Greetings, Beloved of the Most High, on this warm but glorious Sabbath in the DFW. I pray that you, your families, and your fellowships are well and blessed.
This is the 88th parashah or reading of the 3-year reading cycle. It is contained in Leviticus/Vayiqra 17:1-16, with the Haftarah contained in Isaiah/Yesha’Yahu 66:1-11, and Apostolic in John/Yochanan 6:52-59.
From a 30,000-foot vantage point, the Torah Reading that is before us entails the sanctioned worship of Yehovah that is required by His chosen ones. Specifically, our reading has to do with meats which must not have any connection whatsoever to idolatry.
Our reading was addressed to the Cohen Gadol Aaron/Aharon, his sons, and the whole nation of Yisra’el.
At the time that these instructions (aka these mitzvot) were rendered unto the nation, meat consumption was restricted solely to the provisions that were established by Yehovah through the Levitical sacrificial system. (Recall that portions of the sacrificed animals that were rendered as burnt offerings–aka “peace offerings”– were consumed by the offerer and his family, along with the officiating priests.) But beyond these rare occasions when our ancient wandering Hebrew cousins partook of a meal consisting of meat, the nation received her sustenance from Yehovah in the form of manna (Exodus/Shemot 16; Numbers/Bemidbar 11; Deuteronomy 8; Joshua/Yahoshua 5). Any who would slaughter a domesticated animal outside the sacrificial system was subject to Yah’s punishment: Cut-off from his/her people by the Court of Heaven.
With the giving of these instructions, no longer were the people permitted to sacrifice their domesticated animals in open fields. All sacrifices and lawful consumption of meats fell within the domain of the Levitical sacrificial system.
This would be a temporary ordnance that would be reversed when we entered the Land of Promise-Deuteronomy/Devarim 12:15.
Previous to this ruling by Yehovah, however, the people had, apparently as a result of superstitious and pagan religious practice/habit/custom, sacrificed unto and worshiped entities that were germane to that region of the world. Some English translations of our text refer to these entities as “satyrs.”
This sudden, restrictive move by Yehovah to prohibit any and all slaughtering of the nation’s domestic animal stocks served to inhibit the people from delving back to their previous lives of idolatrous-pagan worship (dating back to their years as slaves in Egypt). Yehovah would henceforth and forevermore be the only Being His chosen people would worship. He would no longer tolerate syncretism-fusing worship of Him and the satyrs.
Yah went even a step further by restricting the location of which all sacrifices and meat consumptions were to be offered to the Tent of Meeting/Tabernacle.
Prohibition Against Blood Consumption
Here in our reading, Yehovah, for a third time, prohibits the consumption of blood (occasion #1: 3:17; occasion #2: 7:26), which was an inevitability of those satyr-focused sacrifices and worship practices. In fact, blood consumption in ancient times, and among certain peoples of that region, was part and parcel of their idolatrous lives. Thus, Yah put forth a full-stop to all avenues that would lead or give the people occasion to worship the satyrs and consume animal blood. (I would encourage you to check out H.C. Trumbull’s “The Blood Covenant.” Trumbull details the ancient mindset behind blood consumption, which sadly has permeated the fabric of modern Western spirituality/paganism today.)
All Animal Sacrifices Become the Domain of the Levitical Priesthood
All slaughtering of domesticated animals would henceforth fall to the Levitical priests, who became adept at the humane slaughtering of animals using the methods passed down to them by Yah. This served to prevent any occurrence of the Hebrew consuming the blood of their sacrificed domesticated animals. In time, slaughtering of all meats for consumption fell to the highly skilled “shochetim,” who followed Yah’s precise method for slaughtering animals. In certain orthodox communities throughout the world, even today, the shochetim still operate. Some of us in the Messianic communities are desirous to locate and patronize kosher businesses that employ the services of such skilled individuals, as concern over the integrity of the nations’ meat supply continues to grow.
The Significance of Blood Repurposed by Yehovah
Yehovah reminded the nation that life was in the blood. And thus, the blood of all living creatures held a special purpose, or sacredness, that was not to be tarnished through human consumption. Its uniqueness was reserved for atonement purposes on the Altar, on behalf of the one seeking atonement and peace with Yehovah.
The prohibition against blood consumption was universal in application. It applied to the Hebrew and sojourner alike.
The blood of Yah’s creatures does not belong to man to do with it as he wills, but instead, it belongs to the Giver of life, which Yah declared is in the blood (17:11).
Blood would be the basis of all human atonement, even leading up to the ultimate sacrifice of Yeshua, our Messiah and High Priest.
The writer of Hebrews penned:
Without the shedding of blood is no remission [of sin] (9:22).
