Leviticus 18:1-5

The Voice

God allowed His people to eat meat, but He had concerns about how and where these animals would be killed. The commandments can be summarized this way: every time an animal is used for food, its death must be treated as a sacred event. That’s why God tells the people to present it to Him in the sanctuary. Whenever one of God’s creatures gives its life for one of our meals, that life is to be respected.

Blood is central to life. It makes life possible. That’s why blood is so significant to the sacrifices, and violating any of these laws results in severe penalties.

18 The Eternal One spoke to Moses.

Eternal One: ²Go, talk with the Israelites. Tell them I am the Eternal One, your God. ³You must not act as you saw the Egyptians do when you lived in Egypt, nor should you act as they do in Canaan where I am taking you. Do not follow their practices. ⁴From here on out, you will live by My commands and honor My decrees and live your lives according to them alone. I am the Eternal One, your God. ⁵Stay devoted to My decrees and commands. The person who observes them will live by them.^[a] I am the Eternal One.