Lifestyle Evangelism (1 Thess 4:11-12)

 Dr. Paul Manuel—2020

 Text:

1 Thess 4:11 Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, 12 so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.

 Outline:

      I.    Maintain a reserved demeanor (v. 11).
            A.    You are to be unobtrusive.
            B.    You are to be productive.

Application: What is most important is not displaying what you believe on your accoutrements but demonstrating what you believe in your actions (Gal 6:10).

     II.    Maintain a regular demeanor (v. 12).
            A.    You will then be admired.
            B.    You will then be autonomous.

Application: Whatever you heard about heaven, the reality will be far grander and will last far longer than you can ever imagine (1 Cor 2:9).

 Introduction: Sometimes we do not realize the impact personal example can have on another’s behavior.

The Snider’s front door was accidentally left open, and their dog ran out. After unsuccessfully whistling and calling, Mr. Snider got in the car and went looking for her. He drove slowly around the neighborhood for some time, calling for her but with no luck. Finally, he stopped beside a couple out for a walk and asked if they had seen his dog. They replied… “You mean the one following your car?

Sometimes we do not realize the impact personal example can have on another’s behavior. The same holds true in evangelism.

 Background: In 1959, Bill Bright’s campus crusade organization developed a short, easy-to-remember method of communicating the gospel using Four Spiritual Laws (and accompanying Bible verses) that it published in a small pamphlet:

   Law #1  God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.

God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

I have come that they may have life and have it to the full. (John 10:10)

   Law #2  Man is sinful and separated from God, thus he cannot know God's plan for life.

All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Rom 3:23)

The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom 6:23)

   Law #3  Jesus Christ is God’s provision for man’s sin through whom man can know God’s love and plan for his life.

God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Rom 5:8)

What I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures. (1 Cor 15:3-4)

I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6)

   Law #4  Man must receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord by personal invitation.

To all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. (John 1:12)

Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved. (Acts 16:31)

It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, [faith]is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. (Eph 2:8-9)

By learning these four principles and their accompanying verses, a Christian has an easy-to-follow method of communicating his faith. This method grew in popularity making the Four Spiritual Laws the most common way to share the gospel today.[1]

     While many Christians find it helpful to have a prepared presentation of the gospel in case an encounter offers an opportunity to share your faith, it is better to demonstrate your commitment to God for the people you meet by the way you live. Paul often exhorts his readers to emulate him:

     •   To the Corinthians Paul says:

“Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Cor 11:1).

     •   To the Philippians Paul says:

“Join with others in following my example…and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you” (Phil 3:17).

     •   To the Thessalonians Paul says:

“You yourselves know how you ought to follow [my] example” (2 Thess 3:7).

St. Francis, a 13^th c. Christian missionary, said, “Preach the Gospel at all times, and if necessary use words.”

     The primary job of spreading the gospel falls to those God has spiritually equipped for the task, those with the gifts of apostleship and evangelism (Manuel 2012, 2013b). That does not mean Christians without those gifts can remain silent about their faith. [mh\ ge÷noito.] “May it never be!”[2] All Christians must speak about what they believe, even those with other gifts. The way to do this is not necessarily through verbal articulation but through physical demonstration. As Paul writes to the Corinthian believers:

You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. (2 Cor 3:3)

The gospel need not come through an overt presentation in word but via the subtle illustration in deed. While the “Four Spiritual Laws” booklet offers Christians a way to communicate the gospel, the method it employs, confrontation evangelism, is not one many believers find appealing or feel suited to their personality. Most Christians prefer the more subtle approach of lifestyle evangelism, illustrating their beliefs by their actions. The latter, however, is actually more difficult and more demanding, as it usually requires one’s testimony to extend beyond the brief encounter required to communicate the contents of a small tract. It relies rather on an already established relationship that gives both message and messenger credibility. To be sure, the “Four Spiritual Laws” may be just the right tool for a brief encounter, but it lacks the depth of an extended conversation.

     Lifestyle evangelism is what Paul advocates in this first letter to the Thessalonians, explaining how the believers in that church should live, and giving two ways they can prepare others to hear the gospel, primarily ways their own demeanor can help someone look favorably on the good news. He tells them initially to…

Ark Adventures (1 Sam 5-7)

 Dr. Paul Manuel—2020

 Text:

1 Sam 5:1 After the Philistines had captured the ark of God, they took it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. 2 Then they carried the ark into Dagon’s temple and set it beside Dagon. 3 When the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the LORD! They took Dagon and put him back in his place. 4 But the following morning when they rose, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the LORD! His head and hands had been broken off and were lying on the threshold; only his body remained. 5 That is why to this day neither the priests of Dagon nor any others who enter Dagon’s temple at Ashdod step on the threshold. 6 The LORD’S hand was heavy upon the people of Ashdod and its vicinity; he brought devastation upon them and afflicted them with tumors. 7 When the men of Ashdod saw what was happening, they said, “The ark of the god of Israel must not stay here with us, because his hand is heavy upon us and upon Dagon our god.”

