Grace with an Expiry Date, Blood-Stained Hands

Leviticus 7:15, 8:23–24

Beloved congregation, we often consider the Old Testament sacrificial laws to be complex, rigid regulations far removed from modern life. However, if we look beneath the surface of Leviticus chapters 7 and 8, we encounter the warm heart of God within those strict laws.

Today’s passage clearly shows us what the life of a true worshipper entails, and how our personal holiness must be evidenced in our relationships with our neighbours.

First, the grace God bestows upon us has an 'expiry date'. Looking at Leviticus 7:15, God strictly commands that the meat of the fellowship offering of thanksgiving must be "eaten on the day it is offered; he must leave none of it till morning." In the hot climate of the ancient Near East, this was a practical measure to prevent food poisoning and to block the evil customs of pagan religions, which involved leaving food to rot for days during their sacrifices.

Yet, behind this lies a more remarkable spiritual compulsion. Imagine, if you will, sacrificing an entire cow or sheep as a thank offering. A single family could not possibly consume all that meat in one day. What must be done to avoid letting the meat rot and go to waste? The worshipper must gather everyone in the village the moment they step out of the sanctuary doors. They must invite neighbours they rarely speak to, destitute widows, and even passing strangers, throwing a great feast—only then can the meat be entirely consumed in a single day.

In other words, God’s grace is not given to be hoarded in our storehouses. When grace is monopolised, it spoils. Through this strict expiry date of 'same-day consumption', God designed a miracle where my gratitude towards Him results in the satisfying of my neighbours' hunger.

Second, those who are saved must live with 'blood-stained ears, hands, and feet'. Moving on to Leviticus chapter 8, we witness the ordination of Aaron and his sons as priests. Moses slaughters a ram and applies its blood sequentially to the lobe of Aaron’s right ear, the thumb of his right hand, and the big toe of his right foot.

This is not a gruesome ritual, but rather a confession of the utmost holy devotion. What does the blood-stained ear signify? It is a pledge not to be swayed by the lustful noises of the world or the judgements of men, but to open one's ears solely to the gentle whisper of God. What of the blood-stained thumb and toe? It is a radical resolve that the hands once clenched to satisfy personal desires, and the feet that once sprinted towards sin, are now set apart to be used exclusively as God's holy instruments.

Third, a holy hand is a giving hand. Here, the messages of Leviticus 7 and 8 converge perfectly into one. The blood applied to the priest's right thumb was not given merely to conduct elegant liturgical ceremonies within the sanctuary. That holy hand, set apart before God, must immediately become the warm, labouring hand that carves the fellowship offering of chapter 7 and feeds it to the impoverished and marginalised neighbour. 'Holiness before God' (chapter 8) must unfailingly be proven by 'sharing with one's neighbour' (chapter 7). A hand that does not reach out to a neighbour in the reality of daily life, no matter how excellently it performs religious rites, is not a truly holy, blood-stained hand.

In conclusion. The priests of the Old Testament were set apart by the application of animal blood. However, we who live in the New Testament era have been washed by the blood of the Cross of Jesus Christ, the King of kings, and called as a 'royal priesthood' (1 Peter 2:9).

Are our ears, hands, and feet stained with the blood of Jesus today? Is there, perhaps, grace rotting away past its expiry date in your storehouses? I pray that today, you and I may live out the true life of the fellowship offering, willingly sharing the grace we have received with our neighbours through holy hands stained with the blood of the Cross, in the name of the Lord.