The value of blood in the Old Testament 

The theme of blood in the Old Testament appears in many passages. 

1. Respect for blood 

There is a profound respect for blood, including that of animals. Blood is "sacred" and closely related to God because it is the "soul of every living thing," created by God. Genesis (9:3) says: "You shall not eat flesh with its lifeblood still in it.". 

The ancients realized that whoever lost blood lost life, and they concluded that blood is the vital principle; therefore, blood belonged to God, because He is the creator of all living beings.

2. The blood of animals is sacred. 

Because of its sacred nature, blood could not be used for food, but rather in religious practices for offering sacrifices. 

Noah forbade his sons to eat blood, but this law is older, coming from Moses to the Hebrew people: “If any of the house of Israel or any foreigner residing among them eats any kind of blood, you shall cut him off from his people” (Leviticus 17:10). And Deuteronomy (12:23) states: “Only be careful not to eat the blood, because the blood is the life.”. 

While it was completely forbidden in food, its use was mandatory in ritual settings. 

• The first time the blood ritual appears is when the people were asked to sprinkle the doorposts of their houses with the blood of the Passover lamb to be delivered from the passage of death brought by the destroyer; therefore, it expressed life against death: Yahweh will pass over them and will not allow the destroyer to enter their houses to strike them down (Exodus 12:7-22). 
• In the worship of God, the priests, during the sacrifices, the first thing they had to do was offer and sprinkle part of the blood of the sacrifices on the altar and the other part on the people to indicate the communion that existed between God and his people and the consecration of the latter to God: "this is the blood of the covenant" (Exodus 24:8). 
• Offering blood to God is not a gift from the people to God, but a gift from God to the people, because the blood (life) belongs to God, who gives it to the people so that they may be purified of their infidelities, since they could not erase their sins. 
• In the consecration of Aaron and his sons, blood was applied to their bodies, and similarly, garments and people were sprinkled with blood to "consecrate" them. 

3. The value of human blood

Human blood is considered superior to that of animals because man and woman were created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26-27); therefore, it cannot be used for any purpose, not even for worship. 

God himself becomes the guardian of this blood so that it is not spilled. In (Genesis 9:5): “I will require an accounting for your blood, both from animals and from humans; and from humans I will require an accounting for the life of their fellow humans.” In Genesis 4:10, God says to Cain: “Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground.”. 

Shedding someone's blood is a horrific crime, especially that of the innocent, which, according to the Old Testament, should be severely punished by God, because blood is life and life belongs only to God. 

Commitments 

1. Respect life in all its dimensions, from conception to death, and not just through crime; one can also kill others with criticism, false testimony, and lies. 
2. We cannot do whatever we want with our lives, as we often say, because life belongs to God and we must respect it. 
3. Our lives must be sprinkled with the blood of Christ so that we may live as Christ lived, doing good to all, but especially to the poor and needy. 
4. We must fight against the culture of death (selfishness, pride, envy, indifference, injustice…) so that the culture of life (solidarity, dialogue, justice, peace and love) may reign. 
5. Having devotion to the blood of Christ also means consecrating oneself totally to God, being priests who offer their whole lives to God in order to be available to help others and not keep it for themselves, out of fear of losing it or out of comfort and laziness. 

To listen to the "cry of blood" of those who suffer and those who cry out for justice, to accompany them in their pain and so that each may receive what is rightfully theirs, because God has granted it to them: the dignity of being a person and a child of God. 

(P. Paulino, CPPS)