1 Sam 5:8 So they called together all the rulers of the Philistines and asked them, “What shall we do with the ark of the god of Israel?” They answered, “Have the ark of the god of Israel moved to Gath.” So, they moved the ark of the God of Israel. 9 But after they had moved it, the LORD’S hand was against that city, throwing it into a great panic. He afflicted the people of the city, both young and old, with an outbreak of tumors.

1 Sam 5:10 So they sent the ark of God to Ekron.    As the ark of God was entering Ekron, the people of Ekron cried out, “They have brought the ark of the god of Israel around to us to kill us and our people.” 11 So they called together all the rulers of the Philistines and said, “Send the ark of the god of Israel away; let it go back to its own place, or it will kill us and our people.” For death had filled the city with panic; God’s hand was very heavy upon it. 12 Those who did not die were afflicted with tumors, and the outcry of the city went up to heaven.

1 Sam 6:1 When the ark of the LORD had been in Philistine territory seven months, 2 the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the LORD? Tell us how we should send it back to its place.” 3 They answered, “If you return the ark of the god of Israel, do not send it away empty, but by all means send a guilt offering to him. Then you will be healed, and you will know why his hand has not been lifted from you.” 4 The Philistines asked, “What guilt offering should we send to him?”    They replied, “Five gold tumors and five gold rats, according to the number of the Philistine rulers, because the same plague has struck both you and your rulers. 5 Make models of the tumors and of the rats that are destroying the country, and pay honor to Israel’s god. Perhaps he will lift his hand from you and your gods and your land. 6 Why do you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh did? When he treated them harshly, did they not send the Israelites out so they could go on their way? 7 “Now then, get a new cart ready, with two cows that have calved and have never been yoked. Hitch the cows to the cart, but take their calves away and pen them up. 8 Take the ark of the LORD and put it on the cart, and in a chest beside it put the gold objects you are sending back to him as a guilt offering. Send it on its way, 9 but keep watching it. If it goes up to its own territory, toward Beth Shemesh, then the LORD has brought this great disaster on us. But if it does not, then we will know that it was not his hand that struck us and that it happened to us by chance.” 10 So, they did this. They took two such cows and hitched them to the cart and penned up their calves. 11 They placed the ark of the LORD on the cart and along with it the chest containing the gold rats and the models of the tumors. 12 Then the cows went straight up toward Beth Shemesh, keeping on the road and lowing all the way; they did not turn to the right or to the left. The rulers of the Philistines followed them as far as the border of Beth Shemesh.

1 Sam 6:13 Now the people of Beth Shemesh were harvesting their wheat in the valley, and when they looked up and saw the ark, they rejoiced at the sight. ¹⁴ The cart came to the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh, and there it stopped beside a large rock. The people chopped up the wood of the cart and sacrificed the cows as a burnt offering to the LORD. ¹⁵ The Levites took down the ark of the LORD, together with the chest containing the gold objects, and placed them on the large rock. On that day the people of Beth Shemesh offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices to the LORD. ¹⁶ The five rulers of the Philistines saw all this and then returned that same day to Ekron. 17 These are the gold tumors the Philistines sent as a guilt offering to the LORD—one each for Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath and Ekron. 18 And the number of the gold rats was according to the number of Philistine towns belonging to the five rulers—the fortified towns with their country villages. The large rock, on which they set the ark of the LORD, is a witness to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh. 19 But God struck down some of the men of Beth Shemesh, putting seventy of them to death because they had looked into the ark of the LORD. The people mourned because of the heavy blow the LORD had dealt them, 20 and the men of Beth Shemesh asked, “Who can stand in the presence of the LORD, this holy God? To whom will the ark go up from here?” 21 Then they sent messengers to the people of Kiriath Jearim, saying, “The Philistines have returned the ark of the LORD. Come down and take it up to your place.”

