Leviticus 17:11 ESV — For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life.
Blood holds deep spiritual significance as a medium of sacrifice, atonement, and divine life.
Blood is life-sustaining. Considering the amazing qualities of blood, it is not surprising that the blood has such a significant role in the bible. Blood is miraculous evidence of a Creator.
Blood travels 60,000 miles in our body every day to nourish and cleanse trillions of cells without conscious effort. It acts as a river of life—carrying oxygen, nutrients, and waste.
Blood's complexity is difficult for even today's science to fully replicate or understand, making it a natural wonder
Blood cells are indeed incredible. Scientists have been mystified for years by the human red blood cell membrane skeleton. Red blood cells (RBCs) carry oxygen using flexible, hemoglobin-packed structures, while white blood cells (WBCs) act as immune defenders, and platelets enable clotting. The body produces millions of these specialized cells every second to maintain health.
The body produces about 2 million red blood cells (RBC) every second to replace old ones, to as high as 17 million per second during high demand. There are tens of trillions of RBC in the full bloodstream.
The average lifespan of a RBC is about 120 days in the circulation. During this time, it travels through the body roughly 120,000 times. Typical blood pressure is 120/80.
Deuteronomy 34:7—Moses was 120 years old when he died. His eye was undimmed, and his vigor unabated.
Heaven knows the Moses life was one of constant pressure once he answered God’s calling.
The mesh-like protein skeleton gives a healthy human red blood cell both its rubbery ability to stretch without breaking, and a potential mechanism to facilitate diffusion of oxygen across its membrane.
Your white blood cells in your bloodstream can actually travel through blood vessel walls and tissues to locate the site of an infection.
The documented methods that white blood cells use to destroy enemies in our body is incredible. They are like an army.
- Neutrophils: Help protect your body from infections by killing bacteria, fungi and foreign debris.
- Lymphocytes: Consist of T cells, natural killer cells and B cells to protect against viral infections and produce proteins to help you fight infection (antibodies).
- Eosinophils: Identify and destroy parasites, cancer cells and assists basophils with your allergic response.
- Basophils: Produce an allergic response like coughing, sneezing or a runny nose.
- Monocytes: Defend against infection by cleaning up damaged cells.
A healthy person produces nearly 100 billion white blood cells each day. To appreciate how small these warriors are, consider that there are between 4,000 and 11,000 white blood cells in a microliter. A micrometer is one-millionth of a liter. There are hundreds of billions of white blood cells in the overall blood stream.
Wait, There Is A Lot More:
White blood cells are a tiny fraction of total blood volume, about 1%. Together with Red blood cells (RBCs) they make up about 45% of our blood. The largest portion of our blood is Plasma.
God Wanted Us To Know
It is truly amazing what is in the blood, and God wanted us to know that! It is understandable that ancient people were fascinated by blood. Many pagan religious rituals practiced human sacrifice. The Hebrew sacrificial system was based on the blood of animals. How did the Hebrews know that animal and human blood where essentially alike, and sacraficing animals is far more humane? God showed us in Genesis 15.
In The Covenant of the Pieces (Hebrew: Brit Bein HaBetarim), detailed in Genesis 15, God made an unconditional covenant (a promise) to Abraham: land (Canaan) and numerous descendants. It involved a unique ceremony where, while Abraham slept, a smoking oven and flaming torch—representing God—passed between divided bloody animal parts, signifying God alone guaranteed the promise.
The Covenant of the Pieces set the stage for Yeshua. Christianity was a radical change, but it still involves the blood. In Christian theology, the "pouring out" of Jesus's blood symbolizes a voluntary sacrifice, fulfilling Old Testament requirements where blood was necessary for the remission of sins. However unlike the pagan and Hebrew systems, Jesus laid down his life. His voluntary action was foreshadowed in Genesis 22 when Issac followed the will of his father. Jesus went to the cross at the will of his Father.
In the Gospels during the Last Supper, Jesus identifies wine as his blood "poured out for many." Jesus described his blood as the "blood of the covenant," signifying a new relationship between God and all of humanity.
Just as the blood of a Passover lamb was used to protect the Israelites, Jesus is viewed as the "Lamb of God" whose shed blood offers eternal forgiveness.
From a medical and physiological perspective, Jesus' death is tied the loss of his blood. Estimates suggest Jesus likely lost over 40% of his blood, putting him in severe hypovolemic shock before death. (In a trauma scenario, losing 40% or more of total blood volume is typically fatal.) Jesus's excessive blood loss was the result of a torturous scourging (whipping), the crown of thorns which pierced his head and the crucifixion wounds.
Most crucified human beings on the cross die of exhaustion and afficiation from struggling to breath. Jesus' blood loss greatly compounded his condition.
Here is a truly amazing aspect of Jesus's death. As he is suffering unimaginable pain and humiliation, while the blood in his body is literally pouring out, Jesus still manages to have the presence of mind to say "Seven Last Words."
Yeshua's seven distinct, final phrases recorded in the four Gospels while he was on the cross, represented moments of suffering, forgiveness, and entrustment. These phrases are often used for meditation during Lent and Good Friday.
The Seven Last Words of Jesus:
- "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34).
- "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise" (Luke 23:43).
- "Woman, behold your son. Behold your mother" (John 19:26-27).
- "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46, Mark 15:34).
- "I thirst" (John 19:28).
- "It is finished" (John 19:30).
- "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit" (Luke 23:46).
Volumes have been written about how deeply profound, prophetic and rich each of these short and seemingly simple each of these "Seven Words" are. Even the fact that Jesus mustered up the strength and breath to speak these specific exact 7 messages in their specific order is incredible. He knew his life's purpose was fulfilled on the 7th message. Amazing.
Jesus' 7th and final words in Luke 23:46, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit," directly quote Psalm 31:5 to express total trust and voluntary surrender to God. However, his final act of submission functionally parallels Genesis 22 by demonstrating total submission of a son to the Father.
What is also amazing is that Jesus recorded the entire crucifixion with his blood on His own burial "Linen Clothes" and the "facecloth" that He left in the tomb for Mary, John and Peter, in that order, to find them and understand that He had risen.
In conclusion, now you can see why I titled this blog post, "He Had Me At Blood."
Sources:
White Blood Cells: Types, Function & Normal Ranges
Scientists Discover Secret Behind Human Red Blood Cell's Amazing Flexibility
White Blood Cells: Structure, Functions, and Importance
Epilogue:
I wanted to write about the incredible umbilical cord which is formed by week 7 in the mother's womb. It is like a "rope"& just for carrying the blood between the mother and her unborn child. The blog was just too long already.
