Leviticus Chapter 17

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Leviticus chapter seventeen. The Eternal One spoke to Moses, go
say to Aaron, his sons and all the Israelites. Here
is what the Eternal has commanded. If an Israelite slaughters
an ox lamb or goat inside or outside the camp
and does not present it at the entrance of the
congregation tent as an offering to me in front of
my sanctuary, than he is to be considered guilty of murder.

(00:22):
He has spilled blood and is to be cut off
from the community. I want the Israelites to stop sacrificing
to me in the open field and do it only
at the entrance of the congregation tent. They must present
their sacrifices to the priest and sacrifice them as peace
offerings to me. The priest will splatter the blood on
my altar at the entrance of the congregation tent and
offer the fat on the altar, and the smoke of

(00:44):
the sacrifice will rise and become a pleasant aroma to me.
They must not offer any more sacrifices to the goat, demons,
the pagan gods, with whom they've been unfaithful to me
until now. This directive stands for all time throughout their generations.
Then them that if any Israelite or outsider living among
you presents a burnt offering or other sacrifice and fails

(01:06):
to present it to me at the entrance of the
congregation tent, then he will be cut off from the community.
If anyone from the community of Israel, or an outsider
living among you consumes any blood, I will be at
odds with him and cut him off from the community
of Israel. You see, the life of the body is
in the blood, and I've directed that you are to
take blood and offer it on the altar to atone

(01:27):
for your lives and cover your sins. It is the
life flowing in the blood that atones for you and
covers you. This is why I told the people of Israel,
no one of you, or any outsider living among you,
is allowed to eat blood. Now, if any Israelite or
outsider living among you hunts and kills an animal or
a bird that is acceptable and may be eaten, then

(01:48):
that person must drain its blood from it and cover
it up with the soil of the earth. You see,
the life of every creature is in its blood. Blood
represents life. Blood is life. This is why I told
the people of Israel, do not eat the blood of
any living creature, for the life of any creature is
its blood. Anyone who consumes blood will be cut off
from the community. Anytime a person eats an animal that

(02:10):
has died of natural causes or has been killed by
another animal, regardless of whether that person is native born
or an outsider living among you, he is to wash
his clothes, bathe in water, and be regarded as impure
until dusk. Afterward he will be ritually pure again. But
if the person does not wash his clothes or bathe
his body, then he carries his guilt and will suffer

(02:30):
the consequences