STRANGE HAPPENINGS IN THE DESERT
The next chapter of Leviticus is worded a bit strange for most people’s modern-day thinking. It basically says: “Don’t eat blood” and “Don’t worship goat-idols out in the open fields.”
Can you imagine?
What kind of crazy subject is this?
Well; it may not be as far-fetched as you might think. We are going to explore a little history involving “eating blood” and “worshiping goat idols in open fields” and compare what we find to most worship going on in our present day sanctuaries.
We will ask that big question:
Are we on track with God’s will for today?
As sincere Christian worshipers we should be making it our mission to find out.
Sometimes you can see and experience some pretty strange things on the journey to the Promised Land. Let’s continue to explore the path of the scriptures as they unfold and see what God shows us as a result.
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to our Thursday COME AS A CHILD BIBLE STUDY. This is lesson number 223. If you missed last week’s lesson; you can click into it here: THE DAY OF ATONEMENT AS SPELLED OUT IN LEVITICUS 16 – COME AS A CHILD LESSON 222
So far we’ve covered Genesis, Exodus and part of Leviticus. Let’s keep walking and learning more about our Father as we go. There is so much to learn! The scripture references for this particular discussion today come straight from Leviticus, Chapter 17. I hope you are reading the scriptures first; before studying each lesson as it unfolds. We will always give the passage for the day in the introduction section of each lesson.
WHY ALL THE TALK ABOUT EATING AND DRINKING BLOOD?
Looking back through Genesis; it does seem that when the world was first created humans were only meant to eat plant food. Adam and Eve probably started out as vegetarians and most likely continued living that way even after the Garden of Eden was closed to them. God explained that to us in the scriptures by saying to Adam and Eve that they could eat any fruit from the bearing trees or any seed bearing plants. No mention of meats at all.
Sounds pretty much like a vegetarian diet; doesn’t it?
After the great flood though; God gave Noah and his sons and their families some new instructions. God said they could also eat meat – but that all of the life blood had to be removed from the meat first.
Hmmm……I wonder why the change?
I also wondered why you could suddenly eat meat; but it had to be meat with all the blood drained out.
This was something to ponder.
When you are curious about something new it always helps to remember and dwell on those facts that you already know.
Do you remember the things that we have already studied about blood?
THE LIFE IS IN THE BLOOD
We have mentioned several times now; ever since we began the study in Genesis; that God proclaimed that “life” is in the blood.
It surely makes sense to me. Could you live without your blood running through your veins? I don’t think so.
So; from this known thought I basically concluded that God was saying that we are not to eat anything while it still has LIFE.
The laws of nature would certainly be in favor of this fact.
Can you imagine trying to eat steak while the cow is still mooing and breathing and walking around? It might be a very difficult task!
Most of God’s instructions cater to common sense when you stop and think about them. God is basically saying to the people; if they want to eat meat it is okay, but be sure what you are eating has no life, or is NOT living.
The way to be assured of no life is to drain the blood from the animal before cooking and eating. God is very strict about this requirement.
He even makes this commandment a little more firm in Leviticus 17:10 which says; “And if anyone of the House of Israel partakes of any blood, I will set My face against the person who partakes of the blood, and I will cut him off from among his kin.”
In other words; disobey this commandment and you will become an outcast! Pretty strong language; but apparently necessary; though I can’t understand why anyone would want to disobey this one to start with.
IF YOU KEEP LISTENING; GOD ALWAYS GIVES AN ANSWER
Finally; in Leviticus 17:11 God gives a full explanation of why He is requiring this: “For the life of the flesh is in the blood and I have assigned it to you for making expiation for your lives upon the altar, it is the blood, as life, that effects expiation.”
Seeing the blood on the altar meant that an innocent life had been exchanged for a guilty life.
Expiation was the process of atonement; the removal or the act of wiping away the sins of the people so that God could come and dwell among them.
They brought their sacrifices and the blood was applied to the altar and this made them acceptable to God.
This “blood” of an innocent animal allowed God to purge any unholiness from the tabernacle where He was meeting with His people. The blood served as a type of ransom for the people. It paid their redemption price for their sins. It made them clean before God.
WHAT DOES SCIENCE HAVE TO SAY?
This is yet another one of those times when science and the Holy Scriptures are in total agreement. They actually rarely oppose one another.
Scientist tell us that drinking large amounts of blood can be toxic.
Though blood is essential for life and operates and functions properly inside the body’s circulatory system; when more than a few spoonfuls of blood are ingested that same blood will make a person sick.
Blood contains iron in large quantities and too much iron in the body can cause a wide range of medical problems, including dehydration, fluid in the lungs, liver damage, low blood pressure and certain nervous disorders.
THIS DISTINGUISHES US FROM THE ANIMALS
Not eating or drinking blood seems to be a characteristic that distinguishes some animals from humans.
Most animals CAN eat or drink blood because their digestive systems are different from humans and are more tolerant of iron.
WHEN THE OLD TESTAMENT ISN’T CLEAR; JUST REFER TO THE NEW TESTAMENT FOR CONFIRMATION
I’m always amazed at how science, common sense and the scriptures in the New Testament always confirm each other.
There are NO contradictions!
The New Testament scriptures never change the truths of the scriptures from the Old Testament. The two only confirm one another.
There is a New Testament scripture that makes this whole decision about blood so very easy to figure out: 1 Corinthians 10:31; So whatever you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all for the glory of God.
It is really just that simple; if you want to give God the glory; simply follow His instructions!
