WHAT ABOUT EATING BLOOD? People of various cultures enjoy different types of food. A food item that you and I consider as a delicious treat may be counted as disgusting by those of another culture, or vice versa. To me personally, the thought of consuming blood has absolutely no appeal. However, others count it as a tasty item. For instance, it is not uncommon in Taiwan to see signs hanging in front of restaurants that read "Famous Pig Blood Soup." Such soup is not pure blood, but has cube-like drops of blood floating in it. What does the Bible say about eating blood? In the first era of man’s history, God spoke to Noah and his sons about consuming blood: "Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things. But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat" (Genesis 9:3,4). God restricted Noah and his family from eating the life of the flesh, that is, the blood. Remember that since Noah and his family (eight people in all) were the only survivors of the flood, God’s charge not to eat blood was universal in nature, meaning it was for every person in the whole world. The second time we read about God’s instructions to mankind relative to eating blood is a part of the Law of Moses which the Lord gave to the nation of Israel at Mt. Sinai. There He told them, "And 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. For the life of the flesh is in the blood . . . for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul . . . 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 17:10,11,14). God was clear, was He not, in restricting the Israelites from consuming blood? Third, consider the message of the New Testament. In Acts 15 we read that the apostles and some elders gathered in Jerusalem to discuss whether or not it was necessary to keep the law of Moses, and in particular, whether or not God required a person to receive physical circumcision in order to be saved (Acts 15:1,5). At the conclusion of their gathering, they sent a written message to Gentile Christians (15:22,23). In part, that message read: "For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well" (15:28,29). Regarding this written message that came out of the discussions held in Jerusalem, note first of all that it was not the opinion of men. No, they plainly stated that such a message "seemed good to the Holy Ghost." In other words, the Holy Spirit was the author of what they wrote, making it a divine message. And just what did the Spirit say about blood? That the Christians were to abstain from it. The reference is to abstaining from eating it, just as they were to refrain from eating foods offered to idols and eating animals that had been killed by strangling. "But if God does not allow us to eat blood, that would mean that we are not even allowed to eat meat, because any time you eat meat, you are bound to eat a little bit of blood with it, even if it is already dried up." The restriction is on eating blood, not on eating meat. Think about this. The Law of Moses required the Israelites to eat the meat of the Passover lamb (Exodus 12:4-9). At the same time, God told them it was wrong to eat blood. Obviously, it was possible for them to eat meat without violating the Lord’s command not to eat blood. Jesus perfectly kept the Law of Moses, including the injunction to eat the Passover lamb. By eating the meat of that lamb, He did not violate the command not to eat blood. If He and the other Jews could eat meat, and in the process not transgress the specific instruction not to eat blood, then people today can do the same thing: eat meat, but not be guilty of eating blood. So, what about eating blood today? It is forbidden by the instruction of Acts 15:28,29. As we have seen, the biblical record shows that in every era of man’s existence, God has commanded men not to eat blood. Eating blood was not allowed under the Patriarchal scheme, under the Law of Moses, or under the new covenant of the Christ. God even gave this reason to the children of Israel: it is because of the fact that life is in the blood. Some people have grown up in an environment in which eating blood was a common, acceptable thing to do. Those that have been blood eaters or blood drinkers will have to sacrifice such a habit if they want to serve the Lord faithfully. In a matter a little closer to home for Americans, I personally am not a steak eater, but if I were, in view of the fact that God does not want us to eat blood, I would not want to eat my meat "swimming" in blood. -- Roger D. Campbell
Posted on: Wed, 03 Jul 2013 09:01:13 +0000
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