Leviticus 17:1-16 (NLT)
1 Then the LORD said to Moses,
2 “Give the following instructions to Aaron and his sons and all the people of Israel. This is what the LORD has commanded.
3 “If any native Israelite sacrifices a bull or a lamb or a goat anywhere inside or outside the camp
4 instead of bringing it to the entrance of the Tabernacle to present it as an offering to the LORD, that person will be as guilty as a murderer. Such a person has shed blood and will be cut off from the community.
5 The purpose of this rule is to stop the Israelites from sacrificing animals in the open fields. It will ensure that they bring their sacrifices to the priest at the entrance of the Tabernacle, so he can present them to the LORD as peace offerings.
6 Then the priest will be able to splatter the blood against the LORD’s altar at the entrance of the Tabernacle, and he will burn the fat as a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
7 The people must no longer be unfaithful to the LORD by offering sacrifices to the goat idols. This is a permanent law for them, to be observed from generation to generation.
8 “Give them this command as well. If any native Israelite or foreigner living among you offers a burnt offering or a sacrifice
9 but does not bring it to the entrance of the Tabernacle to offer it to the LORD, that person will be cut off from the community.
10 “And if any native Israelite or foreigner living among you eats or drinks blood in any form, I will turn against that person and cut him off from the community of your people,
11 for the life of the body is in its blood. I have given you the blood on the altar to purify you, making you right with the LORD. It is the blood, given in exchange for a life, that makes purification possible.
12 That is why I have said to the people of Israel, ‘You must never eat or drink blood—neither you nor the foreigners living among you.’
13 “And if any native Israelite or foreigner living among you goes hunting and kills an animal or bird that is approved for eating, he must drain its blood and cover it with earth.
14 The life of every creature is in its blood. That is why I have said to the people of Israel, ‘You must never eat or drink blood, for the life of any creature is in its blood.’ So whoever consumes blood will be cut off from the community.
15 “And if any native-born Israelites or foreigners eat the meat of an animal that died naturally or was torn up by wild animals, they must wash their clothes and bathe themselves in water. They will remain ceremonially unclean until evening, but then they will be clean.
16 But if they do not wash their clothes and bathe themselves, they will be punished for their sin.”
Under the Law, the sacrifice of animals was required for the removal of sin and for restoration of relationship with God. However, individuals were not permitted to determine on their own how this sacrifice was to be offered. Attempting to apply the blood apart from God’s appointed process would result in separation rather than reconciliation. There was only one way the blood could be presented so that it would be accepted and accomplish its purpose before the Lord, and that was through the ministry of the priest. Submission to God’s prescribed order was essential for the sacrifice to be valid. Even consuming or applying the blood personally, as a self-directed act, was strictly forbidden.
In the same way, consecration and the application of the blood remain essential in the presentation of living sacrifices before the Lord today. Self-determination is still not acceptable. Simply assuming the benefits of the blood through personal statements or independent declarations does not bring freedom from sin’s rule, nor does it establish true inclusion in the body of Christ. We now have a High Priest in Christ, and He alone is the way through whom the blood is effectively applied. It is through submission to His lordship and His continual intercession for us that we remain in the place of safety, provision, and salvation that His blood has secured.