Deuteronomy 12:20 – 28 “When the LORD your God expands your territory as He has promised, and you crave meat and say, “I want to eat meat,” you may eat it whenever you want. If the place where the LORD your God chooses to put His Name is too far from you, you may slaughter any of the herd or flock He has given you, as I have commanded you, and you may eat it within your gates whenever you want. Indeed, you may eat it as you would eat a gazelle or deer; both the ceremonially unclean and the clean may eat it. Only be sure not to eat the blood, because the blood is the life, and you must not eat the life with the meat. You must not eat the blood; pour it on the ground like water. Do not eat it, so that it may go well with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is right in the eyes of the LORD.
But you are to take your holy things and your vow offerings and go to the place the LORD will choose. Present the meat and blood of your burnt offerings on the altar of the LORD your God. The blood of your other sacrifices must be poured out beside the altar of the LORD your God, but you may eat the meat. Be careful to obey all these things I command you, so that it may always go well with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is good and right in the eyes of the LORD your God.”
God wants His people to draw a sharp distinction between the sacred and the ordinary. God has already commanded that only particular animals be set apart for sacrifices and that these animals only be sacrificed at the place of worship He chooses. But God is fully aware that travel may be difficult, so if the distance between someone’s home and the temple is too great, they may still celebrate a feast. If the family does not travel to Jerusalem, the family may slaughter any of their animals and everyone can take part, whether or not they are ritually clean.
Again, God is warning His people to pour the blood from any animal they slaughter out on the ground and not to drink it or to eat it. To repeat one of the messages from yesterday:
“In Leviticus 17:10–12, we learn that blood was God’s ordained means of atonement: “I will set my face against any Israelite or any foreigner residing among them who eats blood, and I will cut them off from the people. For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life. Therefore I say to the Israelites, ‘None of you may eat blood, nor may any foreigner residing among you eat blood.’”
This Old Testament act of atonement pointed forward to the shedding of Jesus Christ’s blood on the cross for the forgiveness of sins: “Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins” (Hebrews 9:14, NLT; see also Hebrews 10:1–18). Each time an animal was sacrificed on the altar and its blood poured out, it communicated a picture of the Savior. Jesus Christ suffered in our place. His blood is the life that was given so that we might have eternal life.” (https://www.gotquestions.org/blood-is-the-life.html)
APPLICATION: When we first came to Ghana, we were introduced to the practice of pouring libation. “A libation is a ritual pouring of a liquid as an offering to a god or spirit or in memory of those who have died. It was common in many religions of antiquity and continues to be offered in various cultures today. … The libation could be poured onto something of religious significance or into the earth.” (https://www.definitions.net/definition/libation)
Although there are controversies, most Christians in Ghana refuse to pour libation, considering it an act of ancestor worship, worship of traditional gods, or both. Christians also believe that when Jesus poured out His blood on the cross at Calvary, he made the ultimate blood sacrifice.
Years ago, we had a hospital worker who visited us on the pretext of welcoming us; however, as soon as he could, he attempted to pour libation on the ground at the old mission house where we were then living. We stopped him and prayed over the ground, neutralizing any curses that he might have been invoking against us. We also prayed to break off any spiritual hold that this man was attempting to gain over us. Although this man had claimed to be a Christian, by the time we knew him, he was thoroughly caught up in the traditional religion of his clan. Eventually God removed him from the hospital. Interestingly enough, our dog who was generally friendly threatened to bite this man, perhaps another indication of the spirit in which this man was operating!
The Bible records numerous instances in which drink offerings were poured out to God with His approval. 2 Samuel 23:14 – 16 “At that time David was in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was at Bethlehem. David longed for water and said, “Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!” So the three mighty men broke through the Philistine camp, drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem, and brought it back to David. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured it out to the LORD,…” David felt that his men had risked their lives to bring him that water and that the only appropriate thing to do was to offer it to the Lord.
We must be careful about what we offer to God! Many times the offering God desires most is our obedience on some small point; meanwhile, we would do almost anything rather than obey. If you find yourself saying, “Surely, God doesn’t REALLY want me to do that,” you need to check your heart!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to be willing to be willing to yield at any point in our livers when You are asking us to obey. Help us not to try to cover up by offering You anything as a substitute. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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