, the mention of the offering of goats, and the use of water, scarlet wool and hyssop, and the sprinkling of the blood. In Exodus we are simply told that Moses threw half the blood against the altar and half on the people (Exodus 24:6,8).
The author also goes beyond the Old Testament when he speaks of Moses as sprinkling with blood the tabernacle and the vessels used in worship (9:21). This of course refers to a later event, for the tabernacle did not exist when the covenant was made. In Exodus 40:9ff. Moses was commanded to anoint the tabernacle and its furniture, and presumably he obeyed this command. Nothing is said, however, about any use of blood at this time.
From this the author moves to the thought that the Law prescribed the shedding of blood on a number of occasions. Practically everything “is purified with blood” (9:22). An occasional exception is allowed (see Leviticus 5:11), but this merely highlights the rule. The teaching of the Levitical law is plainly that “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins” (9:22). Among many ancient peoples sin was taken very lightly and regarded as unimportant. Nobody who took the sacrificial system of ancient Israel with full seriousness could make that mistake. The solemn ritual underlined two points: the seriousness of sin, and the necessity for the offering of a pure victim if sin is to be forgiven. In this way, the people of God were prepared for the coming of the One who would offer the one sacrifice that really takes away sin. The sacrifices could not remove sin, but they had an important educational function. In the modern world where the pagan view of sin is so widespread there is still the need to learn the seriousness of sin and the necessity for the shedding of blood if it is to be put away.