1 Sam 7:1 So the men of Kiriath Jearim came and took up the ark of the LORD. They took it to Abinadab’s house on the hill and consecrated Eleazar his son to guard the ark of the LORD. 2 It was a long time, twenty years in all, that the ark remained at Kiriath Jearim, and all the people of Israel mourned and sought after the LORD. 3 And Samuel said to the whole house of Israel, “If you are returning to the LORD with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths and commit yourselves to the LORD and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.” 4 So the Israelites put away their Baals and Ashtoreths, and served the LORD only. 5 Then Samuel said, “Assemble all Israel at Mizpah and I will intercede with the LORD for you.” 6 When they had assembled at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out before the LORD. On that day they fasted and there they confessed, “We have sinned against the LORD.” And Samuel was leader of Israel at Mizpah.

Outline:

      I.    God goes to Ashdod (5:1-7).

            A.    He topples Dagon twice.

            B.    He inflicts painful tumors.

Application: Your superstition may involve a meaningless motion to you, but does it strengthen or undermine the perception of your devotion to the Lord (Eph 5:3)?

     II.    God goes to Gath (5:8-9).

             •     He inflicts painful tumors.

Application: You can choose an emotional response that reflects not your physical state but your actual state (Phil 4:4).

    III.    God goes to Ekron (5:10-6:12).

            A.    He causes widespread panic.

            B.    He compels sincere repentance.

Application: God has removed the uncertainty in efficacious prayer by issuing a series of guidelines that guarantee your success (Prov 3:6).

   IV.    God returns to Beth Shemesh (6:13-21).

             •     He executes seventy Israelites.

Application: Do not postpone till tomorrow what He wants you to do today, lest you run out of time today to do anything tomorrow (Matt 7:13).

    V.    God goes to Kiriath Jearim (7:1-6).

             •     He compels sincere repentance.

Application: The prospect of eternal life should forever excite you, eliciting praise and adoration for the generous God you serve (Rom 6:23).

Introduction: A change in the setting of a particular situation does not necessarily mark an improvement in that situation.

Mr. Smith goes to a party and has too much to drink. A friend offers to take him home, but he declines, saying that he only lives a mile away. A few blocks from the party the police pull him over for weaving erratically and ask him to get out of the car and walk the line. Just as he starts, the police radio announces a robbery taking place in a house just a block away. The police tell the celebrant to stay put as they run down the street to the robbery. Mr. Smith waits and waits, finally deciding to drive home. When he gets there, he informs his wife that he is going to bed and to tell anyone who might come looking for him that he has been out of commission all day with the flu. A few hours later the police knock on the door. They ask to see Mr. Smith, and his wife tells them that he has been in bed with the flu all day. The police have his driver's license and ask to see his car, so she takes them to the garage where they find…the police car, lights still flashing.

A change in the setting of a particular situation does not necessarily mark an improvement in that situation. The Israelites assume that their having the ark of the covenant gives them an advantage in whatever situation arises, until the situation changes, and their enemy captures the ark.

The Saga of Samson (Judg 13-16)

 Dr. Paul Manuel—2020

 Outline:

      I.    Samson portends a Philistine defeat.
            A.    Israel anticipates a deliverer with his conception (13:1).
            B.    Israel separates a deliverer during his development (13:4-5).
            C.    Israel receives a deliverer after his birth (13:24-25).
Application: Remain alert to whatever God has in store for you and be confident He will make certain you are prepared as you need to be (Isa 64:3).

     II.    Samson takes a Philistine wife.
            A.    He stumps the groomsmen (14:14).
            B.    He rewards the groomsmen (14:15-20).

Application: Because God demands it means the price is not insubstantial, certainly one that will be dear to pay (Deut 23:21).

    III.    Samson visits a Philistine harlot.
            A.    He destroys the Philistine crop at Timnah (15:3-8).
            B.    He defeats the Philistine men at Lehi (15:9-15).
Application: Your decision to serve God sets you up to receive from God the greatest freedom to exercise your free will you will ever have (Josh 24:15).
   IV.    Samson crashes a Philistine party.
            A.    He recovers his strength (16:21-22).
            B.    He devastates his enemies (16:27-30).
Application: The answers God provides when you pray are proof of His presence in your life, as well as proof of His love for you (1 John 5:14-15).

Introduction: Parents make some decisions for their children that are permanent (e.g., circumcision), but children can also make decisions that are permanent.

Being a teenager and getting a tattoo seem to go hand-in-hand these days. Linda was not surprised when one of her daughter’s friends showed off a delicate little Japanese symbol on her hip. “Please don’t tell my parents,” she begged. “I won’t,” Linda replied. “By the way, what does that symbol stand for?” …“Honesty,” she said.

