21 And in the same way he sprinkled both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry with the blood.
Any way you look at it, this ritual of sprinkling with blood was a messy thing, quite odd from our 21st century, western perspective. The blood, according to our passage today, was applied not only to the Book of the Law and to the people (Ex 24:8), but now we see that it was splashed on the tabernacle and all the vessels used in the ministry at the tabernacle. Morris points out, “The sprinkling with blood at the consecration of the tabernacle is not specifically mentioned in the OT. It is, however, attested to by the ancient historian Josephus, who says that Aaron’s garments, Aaron himself, and apparently the tabernacle and its vessels were sprinkled with blood (The Expositor’s Bible Commentary).
There was blood everywhere. Dried blood, fresh blood. Every time another animal was sacrificed there was blood poured out. There were bowls full of blood (Ex 24:6). Blood was poured out on the altar (Ex 24:12) and at the base of the altar (Ex 29:12). Blood was smeared on the priests: “You shall slaughter the ram, and take some of its blood and put it on the lobe of Aaron’s right ear and on the lobes of his sons’ right ears and on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet, and sprinkle the rest of the blood around on the altar” (Ex 29:20).
The mercy seat in the Most Holy Place was to be stained with blood: “Moreover, he [the high priest] shall take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the mercy seat on the east side; also in front of the mercy seat he shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times. Then he shall slaughter the goat of the sin offering which is for the people, and bring its blood inside the veil and do with its blood as he did with the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it on the mercy seat and in front of the mercy seat” (Lev. 16:14–15). All along the approach to God, even into the most sacred place on earth, there was a trail of blood. Without it, there was absolutely no approaching God.
Difficult to manage, emotionally. However, there would be no mistaking the importance to God that blood is constantly before the worshipper and before the priests. To worship God is to involve blood. To make atonement for sins required blood. “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement” (Lev. 17:11).
Lord, You are the giver of life and the One who takes it away. I worship You for giving me life, eternal life through the perfect Atonement in Christ.
This was exactly my question today. What happened to all the blood? So odd, for a people who were made unclean from just going near a dead body, to have all that blood sprinkled everywhere, including on the temple. So hard to picture.
Yes, I agree. Hard to picture. And it is hard for me to picture the holy Son of God being beaten, whipped, impaled on a cross, left for an excruciating death. His blood being poured out for us. Hard to picture. But praise God he did it for us.