As Israel is forming into a nation that the world can pattern themselves after; God is instructing them on various circumstances that they might encounter.
It is known and well-established that in the requirements of God, all blood-guilt requires an atonement. But what if that blood-guilt does not reveal the guilty and the murderer goes unpunished?
Deuteronomy Chapter 21 allows for what should be done in the case of an unsolved murder in the community.
BLOOD-GUILT REQUIRES ATONEMENT
God clearly wants them to understand that all murder; even unsolved murder mysteries, require atonement.
Many may be unaware of the fact that unsolved murders have a negative spiritual effect upon the communities in which they are committed.
Anyone who studies Torah deep enough begins to realize something that some of us have learned from a certain Torah Class; “that blood-guilt blood lies at the center of God’s justice system in the way that a fulcrum lies at the center of a teeter-totter.
As it swings fully one direction there is one effect, and as it swings back to other there is an opposite effect.
On one end of the spectrum the misuse of blood is the cause for the Lord seeking retribution from a man, but on the other end the proper use of blood is the remedy for the blood-crime.
As Americans living in a carefully sanitized society, we know almost nothing about the necessity and role and centrality of blood in the Scriptures because it offends our ears, causes us to avert our eyes, and it turns our stomachs merely to talk about it anymore than to sing a few Christian ditties about our Savior’s blood that makes us white as snow.”
The above is a quote from Torah Class, Rediscovering The Bible, Seed of Abraham Ministries, Lesson 26; which also does a great job of discussing the subject that we are covering today.
LIFE IS IN THE BLOOD
When we’ve studied covenants in past lessons we have learned that blood is the main element required in making a covenant. This is because the blood is the main element of life. The life of a person and/or an animal is in the blood. If lack of blood has caused a death; it is considered a defilement but if something is defiled and innocent blood replaces what has been defiled; that blood purifies because of its innocence.
Death is defilement; but the life in the blood that atones is purification for defilement.
When a sin is committed an acceptable substitute’s life can bring reparation and atonement for the sinner/sinners sin of defilement. Substitutional blood is always required to cleanse a sin of defilement.
We have covered this in detail in past lessons; and here are a few of those links if you want to study the facts a little further; https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/a-christian-observance-of-yom-kippur-the-day-of-atonement-seasons/. This same subject is also covered in greater detail in our Genesis Study that has been compiled into a book called THE GOSPEL HIDDEN IN GENESIS, BOOK ONE OF TWO. This subject is covered extensively in the chapter titled; How Blood Cries Out To God, which begins on page 63.
A COMMUNITY AFFAIR
Not only does blood-guilt defile a person; it also defiles the land and the community where that person with blood-guilt exists. All blood-guilt produces negative spiritual effects. In the case of Cain killing Abel; God said “Your brother’s blood cries out to me.”
In other words; innocent blood is the only physical covering for sins.
All flesh requires blood to exist; but there are also spiritual beings (angels,Cherubim, Satan, Satan’s demons) who DO NOT require blood to exist because they are spirit instead of flesh. It appears that physical blood has a spiritual effect and it is this spiritual effect that matters to God. That means it should also matter to us.
But how would you go about solving these circumstances in a community if you do not even know who the murderer is?
HOW TO PROCEED
Notice that the issue is NOT about finding the killer and bringing him to justice; rather it is about what to do about the very serious problem of the bloodguilt that now rests upon the land and upon the people of the local community.
If someone was found murdered and laying out in a field (or on the side of the road) and it was not known who murdered them; the people who found the body were supposed to measure the distance from where the body lay to all of the nearest cities. The need for atonement for the murder then becomes assigned to the elders and judges of the nearest city or town to the place of the murder. It is not just their responsibility to bear the guilt as a community; but also to purge the blood-guilt from their community. If they did not do so; the whole community would remain guilty before God forever.
Now that is a pretty serious matter.
However; a just God has to serve justly and reparation has to be met in order for the land not to be defiled with blood-guilt.
Do we have blood-guilt in our cities, towns, states and nations of today?
Can you think of how this could happen?
In the ancient days, the elders and/or judges were instructed to take a heifer that has never been worked or worn a yoke and lead it down to a valley that had not been plowed or planted with crops (an open un-used vacant field) with a stream flowing through it. There they were to break the heifer’s neck.
