Good Morning.
And He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground. So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.” (Genesis 4:10-11)
You won’t notice it in English, but in the Hebrew text, the word translated as “blood” is actually “bloods.” According to Judaism, the plural form of the word suggests that all who would have descended from Abel were also crying from the ground. In other words, Cain murdered more than one man – he murdered an entire line of people. A Talmudic adage says that, when a person is murdered, it is as if an entire world has been slain. This amplifies what the Creator said to Moses: “The life of all flesh is in the blood.”
From the beginning, we see that blood is considered precious in that it contains the essence of life. When God breathed the breath of life into Adam, it is inferred that God breathed blood into Adam that he might be a “living soul.” And it is blood that the Creator says has been given to make “atonement for the soul” (Lev. 17:11).
Ultimately this truth is demonstrated in the crucifixion of the Messiah who shed His blood for the atonement of our soul. Solomon prophesied of this when, speaking of the Messiah, he said:
“He will redeem their life from oppression and violence; and precious shall be their blood in His sight.” (Psalm 72:14).
Because of His concern for us — our blood, our life — He sacrificed His life’s blood. How interesting that He considered our blood to be precious. And because of what He did on our behalf we regard His blood as precious. As the old song says:
“Oh, precious is the flow that makes me white as snow. No other fount I know; nothing but the blood of Jesus.”
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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