Parents make some decisions for their children that are permanent, but children can also make decisions that are permanent.[1] Samson’s parents make some decisions for him that are permanent, but he must decide whether or not to abide by them.

Background: The Nazirite vow marks a person’s devotion to God and often accompanies a special petition to God. It is more focused than a person’s normal promise (see “The Use of Oaths and Vows in Israel,” an excerpt from Manuel 2010) in that it is for a limited time and adheres to a limiting set of conditions (Manuel 2020). The Nazirite vow most familiar to Christians is Samson’s, but his vow is different from the regular Nazirite vow in at least two respects.

     The first difference is the source of the vow. The initial promise comes not from Samson himself but from his parents before Samson is even born. Because his mother Hannah is barren, her primary request is for a child. When God responds with a son, his grateful parents dedicate him to the Lord’s service.[2] At the same time, Israel has been suffering under oppression by the Philistines, a seafaring people that moves into Canaan from the west about the same time the Israelites, an agrarian people, move in from the east. The child will eventually grow to answer the nation’s request for deliverance from their Philistine overlords.

     The second difference is the length of the vow. This deliverer will remain set apart to God’s service not for days, weeks, or even months, but for life. He will always adhere to the requirements of a Nazirite, from his time in the womb[3] to his interment in a tomb. Nevertheless, Samson’s sudden death means he is not able to fulfill the final responsibility of a Nazirite, which is to cut his hair and offer a series of sacrifices.[4] “The Saga of Samson” appears in the first book of Samuel with the announcement of his birth.

      I.    Samson portends a Philistine defeat.

            A.    Israel anticipates a deliverer with his conception (13:1).

Judg 13:1 Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, so the LORD delivered them into the hands of the Philistines for forty years.

     After Israel left Egypt, despite the impressive array of miracles attending the people’s departure, God’s care for them in the wilderness, and their conquest of Canaan, God’s people do not have a good record of staying faithful to the Lord. Several times before this one the biblical author notes Israel’s moral decline:

The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD and served the Baals. (Judg 2:11)

The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD: they forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs. (Judg 3:7)

Once again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, and because they did this evil the LORD gave Eglon king of Moab power over Israel. (Judg 3:12)

After Ehud died, the Israelites once again did evil in the eyes of the LORD. (Judg 4:1)

Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites. (Judg 6:1)

Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD. They served the Baals and the Ashtoreths, and the gods of Aram, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites and the gods of the Philistines. (Judg 10:6)

Despite this abysmal record, God does not give up on His people. He calls them back again and again. More than that, He promises to rescue them.

     An angel appears to Manoah informing him about the son he will soon have and about the special conditions his wife must follow during her pregnancy because of the role the boy will play in the nation’s emancipation.

            B.    Israel separates a deliverer during his development (13:4-5).

Judg 13:4 “See to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean, 5 because you will conceive and give birth to a son. No razor may be used on his head, because the boy is to be a Nazirite, set apart to God from birth, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines.”

     Manoah’s wife must follow two conditions during her pregnancy, presumably to ensure that nothing hinders his leadership potential: She must avoid alcoholic beverages, a restriction unique to Nazirites, and she must avoid unclean meat, a restriction common to every Israelite.

            C.    Israel receives a deliverer after his birth (13:24-25).

Judg 13:24 The woman gave birth to a boy and named him Samson. He grew and the LORD blessed him, 25 and the Spirit of the LORD began to stir him while he was in Mahaneh Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.

     Here is an example of the Holy Spirit’s work before Pentecost (Manuel 2004). God moves in Samson’s life from an early age, presumably to develop his great strength and prepare him for the work that lies ahead.

Blood Ban (Lev. 17:10-14)

Dr. Paul Manuel—2020

Text:

Lev 17:10 Any Israelite or any alien living among them who eats any blood—I will set my face against that person who eats blood and will cut him off from his people. 11 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. 12 Therefore I say to the Israelites, None of you may eat blood, nor may an alien living among you eat blood. 13 Any Israelite or any alien living among you who hunts any animal or bird that may be eaten must drain out the blood and cover it with earth, 14 because the life of every creature is its blood. That is why I have said to the Israelites, You must not eat the blood of any creature, because the life of every creature is its blood; anyone who eats it must be cut off.

Outline:

      I.    The ban’s coverage is comprehension (vv. 10, 13).

            A.    It applies to any native Israelite.

            B.    It applies to any resident alien.

Application: While your present diet does not determine your final destination, it does demonstrate your devotion to God (Isa 66:17).