This would be a field that is not useful for growing food; or obtaining as a fresh water source.
It would have taken a lot of effort for the elders and judges to break the heifer’s neck.
Note that this process could not be considered as a sacrifice because the animal is not slain by cutting; but its neck is broken It is not brought to an altar but to an empty, useless field. There has been no blood letting and there is no fire to burn the offering as with a sacrifice. The priests do not participate in the killing of the heifer; but it is the leaders of the community who break the neck of the heifer to kill it.
THE WASHING OF THE HANDS
Next; the Levitical priests were to join the elders and judges to officiate over the ritual ceremony. They are merely standing by; more like witnesses to the fact that the ceremony is taking place.
The elders and judges of the nearest city were to wash their hands over the heifer with the broken neck there in the valley with a stream running through it.
As they do this they are to declare “Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it done Accept this atonement for your people Israel, whom you have redeemed, Lord, and do not hold your people guilty of the blood of an innocent person”
This is a plea to God to accept their innocence and not hold it against the whole community.
It is more of a prayer than a declaration. They are asking God’s forgiveness for any association with this blood-guilt; very similar to Christians of today when they pray a prayer of repentance for a nation.
Because they have done what God has required; He hears their prayer and does not hold this murder against the community.
The community is now cleared from being held accountable for the shedding of innocent blood.
So I hope this lesson has reminded you of the seriousness of blood-guilt as a community, a state, a nation, or of humanity as a whole.
BLOOD-GUILT OF THE MODERN WORLD
As I read the above passage I immediately thought of Pilot at the trial of Jesus. He washed his hands of the whole situation. Pilot did not want the blood of an innocent man to be on his hands. This was his way of making a public statement to proclaim his withdrawal from what the crowd wanted.
Funny how the presence of blood-guilt can whip up a crowd into a frenzy.
We must learn to accept the fact that every day we must learn how to deal with the blood-guilt of our nation and our world.
Murder requires exchange for another life in order to be forgiven.
Not many believe in capital punishment these days. Time is served in a jail sentence; then some pre-planned murders are allowed to go free without restitution
People who don’t understand the ways of God call this mercy. It isn’t mercy though; there is still blood-guilt and unconfessed blood-guilt is shared by all in the land. It corrupts as a disease would.
Again, there is ONLY one prescribed method for dealing with blood-guilt; execute the perpetrator OTHERWISE the entire community bears the guilt right along with him.
Here in America we seem to think that in certain cases it is good to murder babies in the womb.
It IS NOT good; and we all have blood-guilt from the countless sins of our nation.
THE WHOLE NATION AND THE LAND SUFFERS
Some groups have gathered; like the men in these ancient cities where unsolved murders have taken place and they have prayed to God for forgiveness for all of the nation. Not enough have done so; or our laws would definitely be changed. Our greatest leaders have condoned and celebrated abortion. These of blood-guilt go out and partake of communion wrongfully.
God and murder do not commune. The blood-guilt must be forgiven first.
One day the truth will be known world-wide and the books of God will produce the very accurate sins in God’s records. In that day; unless the perfect atoning blood of Jesus Christ has covered an individual (or a nation) and purified them before God; a life will be required for a life.
Even now we sit in judgement as a nation guilty of unconfessed sins of blood-guilt. The sins of abortion have brought a plague upon our land. The land suffers from lack of repentance. Our land needs to be purged of these sins of blood-guilt. The leaders of our country need to help the people to repent and ask God for mercy on the nation as a whole.
Once the life of a nation is ended; there is the afterlife where people will be either living eternally filled with God’s Holy Spirit and forgiven forever; or either they will be spiritually tortured throughout infinity because of unconfessed blood-guilt.
Murder is a terrible sin. Many committed such sins not really understanding what they were doing. The facts were certainly skewed for generations. Now we can bear testimony to the truth though. No sin is too large or unforgivable to a God who has limitless mercy and compassion for His people. It is there; but it must be acknowledged and requested.
Silence before God is not appropriate here. We, as a nation, must lift up our voices and repent.
Which option do you want to choose for America?
Right now is the time to repent and make reparation.
As for me; I choose life.
I hope you will do the same.