Exodus 24 — Thoughts

Are Christians Vampires?

It’s amazing that Christians aren’t accused of being vampires. Our favorite book is a little obsessed with blood.

In this chapter alone, the Israelites sacrifice burnt offerings, including multiple young bulls, and Moses collects the blood into bowls. Then he splashes half of the blood onto the altar they built and the other half …onto the people of Israel. There was blood everywhere.

I’m not sure this is a party I would want to join. And yet, this is how God established His covenant relationship with His people.

So why all the blood?

The book of Hebrews tells us that “without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins.” This is because sin justly leads to death. Death is simply all that’s left for us when we reject the God of life by sinning.

But God loves us so much that He spared us from that death by offering His own blood in our place. His blood was shed on the cross so that ours wouldn’t have to be.

That is why Jesus tells us in Matthew, “This is the blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” And why 1 John tells us that “the blood of Jesus… cleanses us from all sin.”

The blood Moses splashed everywhere just pointed the people of God to the blood Jesus would shed 13 centuries later.

It’s Jesus’ blood that pays the price to wash us clean of sin.

It’s Jesus’ blood that demonstrates just how much God loves us.

And it’s Jesus’ blood that gives us new life.

Of course, we’re a little obsessed with it.

(Originally written May 31, 2022)