     II.    The ban’s consequence is catastrophic (vv. 10, 13).

            A.    It affects a person’s relationship with God.

            B.    It affects a person’s relationship with others.

Application: More exposure to God’s word will make people more aware of God’s will (Acts 15:20-21).

    III.    The ban’s complement is clear (vv. 11, 14).

            A.    It is essential to one’s physical life.

            B.    It is essential to one’s ceremonial life.

Application: God directs a select few of His commands to some people, but He intends many of His commands to most people, even all people (Matt 22:36-39).

 

Introduction: There are some things a person should not do, especially a child, because of the possible danger it presents:

Frequently complimented on what a pretty girl she was, five-year-old Maria had become accustomed to receiving praise from relatives and friends. One evening her mother’s sister came to visit just as Maria was being tucked into bed, so her aunt came to say good night. “You have really long eyelashes!” her aunt said, “Yes,” Maria replied. “My lashes should be long. I’ve been growing them for five years…and I never cut them.”

There are some things a person should not do, especially a child, because of the possible danger it presents, like trimming one’s eyelashes with scissors. If a child is not reluctant to attempt such activity, it may be necessary for parents to forbid it, to issue an ‘eyelash trimming’ ban. When the Israelites left Egypt, the Lord issued several commands, including a Blood Ban, forbidding His people from consuming blood, which may have been a common activity among the Canaanites.

 

Background: Some of God’s commands may seem difficult to obey because they require additional instruction (e.g., tying tassels on a garment), special equipment (e.g., using a ram’s horn to sound on the New Year), or careful preparation (e.g., preparing a meal with several courses on Passover). Other of God’s commands are easy to obey because they require an individual to refrain from doing something simple, like the Blood Ban which requires only that an individual abstain from consuming blood.

 

Lev 17:10 Any Israelite or any alien living among them who eats any blood—I will set My face against that person who eats blood and will cut him off from his people. 11 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. 12 Therefore I say to the Israelites, “None of you may eat blood, nor may an alien living among you eat blood.” 13 Any Israelite or any alien living among you who hunts any animal or bird that may be eaten must drain out the blood and cover it with earth, 14 because the life of every creature is its blood. That is why I have said to the Israelites, “You must not eat the blood of any creature, because the life of every creature is its blood; anyone who eats it must be cut off.”

 

      I.    The ban’s coverage is comprehension (vv. 10, 12).

Lev 17:10 Any Israelite or any alien living among them who eats any blood—I…will cut him off from his people[1]…. 12 Therefore I say to the Israelites, “None of you may eat blood, nor may an alien living among you eat blood.”

            A.    It applies to any native Israelite.

 

    God intends most of His laws for Jews, those with whom He has a covenant. Even His most well-known laws, like those in the decalogue, He specifically addresses to the people of Israel He delivered from bondage in Egypt:

God spoke all these words: ^“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.” (Exod 20:1-2)

The Blood Ban God also intends for Jews. Yet this law is broader and applies to all who are part of Israel, Jews as well as gentiles. “It was a religious rule of the first importance” (Wenham 1979:244).

 

            B.    It applies to any resident alien.

 

     At first, Jews and the gentiles who associate closely with them live primarily in the land, so the ban applies especially in the land. God issues the Blood Ban with a broad temporal designation, “a lasting ordinance” and a broad geographical designation, “wherever you live”:

This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live: You must not eat…any blood. (Lev 3:17)

Later, when this group moves beyond the borders of Canaan, as in the Babylonian exile, the prohibition again applies broadly. Isaiah writes:

Foreigners who bind themselves to the Lord to serve him, to love the name of the Lord, and to worship him, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to My covenant—these I will bring to My holy mountain and give them joy in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on My altar; for My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.” The Sovereign Lord declares—He who gathers the exiles of Israel: “I will gather still others to them besides those already gathered.” (Isa 56:6-8)

Here, God expands the recipients of many laws to include gentiles who have joined themselves to Israel, called sojourners or aliens.[2] The Blood Ban is one of those laws for Jews and resident aliens. But it is not for other gentiles, those not connected to Israel. Right? …According to an even older law, one God gave to Noah and his descendants (all of us), the Blood Ban applies to everyone:[3]

You must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it. (Gen 9:4)

It is also a command the Jerusalem Council reiterates for all Christians, Jews as well as gentiles:

We should write to them, telling them to abstain…from blood (Acts 15:20).

