The Law · Chapter 17 of 27
Leviticus 17
God commands that all sacrifices be brought to the door of the tabernacle rather than offered in open fields, ending the practice of sacrificing to devils. He forbids the eating of blood by Israelites and sojourners alike, declaring that the life of the flesh is in the blood, which God has given upon the altar to make atonement for the soul. Blood from hunting must be poured out and covered.
What happens in Leviticus 17
The LORD tells Moses to instruct Aaron and all Israel that anyone who kills an ox, lamb, or goat without bringing it to the tabernacle door is guilty of bloodshed and cut off. The purpose is to gather all offerings to the LORD so the people no longer sacrifice in the open field to the goat-demons they have chased after. The priest sprinkles the blood on the altar and burns the fat as a sweet savor.
God then sets his face against anyone, native or stranger, who eats blood, giving the reason: the life of the flesh is in the blood, and God has given it on the altar to make atonement for souls. Hunters must pour out and cover the blood of game with dust. Anyone eating an animal that died naturally or was torn must wash and be unclean until evening, or bear his iniquity.
Leviticus 17 in context
Following the Day of Atonement, these laws protect the sanctity of blood and centralize worship. Israel had absorbed Egyptian and Canaanite practices, including field sacrifices to demonic powers. By requiring every slaughter of sacrificial animals to come to the tabernacle, God guards his people from idolatry and safeguards the blood, whose God-given role is atonement.
This chapter supplies the theological rationale that undergirds the entire sacrificial system.
Main themes of Leviticus 17
Leviticus 17 (KJV)
1And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2Speak unto Aaron, and unto his sons, and unto all the children of Israel, and say unto them; This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded, saying, 3What man soever there be of the house of Israel, that killeth an ox, or lamb, or goat, in the camp, or that killeth it out of the camp, 4And bringeth it not unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, to offer an offering unto the LORD before the tabernacle of the LORD; blood shall be imputed unto that man; he hath shed blood; and that man shall be cut off from among his people: 5To the end that the children of Israel may bring their sacrifices, which they offer in the open field, even that they may bring them unto the LORD, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, unto the priest, and offer them for peace offerings unto the LORD. 6And the priest shall sprinkle the blood upon the altar of the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and burn the fat for a sweet savour unto the LORD. 7And they shall no more offer their sacrifices unto devils, after whom they have gone a whoring. This shall be a statute for ever unto them throughout their generations. 8And thou shalt say unto them, Whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers which sojourn among you, that offereth a burnt offering or sacrifice, 9And bringeth it not unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, to offer it unto the LORD; even that man shall be cut off from among his people. 10And whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, that eateth any manner of blood; I will even set my face against that soul that eateth blood, and will cut him off from among his people. 11For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. 12Therefore I said unto the children of Israel, No soul of you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger that sojourneth among you eat blood. 13And whatsoever man there be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, which hunteth and catcheth any beast or fowl that may be eaten; he shall even pour out the blood thereof, and cover it with dust. 14For it is the life of all flesh; the blood of it is for the life thereof: therefore I said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh: for the life of all flesh is the blood thereof: whosoever eateth it shall be cut off. 15And every soul that eateth that which died of itself, or that which was torn with beasts, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger, he shall both wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even: then shall he be clean. 16But if he wash them not, nor bathe his flesh; then he shall bear his iniquity.
Verses to carry from Leviticus 17
“And they shall no more offer their sacrifices unto devils, after whom they have gone a whoring. This shall be a statute for ever unto them throughout their generations.”Leviticus 17:7
“For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.”Leviticus 17:11
“For it is the life of all flesh; the blood of it is for the life thereof: therefore I said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh: for the life of all flesh is the blood thereof: whosoever eateth it shall be cut off.”Leviticus 17:14
Christian typology
How Leviticus 17 points to Jesus
Verse 11 is one of the clearest keys to the cross: it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul, life given for life. The New Testament takes up this principle and says without shedding of blood there is no remission. All the poured-out blood of Leviticus prepared Israel to understand what Jesus meant at the table when he took the cup and said this is my blood of the new covenant, shed for many for the remission of sins.
The animal's blood was sacred because it carried a life; the blood of Christ is infinitely more, the very life of the Son of God poured out. Where this chapter forbids drinking blood as too holy, Christ invites his people to receive his life given for them. The altar's logic finds its end at Calvary.
Questions about Leviticus 17
Why does God care so intensely about how blood is treated?
Because life is in the blood, and life belongs to God. Treating blood casually would trivialize both life and the atonement God attached to it. By requiring blood to be poured out or offered on the altar, God kept before Israel the costliness of forgiveness and the sacredness of life, preparing them to grasp the meaning of a life given in their place.
What was wrong with sacrificing in the open field?
It left worship untethered from God's appointed presence and open to the demonic. Verse 7 reveals the people had been sacrificing to goat-demons in the fields. Centralizing offerings at the tabernacle protected Israel from idolatry and false spiritual powers, binding their worship to the true God who had given the altar as the one place of atonement.
Reflection
Every ounce of poured-out blood in Leviticus was teaching one lesson: a life must be given for a life. When you come to the Lord's table and take the cup, you receive the answer to all of it, the life of Christ given for you. Nothing about your forgiveness is cheap; it cost him everything.
A prayer from Leviticus 17
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