WHAT ABOUT THOSE GOAT IDOLS IN OPEN FIELDS?
We have resolved the “eating and drinking of blood” problems; but what is this stuff we read about Israel worshiping goat-idols in open fields?
It seem to be just more crazy language that has to be broken down into understandable sentences which relate to the period of time in which God was speaking. If we all were from the days of the wilderness tabernacle we would know exactly what God was saying and why.
ANOTHER “LASTING” ORDINANCE TO PAY ATTENTION TO
The scriptures found in Leviticus 17:7 reads: They must no longer offer any of their sacrifices to the goat idols to whom they prostitute themselves. This is to be a lasting ordinance for them and for the generations to come.
I hope you paid attention to that last part that said “lasting ordinance for them and for the generations to come.”
Guess what?
We who are living today and all of those who come after us ARE the “generations to come.”
Let me say that another way. This passage still applies to us today.
GOD ABHORS PAGAN PRACTICES
It is widely known that when the Israelis were still living as slaves in Egypt the Egyptians worshiped goats as gods.
There was a temple just for this worship and it was built in Thmuis which was located in lower Egypt. This so-called temple was dedicated to the goat-image called Pan. They also called him Mendes; and he was considered to be an oracle.
There were statues of Pan everywhere.
POPULAR PAINTINGS AND DRAWINGS OF ONE FACE OF THE DEVIL
These statues of Pan (his image) are actually where famous artists got their goat-like pictures of the devil that are still around and popular artwork for today; the drawings and paintings of a devil that is similar to a goat with a tail and horns and cloven feet.
These drawings and paintings are copied from the ancient images of Pan. I can’t help but think of the scriptures we read in Revelation 13:15; He was then permitted to give life to this statue so that it could speak. Then the statue of the beast commanded that anyone refusing to worship it must die; and there are many other passages of scripture in Revelation that speak of an “image” of a beast who is given power from a “dragon” which is the typical description of the Antichrist in end-times.
Does this possibly mean that the Antichrist will give power to the ancient religious practices of Pan that have been revived through false prophets on the earth in end times?
Then I have to think of the fact that the worship of Pan incorporated the worship of MANY false spirits. I am led to believe that the false religion that affects the world in end times originates right here with the ancient image of Pan; which may even appear to be harmless to most humans; as if it were only the image from a child’s fairy tale.
Many Medieval artists depicted the devil this way because they were originally (and correctly) thinking of Pan as a demon, or a devil. A lot of Christian artwork from this more recent period of history actually shows the devil being a goat-like man with a tail and horns and cloven feet. Once the image got started from these much later-in-time artists, the depiction of the devil just caught on and soon it was everywhere; but no one really remembered the original source. Just like that a face of the devil went from seeming evil to seeming to be interesting artwork and child’s play illustrations. That is how Satan works; he likes to appear as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14.) This is a very effective disguise and it is often possible that even the elect may be deceived (Matthew 24:24.)
The point here is the same as the point back in the days of Moses; that false religion exist on the earth and it is still a deceptive trap that Satan uses to capture the spirits of God’s people. Beware.
THE CORRUPTION OF FALSE WORSHIP
When the people were set free from Egypt by God a hand-full of them were still not so faithful.
Perhaps some of this was out of ignorance; but not all of it. Some of the people were just blatantly disobedient.
Many continued to worship Pan right along with their new habits of worshiping God.
Moses was being instructed by God about how to set this abomination right and told how to correct it.
Many of the people were still dedicating their ordinary food to Pan as a daily sacrifice, even during the time of the beginning days of the wilderness tabernacle. At home they would sacrifice to Pan and at the tabernacle they would bring their sacrifices before the One True God.
Can you believe they expected results from both places?
This terrible pagan practice was just an old left-over habit from slavery that they had forgotten to put away. God was going to make it very clear that they NEEDED to put it away and He would tell them to never return to this pagan practice.
God hated this practice so very much that He emphasized to Moses that ALL generations were to put away any such pagan beliefs and practices.
MODERN TIMES AND WORSHIP
When we come to the place of modern-day worship today, we must know where our true altar exists.
Now it is in Christ.
He has freed us just as God freed those Israelis from slavery. He has redeemed us from the bondage of sin.
They came out of Egypt; and we are to come out of the ways of the world.
Jesus is the only way that we become acceptable and atoned. He became the One Perfect Blood Sacrifice for all of humanity.
When we come to Him with our sacrifices now in the form of our worship and prayers, these MUST be pure and holy and acceptable to God.
Otherwise; we insult our Savior.
The life in His holy blood has made Him the only true Tabernacle from which we are now to worship in holiness.
OLD PRACTICES DIE HARD
Do we forget our old ways and bad habits just like those ignorant Israelis did?
Does God need to be constantly reminding us to put away the old habits and to come to Him with pure, clean, and unadulterated worship?
Are we incorporating the ways of the world into God’s ways as we come to our modern-day sanctuaries?
Do we overlook the things that are wrong and keep adding them to what is really good and expect God to bless us?
We might be a lot like those unfaithful Israelis who kept making those daily sacrifices to a pagan god but bringing their offerings to the tabernacle to the One True God.
He did not accept such things then; and He will not do it now.
God never changes.
The word for those old Israelis is as true for us today as it was for the Children of Israel back thousands of years ago. The only difference is that our sacrifice has been made perfect and we should be able to come before God stronger and cleaner than they ever did.
Are we?
Do we?
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