If you, a Christian, have been craving blood pudding, you should probably reconsider that ‘food’ selection.

 

Application: Disobeying this law will not invalidate your salvation (Manuel 2013a), but if your goal is to please your God and not just yourself (Manuel 2017), choose another item on the menu. Some people think God does not care what a person eats, an opinion often derived from a misunderstanding of Jesus’ statement in Mark 4:19 where he “declared all foods clean.”[4] Apart from ignoring the context of that statement (Manuel 2006), such a view also ignores God’s repeated declarations about what He considers unclean and about what displeases Him, like eating pork:[5]

“Those who eat the flesh of pigs and rats and other abominable things…will meet their end together” declares the Lord. (Isa 66:1

God calls pork “abominable,” a food choice some advertisers call “the other white meat” but, like blood, it is not acceptable for God’s people. While your present diet does not determine your final destination, it does demonstrate your devotion to God (Manuel 2013b). Many of His commands may seem arbitrary, even burdensome. It does not matter. Whatever God commands, He expects His people to obey. In any case, obedience to the blood ban is a “light and momentary [inconvenience] achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs” any alternative (2 Cor 4:17). Moreover…

 

     II.    The ban’s consequence is catastrophic (vv. 10, 13).

Lev 17:10 I will set My face against that person who eats blood and will cut him off from his people…. 13 Any Israelite or any alien living among you who hunts any animal or bird that may be eaten must drain out the blood and cover it with earth.[6]

     The first result of disobeying the Blood Ban is serious: separation from the believing community.

 

            A.    It affects a person’s relationship with God.

 

     The same penalty attends child sacrifice, idol worship, and occult practices, three activities God abhors.[7] Consuming blood hardly seems as serious as these three pagan activities, yet God says it is, and He attaches to it an equally serious punishment: excommunication from the religious life of Israel, which means no involvement with annual holidays such as celebrating the Feast of Booths and no participation in temple activities such as offering sacrifices to secure atonement. All these things that once connected an individual to the God of Israel are gone. Furthermore, another consequence awaits the person who eats blood.

 

            B.    It affects a person’s relationship with others.

 

     When someone ignores the Blood Ban it has other consequences, both professional and casual. He can no longer participate in community activities and is cut off from whatever support he once received by those he knows best. Earlier, he was accepted, even welcomed by others.[8] Now, he no longer enjoys familiar associations and gatherings. Transgressing the Blood Ban also limits his ability to conduct business and may require that he make his living outside the land, among the gentiles. Family, friends, and associates shun him, all because he consumed blood.

 

Application: Today, with society as mobile as it is and congregations as isolated as most are from each other, excommunication, for the very few groups that practice public shunning, is less of a significant incentive to modify one’s behavior, especially when it concerns food, which most Christians consider a non-issue. Whatever your opinion may be on the matter, it is best to consider what God has to say so that you are not unpleasantly surprised one day and discover you should have—you could have—been doing things differently.

     Jesus says that what goes into a man’s mouth is not as important as what comes out of his mouth:

What goes into a man’s mouth does not make him ‘unclean,’ but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him ‘unclean.’” (Matt 15:11)

This does not mean what goes into a man’s mouth is not important at all. God has deemed that what a person ingests is important, and the Jerusalem Council which addresses gentile believers agrees. Peter says:

Abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. For Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath. (Acts 15:20-21)

In other words, more exposure to God’s word will make people more aware of God’s will.

 

     God does not always give a reason for His prohibitions. In this case He gives two reasons. The first result of disobeying the Blood Ban is serious: separation from the believing community. The second result of disobeying the Blood Ban is also serious:

 

    III.    The ban’s complement is clear (vv. 11, 14).

 

Lev 17:11 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…. 14 because the life of every creature is its blood. That is why I have said to the Israelites, “You must not eat the blood of any creature [wild or domesticated], because the life of every creature is its blood; anyone who eats it must be cut off.”

     The second result of disobeying the Blood Ban is that such behavior violates the order God established in creation.

 

            A.    It is essential to one’s physical life.

 

     Of the various (ten or eleven) bodily systems, the circulatory system, with its (approximately) five quarts of blood, is the most important to life. It keeps nutrients and oxygen flowing throughout the body to be absorbed or excreted as necessary. Blood is a vital source of life. When blood is lost, life is lost. That is how Joseph’s brothers proved his death to their father:

They got Joseph’s robe, slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. (Gen 37:31)

Had his brothers been directly responsible for Joseph’s death, the penalty God may have exacted is death:[9]

Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man. (Gen 9:6)

Man’s being in God’s image refers to his moral makeup and does not mean that God has the same physical characteristics as man (Manuel 2001).[10] Still, blood is essential to one’s physical life. Yet for God, blood has another significance, beyond the physical.

