Blood on the Altar, or Splatterings of Imperfection -- Stage One.

He is a God of justice. Altogether righteous and holy, alone He stands. None can endure His presence, severed by the breach of justice that has been so treacherously passed down from generation to generation since the Sin of Adam. Enter the need for Law. Resulting from such a rampant disregard for all things right and good, an instatement of divine authoritative suppression had to be enforced as a basic requirement of men. Finding themselves in desperate need for rescuing, drowning in sin, men have passively longed for peace. So God has made a way for it, and God has given it.

STAGE ONE -- "The Shadow."

Laws for Peace Offerings
"If his offering for a sacrifice of peace offering to the Lord is an animal from the flock, male or female, he shall offer it without blemish. If he offers a lamb for his offering, then he shall offer it before the Lord, lay his hand on the head of his offering, and kill it in front of the tent of meeting; and Aaron's sons shall throw its blood against the sides of the altar."
Leviticus 3:6-8

Back then, the animals had to pay, lest the entire human race be smitten from the earth entirely. Through that, God extended a little mercy toward men, the firstfruits of His creation. But today, animal rights activists would have you thrown in jail for such an inhumane act. More than just slaughtering animals, though, the early practice of sacrificing for the sake of peace must have had a more meaningful purpose. I think there is something to be said about the idea of shedding innocent blood for the guilty -- and that being the bridge of peace, justifying men before God regarding His righteous requirements. But I it's more than just a "take one for the team" approach...

Most intriguing to me is the rite of throwing the blood against the sides of the altar. What is the significance of that? At first glance, it may seem like shenanigans on the part of the priests in order to brighten up otherwise monotonous ceremonies. But what does such an act truly signify? I'm not quite sure, although many scholars may have their theories.

Here's what I think... I can still remember around this time of year, at the conclusion of Ramadan two years ago, when I was invited out into the hill country of Morocco to participate in the Feast of the Sacrifice (Eid al Adha). I remember seeing a lot of blood. It poured from the neck of a squirming sheep, vainly struggling to keep its life. The blood first became a stream and next a pool, then at once it was swept away, gone from that once vibrant life forever. So it was with the sacrifices outlined in the book of Leviticus. But the blood was kept for a reason: a life had been taken, but not without purpose. A remembrance of what once was, but had to be taken, needed to be displayed. A life once existed, but now had been snuffed out by the injustice of another -- and the payment was in blood. So it was kept and splattered across the killing stone, the altar. Smeared in crimson red was the stain of sin, atoned for by the innocent life of an animal. But not without the reckoning of justice in God's hand. God was satisfied, and man was justified -- at least, until the next life would be taken and blood once again thrown against the altar.

So what is the cost for me? How much do I have to pay in order to at least get a glimpse into the righteousness of God? Something has got to give, because God requires justice from me. I mean, that horribly judgmental attitude I had toward that beggar the other day must call for recompense. The constant grumbling and complaining about the details of life require an answer. The outright, blatant disregard for the commands of God and the deliberate sin altogether require a severe penalty on my part. What blood must be thrown? It ought to be my own. But it isn't. By the matchless mercy of God, a substitute has taken my place. But blood has been thrown against the altar nonetheless. The animal rights activists won't let me slaughter an animal, so from whom does the bloodguilt come?

The stain of my sin glares deeply and darkly upon the walls of the altar. Revealed by the confession of my broken and contrite heart, it has been splashed upon those stone blocks time and time again at the beckoning call of God Himself. The list is long. My sin is great. But the burden has been lifted and I have been justified by another's blood.