Chapters 1-16 focus on corporal worship, while chapters 18-27 mainly address personal worship and morality. Chapter 17 serves as a transitional chapter, bridging these two sections. God strictly commands that all sacrifices must be made at the tabernacle and only through the priests (1-9). This was to protect the unity of worship and guard against the pluralism of pagan cultures. God wanted his people to worship himas the one true God. He specifically rebuked them for sacrificing to goat idols and prostituting themselves through idolatry. God wanted to break their pattern of idol worship, which led them into demonic sacrifices that ruined God’s holy image. By keeping this command, Israel would preserve its identity as God’s holy people for generations to come.

For a third time, God commands his people not to eat the blood of any animal (10-16). Anyone who disobeyed this command was to be cut off from God’s people. Why such a severe command? Because life is in the blood. Moreover, God had set apart the blood of animal sacrifices to make atonement for his people. These sacrifices pointed forward to Jesus Christ, whose blood makes atonement for our sins once for all. The life-giving blood of Jesus has real power to enable us to live holy lives by faith.
Application: Father, help me to worship you alone and trust in the power of the blood of Jesus.
One Word: Trust in Jesus’ blood which gives life