 

            B.    It is essential to one’s ceremonial life.[11]

 

     This is a dimension of the Blood Ban unfamiliar to most people. It marks the difference between what is acceptable and unacceptable to God:

You must distinguish between the holy and the common, between the unclean and the clean. (Lev 10:10)

This applies to sustenance as well as to sacrifice:

You must distinguish between the unclean and the clean, between living creatures that may be eaten and those that may not be eaten. (Lev 11:47)

The Blood Ban also applies to the ceremonial use of blood in the sanctuary, which is primarily for atonement:[12]

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. (Lev 17:11)

“Because animal blood atones for human sin…it is sacred and ought not to be consumed by man” (Wenham 1979:245).

     The difference between what is a clean or unclean offering obtains only in the temple. Absent a temple today, the Blood Ban would seem no longer to apply, but it does, because it is “a lasting ordinance for the generations to come” (Lev 3:17).

 

Application: Does the Blood Ban still matter? …Yes, it does, because it indicates what God considers an appropriate dietary choice for you who claim to belong to Him. It indicates how you should order or prepare meat—steak is not to be ‘blue.’ It also says that you should avoid delicacies like blood pudding and blood sausage. However much you consider such items a tasty addition to your diet, the Blood Ban makes them unacceptable food options for God’s people.

     God intends certain commands for some people (e.g., kings, priests, farmers, merchants), but He intends many of His commands, like this one, for all people. The Blood Ban is a universal command you must follow if you want His approval, and His approval is the best you can get.

 

Conclusion: The Blood Ban is one of the oldest commands in the Bible and one of the few commands that applies to everyone, both Jew and gentile. It is also a command that is easy to follow, requiring no additional instruction, expensive equipment, or special preparation. It is not difficult to adopt, and heeding it is a small concession to make, unless you are wed to having your steak extremely rare. Even so, being aware of God’s wishes for you, it is still up to you to follow His instruction or not. The Blood Ban is your choice, as is obedience to Him in all matters (Manuel 2020).

 

 

Bibliography

 

Harris, R. Laird

     1990  “Leviticus.” Expositor’s Bible Commentary. Vol. 2. Edited by Frank E. Gaebelein. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House.

Ibn Ezra, Abraham

     1986  The Commentary of Abraham ibn Ezra on the Pentateuch—Volume 3: Leviticus. Hoboken: Ktav Publishing House.

Manuel, Paul http://paulwmanuel.blogspot.com

     2001  “The Image of God in Man.” Anthropology Excursus 1 in A Reader’s Digest Approach to Theology.

     2005  “What About Gentiles in the Theocratic Ideal?”

     2007  “The Sinaitic Law and the Gentile Believer.”

     2009  A Roadmap to Holiness: The Highest Value in God’s Economy.

     2013a “Can a person lose his salvation?” An excerpt from the Soteriology unit of A Reader’s Digest Approach to Theology.

     2013b “Diet: A Demonstration of Depravity or Devotion.”

     2017  “The Choice: Please Yourself or Please Your God” (Lev 22:20; Deut 12:13-14). [Sermon]

     2020  “An Essay on Free Will.”

Wenham, Gordon J.

     1979  The Book of Leviticus. NICOT. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

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[1]The verb refers to eating or drinking (blood), both of which God forbids (ibn Ezra 1986:88).

[2]It is a statement of inclusion He makes several times:

Exod 12:49 The same law applies to the native-born and to the alien living among you.

Lev 24:22 You are to have the same law for the alien and the native-born.

Num 15:29 The same law applies to everyone…whether he is a native-born Israelite or an alien.

God intends all people to follow the laws He specifically addresses to gentiles (Manuel 2004 and 2007). Jesus may intend the two greatest commandments to apply broadly as well, both to Jews and gentiles:

Matt 22:37 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.

Nevertheless, God does not intend all His laws to apply broadly. For example…

Deut 14:21 Do not eat anything you find already dead. You may give it to an alien living in any of your towns, and he may eat it, or you may sell it to a foreigner. But you are a people holy to the LORD your God.  

[3]God may have repeated the Blood Ban to Moses because a general decline of true religion caused the original law to fall out of use, and it remained so until He reiterated the precept. Nevertheless, its direction to Noah underscores its broad application as does its reiteration by the Jerusalem Council:

Gen 9:4 You must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it.