It’s always easy to misplace the importance of sacrifices. The primary focus has been and always will be on the blood that is applied to the Altar, not the carcass of the sacrificed/slaughtered animal.
How Were Game Animals Affected?
Game animals–animals hunted for their meat; non-domesticated animals such as dear–could be consumed outside the Levitical sacrificial system. However, the blood of game animals, like the domesticated animals, had to be drained from the carcass of the animal. That drained blood ultimately would have to be buried in the soil. This was done out of respect for the sanctity of the blood that sustained the life of the creature.
Game that died of natural causes or whose death occurred by another creature could be consumed only on the rarest of occasions (the specific occasions are not delineated in our text). However, consuming dead game made the consumer ritually impure (i.e., they would be ineligible to worship at the Tabernacle until such time that they were restored to a ritually pure state). Such was required to mikveh. They would remain in a state of ritual impurity until sundown of that day.
The Centrality of Worship
Here in our reading today, we find Yah establishing a centrality to His worship. (1) An exclusive, central location, that being the Tabernacle. (2) Worship would be overseen exclusively by Yah’s appointed intermediaries, the Levitical priests. And (3) the sacrifices that would be rendered would be accomplished in accordance with Yah’s exacting Way, the blood of the sacrifices being the focus/focal point of worship.
The penalty for transgressing/violating Yah’s established worship system would be “karat.” He or she would be cut off from Yah’s set-apart people. Heaven-derived justice.
This plays in fully with last week’s Torah Reading discussion entitled “Only One Way to God.” With Yehovah, there is only one way to be reconciled unto Him. He established the manner and means by which those who would be His would come to Him. And the spiritual application to be had here is, of course, the ultimate sacrifice of our Master Yeshua being the only manner and means by which one may be saved and reconciled unto Yehovah through a faith-based-obedient covenant relationship with Him.
Haftarah: Isaiah/Yesha’Yahu 66:1-11–The Acceptable Worship of Yah
In 66:2, Yah reveals the type of individual that He is drawn to (1) One who is humble. (2) One who contrite (i.e., submissive or meek) of spirit, such that their will bends to that of Yah’s will. And (3) the one who trembles at Yah’s Word; he/she who takes Yah’s Word so seriously and reverently that they leave nothing to chance as it relates to their obedience and readiness to receive it. They literally fear mistreating or mishandling Yah’s Word. This type of individual Yah promises to spare from His impending wrath and judgment.
Those to whom the prophet was sent did not fear Yehovah, nor did they tremble at Yah’s Word. They were haughty and unbending to His will. These simply went through the raw motions of worship, but their hearts were far from Yehovah (29:13).
Yehovah described them as people who have “chosen their own ways, and their souls delight in their abominations” (66:3).
All this despite Yah continuously calling out to them to teshuvah. Yet these refused to listen nor teshuvah. Thus, these wrought upon themselves Yehovah’s judgment and wrath (66:4).
Nevertheless, Yehovah assures the genuine ones who tremble at His Word that they would no longer be the object of shame and ridicule from these evil ones. It will instead be the wicked ones who would be brought low, and Yah would render recompense to His enemies (66:6).
Regardless of Yah’s dismay over those whose hearts were far from Him, He promised to restore Yisra’el and restore her to wholeness and prosperity.
Apostolic Reading: John/Yochanan 6:52-59-Oh the Blood of Yeshua
Yeshua caused great consternation among his orthodox opponents by insisting that their eternal security was found in their eating of His flesh and drinking His blood. To Yeshua’s opponents, this revelation wreaked of heresy. It was patently contrary to Torah, which Yah strictly prohibited.
But Master’s opponents were devoid of the essential spiritual eyes to see and ears to hear the reality of what He was saying to them. His words were no doubt meant to insight shock among the hearers and get the orthodoxy’s attention.
What the Master was saying was simply this: He was the only sustenance for life eternal. His body and blood would be subject to a coming sacrifice: a sacrifice that, when accepted (vicariously) by the humble, contrite of heart, and the one who trembles at Yah’s Word, would lead to his/her receiving eternal life and reconciliation with his/her Creator.
The exchange of innocent life for the life of the offender, the remission of sin made possible through the shed blood of the sacrifice, is made all the more real to us through Yahoshua HaMashiyach. He, Yeshua, willingly and willfully shed His own blood–He gave His own life–in exchange for ours. This is the real gem behind this week’s Torah Reading that I pray we all think very deeply and hard about throughout the remainder of our Sabbath rest.
Until next time beloved, and as always, may you be most blessed fellow saints in training. Shabbat Shalom. Shavu’tov. Take care.