That I may Know HIM - A Devotional

Day 20: DEALING WITH BLOODGUILT

Day 20: DEALING WITH BLOODGUILT

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Human life is so precious to God that taking it attracts great sanctions from Him. Similarly, since life is in the blood (Genesis 9:4; Leviticus 17:11, 14), the shedding of human blood (which, in most cases, means taking the life of someone) is usually viewed very seriously by God. From Deuteronomy 21:1-9, for example, we read:

1 If one be found slain in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it, lying in the field, and it be not known who hath slain him:

2 Then thy elders and thy judges shall come forth, and they shall measure unto the cities which are round about him that is slain:

3 And it shall be, that the city which is next unto the slain man, even the elders of that city shall take an heifer, which hath not been wrought with, and which hath not drawn in the yoke;

4 And the elders of that city shall bring down the heifer unto a rough valley, which is neither eared nor sown, and shall strike off the heifer’s neck there in the valley:

5 And the priests the sons of Levi shall come near; for them the LORD thy God hath chosen to minister unto him, and to bless in the name of the LORD; and by their word shall every controversy and every stroke be tried:

6 And all the elders of that city, that are next unto the slain man, shall wash their hands over the heifer that is beheaded in the valley.

7 And they shall answer and say, Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it.

8 Be merciful, O LORD, unto thy people Israel, whom thou hast redeemed, and lay not innocent blood unto thy people of Israel’s charge. And the blood shall be forgiven them.

9 So shalt thou put away the guilt of innocent blood from among you,…

1. Cursed in a Blessed Land

Can someone enter into his prophetic inheritance and still be cursed in that blessed land of promise? Scriptures abound to confirm the fact that this is a possibility Verse 1 of our text states: "If one be found slain in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee...." Verses 2-8 describe the ritual process of expiation; and verse 9, thereafter, declares:

"So [or, in this way] shalt thou put away the guilt of innocent blood from among you" ...Where? in the land of promise. It means that it is possible to suffer the consequences of a guilt even in a prophetic promised location. It may also be recalled that even though the Israelites were a blessed people (whom even Prophet Balaam could not curse), and although they were being led supernaturally by a pillar of fire and a pillar of cloud by night and by day, they wandered for forty years under a curse, in the wilderness. They were already blessed, and were still being blessed with divine guidance, yet, at the same time, they were suffering the consequences of a guilt resulting from what some of their leaders had done years back; they were being divinely led at the same lime as they were being divinely made to wander. They were blessed, but also cursed.

Therefore, it is not sufficient to say, "This is my blessed land of prophecy. God is here; for that reason, no evil can befall me here." You could be dwelling in a prophetic place of promise and still be guilty of terrible things, and so suffer great implications in an otherwise blessed land.

2. Innocent, Yet Guilty

Paraphrased, the meaning of our text is this: You did not, physically or visually, partake in the murder; that is, your hands took no part, neither did your eyes see it; yet you stand guilty, simply because the corpse was found in, or close to, your territory (or premises), even though the murder may have been committed elsewhere. Serious matter!