Acts 15:20 We should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood.

[4]Paul makes a similar statement:

Rom 14:20 All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble.

[5]Likewise, Paul’s assertion that “everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving” (1 Tim 4:4) is a general principle and does not negate God’s specific prohibition.

[6]“Blood of ordinary butchering was to be disposed of by pouring out and covering it” (Harris 1990:596).

[7]The same penalty attends three activities God despises:

Lev 20:2 Any Israelite or any alien living in Israel who gives any of his children to Molech must be put to death. The people of the community are to stone him. 3 I will set My face against that man and I will cut him off from his people; for by giving his children to Molech, he has defiled My sanctuary and profaned My holy name. 4 If the people of the community close their eyes when that man gives one of his children to Molech and they fail to put him to death, 5 I will set My face against that man and his family and will cut off from their people both him and all who follow him in prostituting themselves to Molech. 6 I will set My face against the person who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute himself by following them, and I will cut him off from his people.

Later, God uses this phrase to describe punishment for breaking the Mosaic covenant:

Lev 26:17 I will set my face against you so that you will be defeated by your enemies; those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee even when no one is pursuing you.

[8]The NT has the most to say about shunning:

Rom 16:17 Watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them.

1 Cor 5:11 You must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.

2 Thess 3:14 If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of him. Do not associate with him, in order that he may feel ashamed.

Titus 3:10 Warn a divisive person once, and then warn him a second time. After that, have nothing to do with him.

2 John 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him.

[9]There is a distinct legal category for a person who avenges the death of a family member against his murderer:

Deut 19:12 The elders of his town shall…hand him over to the avenger of blood to die. 13 Show him no pity. You must purge from Israel the guilt of shedding innocent blood, so that it may go well with you.

[10]God regards human life as more important than animal life:

Lev 24:21 Whoever kills an animal must make restitution, but whoever kills a man must be put to death.

God is not indifferent to animal life, both domesticated and undomesticated:

Exod 9:19 Give an order now to bring your livestock and everything you have in the field to a place of shelter, because the hail will fall on every man and animal that has not been brought in and is still out in the field, and they will die.

Exod 20:10 The seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you…nor your animals.

Exod 23:11 During the seventh year let the land lie unplowed and unused. Then the poor among your people may get food from it, and the wild animals may eat what they leave.

Nevertheless, life in general is not the highest value in God’s economy (Manuel 2009).

[11]Blood has several uses outside the body, especially in ceremonial functions.

    •  Blood can validate a covenant:

Exod 24:8 Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, “This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.”

    •  Blood can consecrate an altar:

Lev 8:15 Moses slaughtered the bull and took some of the blood, and with his finger he put it on all the horns of the altar to purify the altar. He poured out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. So he consecrated [the altar] to make atonement for it.

    •  Blood can atone for a menstruating woman:

Lev 12:7 He shall offer them before the Lord to make atonement for her, and then she will be ceremonially clean from her flow of blood.

    •  Blood can atone for land where blood has been spilled:

Deut 19:9 Carefully follow all these laws I command you…. 10 Do this so that innocent blood will not be shed in your land, which the Lord your God is giving you as your inheritance, and so that you will not be guilty of bloodshed.

Deut 21:1 If a man is found slain, lying in a field in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess, and it is not known who killed him…. 6 Then all the elders of the town nearest the body shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley, 7 and they shall declare: “Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it done. 8 Accept this atonement for your people Israel, whom you have redeemed, O Lord, and do not hold your people guilty of the blood of an innocent man.” And the bloodshed will be atoned for. 9 So you will purge from yourselves the guilt of shedding innocent blood, since you have done what is right in the eyes of the Lord.

Still, there is a limit to what blood can accomplish:

Num 35:33 Atonement cannot be made for the land on which blood has been shed, except by the blood of the one who shed it.

Moreover, God links transgressing the Blood Ban with practicing the occult:

Lev 19:26 Do not eat any meat with the blood still in it. Do not practice divination or sorcery.

[12]This provision is the basis of Jesus’ declaration at his last Passover seder:

Matt 26:28 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

The importance of blood extends to its proper disposal:

Lev 17:13 Any Israelite or any alien living among you who hunts any animal or bird that may be eaten must drain out the blood and cover it with earth,

Deut 12:16 You must not eat the blood; pour it out on the ground like water.

Deut 15:23 You must not eat the blood; pour it out on the ground like water.