“The Prayer For Innocent Blood” Deut. 21. 8-9

“Be merciful, O LORD, unto Thy people Israel whom Thou has redeemed, and lay not innocent blood unto Thy people Israel’s charge.  And the blood shall be forgiven them.  So shalt thou put away the guilt of innocent blood from among you, when thou shalt do that which is right in the sight of the LORD.”  Dt. 21:8-9

Moses is giving the new generation about to enter the ‘Promised Land’ some laws from God.  This one regards finding a slain man in your field and no one knows who killed him. (nakah) to violently strike, attacked.  They were to gather the elders (za-kan) and judges from the neighboring city; the leaders; they didn’t have pharisees and sadducees yet.  Get a heifer (eg-lah) female calf, which had not plowed or been yoked yet, and bring it to a valley that has not been plowed or sown and strike off it’s head, vs. 4 or break it’s neck. (araf).  The Levities or Priests (ko-hen) are to come near and bear testimony, the priests because the LORD has chosen them to minister for Him and to bless in His name, Num. 6:24-27; and by their word (peh) mouth, shall every controversy (riyb) dispute, strife, quarrel, and every stroke (nega) wound, plague, be tried or settled.  Isaiah 53:4, “He was stricken, smitten of God and afflicted.” (nega, naka) “and we hid as it were our faces from Him.” These words are used in reference to the Messiah.

Then all the elders of that city next to the slain man shall wash their hands in fresh water (ra-khats) to wash off or away, to bathe, not just a quick rinse with a few drops.  This is a picture of washing your hands in innocency, plunging your hands into water, ie, to declare oneself innocent; (baptidzo) immersing them!  Ps. 26:6, “I will wash my hands in innocence; so will I compass thine altar, O LORD.”  Ps. 73:13, “Verily, I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocence.”  So, King David was very familiar with this principle and practice as were the Jewish people, priests, pharisees and leaders.  During Passover they wash their hands several times before eating as this is a ceremonial practice which Jesus was accused of defying by the Pharisees, for eating without washing His hands first, Mark 7:1-13:  Matt. 15:1-9.  They are each to wash their hands over the heifer with the broken neck in the valley as a sign of innocence and they shall testify (a-nah) audibly, “Our hands have not shed (sha-fak; spilled, poured out) this blood, (dam) neither have our eyes (ayin) seen it (ra-ah).”

Now comes the prayer, in vv. 8-9, “Be merciful (ka-far; cover, purge, make atonement, reconciliation, or cover over with pitch, pacify, propitiate).  (This word in Hebrew was more of a covering, or covering over, overspreading, then removal).  O LORD, unto Thy people Israel, (God prevails) whom Thou has redeemed (pa-da; ransomed, rescued, delivered, set free) and lay not innocent (na-ke; clean, free from, clear, exempt) blood, unto thy people Israel’s charge (keh-rev; innermost being).  And the blood shall be forgiven (ka-far; cover, purge, etc.) them.”  V. 9, “So shall Thou put away (ba-ar; burn up, consume, kindle) the guilt of  innocent blood from among you, when thou shalt do that which is right (ya-shar; upright, correct, fitting, pleasing) in the sight (ayin; eyes) of the LORD (YHVH).”

Let’s take this Older Testament principle and see it applied in the Newer Testament in the Lord Jesus Christ’s life, at His crucifixion trial.  In Luke 23:1-4 you have His first meeting with Pilate and he says, “I find no fault in this man!”  In Luke 23:14 after he sends Him to Herod, Pilate says, “I have found no fault in this man as touching those things which you accuse Him of;  No, nor yet Herod; for I sent you to him, and lo, nothing worthy of death is done by Him,”  vv. 14-15. (Second time).  Luke 23:22 says, “And he (Pilate) said unto them a third time, “Why, what evil has He done? I have found no fault in Him.  I will therefore chastise Him, and let Him go.”  But they kept crying, “Crucify Him!”  Even Pilate’s wife, Claudia came to him in Matt. 27:19 and said, “Have thou nothing to do with this righteous man, for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of Him.”  Tradition tells us that Pilate’s wife left him after the crucifixion and went down to Egypt and started a church. (Could that be the Coptic Church today?)

However, in Matt. 27:24, “When Pilate saw that he could prevail/profit nothing, but that rather a tumult/riot/uproar was made, he took water and washed (a-po-nep-to; to wash off) his hands before (a-pen-ante: in opposition to) the multitude saying, “I am innocent (a-tho-es; not guilty) of the blood (hima) of this righteous, (dikaios; just, virtuous, innocent, faultless) person, See ye to it! or ‘You see to it!'”  Then answered all (apo-kri-no-mai; to give an answer to a question proposed) the people (laos; people group, tribe, nation, all of the same stock or language) (This apo-kri-no-mai is quite devastating when you think of it’s implications going back to this principle in Dt. 21:8-9, it almost, in fact it does make me tremble inside).  “His blood (hima) be upon, (epi; against, across) us and on (epi) our children (tek-non; offspring).”  So, like the elders and judges of the city they were saying they were guilty of the innocent blood shed of God’s only begotten Son and willing to endure the punishment and may it be laid on them and their children, but release Barabbas and crucify Jesus.  Matt. 27:26, “The Pilate released Barabbas unto them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified.”  Luke 23:24 says, “And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required.”  Who are the ‘they?’  The chief priests and the Jewish crowds; the Romans sought to release Him. v.24, “And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required.”  Then in Matt. 23:25 it says, “but he/Pilate delivered Jesus to their will.”  Even Judas Iscariot, in Matt. 27:4, referred to Christ’s blood as, “innocent blood,” saying, “I have sinned, in that I have betrayed innocent blood!”  And he went out and hung himself.  However, be careful here; the Jewish people did not kill Jesus, neither did the Romans nor the Greeks nor the Pagans.  He said in John 10:17-18, “Therefore does My Father love Me because I lay down My life that I might take it again.  No man takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself.  I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.  This commandment have I received of My Father,”  In reality it was you and I who nailed Him to that Cross, at least it was our Sin, Col. 2:14.  Till next time, I’ll see you, “…..Between The Lines…..”

“The Prayer For Innocent Blood” Deut. 21:8-9  1/29/18