Leviticus 17:11 (HCSB)
For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have appointed it to you to make atonement on the altar for your lives, since it is the lifeblood that makes atonement.
Notice the progression of logic in this verse. First, the life is in the blood. True, you cannot live without your blood. Second, God accepts the blood of the creature—a substitute— in the place of my blood. Third, blood makes the atonement. The consequence for sin is the death of the sinner. Praise God He accepts the blood of a substitute for my blood.
Of course this teaches us that God sees sin much more seriously than we do. We see it of little consequence. But God sees it as a heinous thing, the payment for which is the life of the sinner. This also teaches us that God has made a way for us to come to him without sacrificing our blood on the altar. This was a “set up.” God was setting the stage for something else. This was all representative, preparatory. What it anticipates is the sacrifice of Christ, God’s lamb, on the altar of Calvary. A life for a life.
This gives us our greatest reason for praise!
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