WHY GOD CHOSE TO REDEEM MAN BY THE SACRIFICIAL SHEDDING OF BLOOD

Apostle Danny Blanton @2008

It is an intriguing assignment to research why God chose to redeem man by the sacrificial shedding of blood. The question of “why” is the sort of question that echoes down through history as man continues trying to understand the Lord by approaching Him with labors resulting from “the sweat of his face” as Cain did in Genesis 3:19. After the fall of man in the Garden he could no longer live in spiritual reality on earth. This resulted in Adam and Eve being expelled from Eden necessitating them to live in a lower dimension. This gave life to them establishing the systems of the world on earth (Genesis 4). Garden life principles were used by Adam and Eve and their growing family to build world systems. Because righteousness with God was lost as a result of sin, their labors in establishing the kingdom on earth were in vain. This is one of the reasons why Abraham who later “looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God” (Hebrews 11:10), “sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, (Hebrews 11:9). All the cities of the world, on earth, are established by man who toils “in sorrow upon a cursed ground” (Genesis 3:17). As the result of sin, man lost his innocence. This loss inaugurates man in guilt before God from which man cannot deliver himself. Having lost his innocence, man’s nakedness and vulnerability with God disappeared and his guilt prevents him from recovering his spirituality through his own efforts. Because of sin which thrust Adam and Eve into the world, God had to take from the life of that world to provide a covering for their naked flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering: (5) But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect…” The “firstlings of his flock and the fat thereof” submitted by Able followed the pattern established by God. God could not respect or receive, the “fruit of the ground” submitted by Cain for two reasons. First, it was not offered in innocence because it was produced by “sweat of his face” . Second, the fruit was polluted having grown from the ground that God had cursed. (Genesis 3:17, 19). By His actions in Genesis 3:21, God outlined the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1-3) that became part of the written Torah establishing forever the “sacrificial code” to be followed during the scheduled feasts. This action to spill innocent blood and cover man gives prophetic promise of the ness signifying the loss of their innocence. Because blood is the substance of physical life this knowledge then gives appreciation to the need for innocent blood, because man’s blood became tainted, to atone for man’s guilt. Man is not spiritually innocent thereby his blood cannot be shed for the remission of his sin. Simply said, having fallen from God’s grace and spiritual life man cannot give spiritual life to himself. He cannot spiritually purify his blood that is polluted by sin. As a sign of His mercy and grace and to give life to His prophetic Word noted in John 17:24 and Revelation 13:8 which records His plan of salvation before the foundation of the world, God covered man’s nakedness with the skins of animals. This covering with skins signifies the loss of man’s spiritual vulnerability and innocence with God. The skins could not be harvested without the shedding of the blood of innocent animals (Hebrews 9:22). Animals are not guilty of sin because they are not capable of sin. They do not have the spirit of life that is given to humans. This pattern of atonement was then followed throughout the term of the Old Testament. The pattern continually spoke of the coming of the ultimate and Holy Sacrifice to be given by Jesus Christ. It is evident by their actions in Genesis four that Abel and Cain learned from their parents of the necessity to offer unto the Lord the blood of innocent animals to atone for their sins. This lore was possibly passed by the parents to the children each time the need for “new clothes” for the family arose. The new clothes would be taken from the skins of animals which would provoke such conversation. Dakes commentary on Genesis 3:21 records, (it was) “From animals that God had taught Adam to offer as sacrifice in looking forward to the promised Redeemer. (Cp. 4:1-7, Hebrews 9:22). Concerning the recording in Genesis 4:3-5 of the first family sacrificial offering after the fall, “(3)And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering to the Lord. (4) And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of hiscoming Messiah who delivers believers from the curse. Man cannot personally give something of great value, something for which he is responsible, as a token of his atonement because man continues to work in the world “by the sweat of his face” which is not acceptable for God’s forgiveness. Ephesians 2:8-9 states, “(8) For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of ourselves, it is the gift of God: (9) Not of works, lest any man should boast.” The submission of Abel signifies the blood required by God in generational sequence until the manifestation of the true Messiah who would in His coming cover man’s sin. Cain issued something he considered worthy yet God rejected it because it was produced by his own works from a cursed land. No matter how hard a person will work, his personal efforts can never match the mercy and grace offered by God in those generations from then until our present day. Jesus Christ is the photo of all God promised. As the second Adam, Jesus gives strength and path to those seeking reconnection with God. This reconnection then assists in the building of a spiritual habitation whose inhabitants seek that heavenly Jerusalem which shall invade the earth according to the book of Revelation. Because man cannot save himself, it was, it is, first necessary for innocent animal blood to be shed as the prototype of the innocent blood of the “lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world”. His is royal and pure blood unpolluted by sin totally acceptable by the Father to atone for our sins. Strong’s Concordance reveals from the Hebrew (1818) that the word for blood is dawm, that which is shed causes death of man or animal; (by anal), it is the juice of the grape. It comes from 1826 daw-mam, to be dumb, to stop, to be astonished, to perish, cease, be cut down.” Strong’s Concordance reveals concerning Hebrew (5785) for skins is owr, from (5783), as in naked; by implication - a hide, leather. To obtain the skin to cover man, the animal had to be rendered naked, vulnerable, innocent which shows the state of man before his need to be covered. Man could not, cannot, would not do this for himself thus requiring the Lord to intercede for his spiritual need. This intercession required something or someone of innocence that lived, breathed, and found its being on the earth. Jesus had to come and fulfill this because according to Isaiah 59:16, “And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him, and his righteousness, it sustained him.” The fruit of a cursed ground can never meet this need. Skins or peelings from the fruit of the land can not provide for sufficient spiritual covering There really is no blood in a turnip. Covenant with God is the substance and standard of life not found in the fruit of one’s own labors. A sinner can not just cry aloud for forgiveness without a pure offering because God’s established order requires a blood sacrifice necessary to restore innocence on earth. Only through this innocence can the “kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ…” Jesus the Second Adam, who cried from His cross, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34) was naked on the cross giving image to the first Adam before his sin in the garden. This nakedness, this vulnerability speaks of restoring innocence to all who believe in the Sacrifice of the Christ of YAHveh. As the Lamb of God, Jesus is the animal to satisfy His Father’s requirements of justice. This is what John meant when he preached saying, “Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world” (John 1:36). The actions of Messiah are proof positive of God’s eternal mercy and grace. They offer man what he cannot provide for himself. Nakedness properly understood by the innocent mind is precious and pure. Nakedness not properly understood by the vile and degenerate mock the love of God with the lusts of their flesh. God’s Lamb, Jesus Christ, is the truest and purest of any sacrifice and must be received in humility, submission and obedience to allow for the fullness of its power to rid us of our lust.