What is the meaning of Deuteronomy 12:25? Do not eat it • “It” refers to the blood of an animal just slain for food (see Deuteronomy 12:23). • God’s prohibition underscores the sanctity of life—in Scripture, “the life of the flesh is in the blood” (Leviticus 17:11). • The command is not optional or symbolic; it is literal instruction for Israel and reflects God’s unchanging moral order (Genesis 9:4). • New-covenant believers still see the principle affirmed when the Jerusalem council tells Gentile converts “to abstain…from blood” (Acts 15:28-29). • Obedience here teaches reverence: every meal becomes a reminder that life belongs to God, and every act of eating is brought under His authority. so that it may go well with you and your children after you • The Lord links obedience to blessing. His commands are never arbitrary; they protect and prosper His people. • Earlier Moses said, “Keep His statutes…so that it may go well with you and your children after you” (Deuteronomy 4:40). • Similar promises echo throughout Scripture: – Deuteronomy 5:29—God longs “that it might be well with them and with their children forever.” – Deuteronomy 6:3—“Listen…so that it may go well with you.” – Ephesians 6:2-3—honoring authority “may go well with you and…you may have a long life on the earth.” • The pattern: obedience → well-being → generational fruitfulness. A parent’s faithfulness today shapes a child’s tomorrow. because you will be doing what is right in the eyes of the LORD • The ultimate reason to obey is not personal benefit but God’s pleasure. Righteousness is what He says it is (Deuteronomy 13:18). • Scripture contrasts living by God’s eyes with doing “what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 17:6). • “To obey is better than sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:22); obedience demonstrates love (John 14:15) and bears fruit “pleasing to God” (Colossians 1:10). • When God’s people act according to His Word, they showcase His character to the world and confirm that He alone defines right and wrong. summary Deuteronomy 12:25 calls God’s people to abstain from consuming blood, affirming life’s sacredness. Obedience secures well-being for the present generation and the next, because living by God’s standards rather than our own brings both His blessing and His approval. |
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