Eating animal’s blood

Dinuguan (pork blood stew) was a Filipino food that is made from pig's blood. This is just one of the many dishes around the world that is made up of animal's blood.

But according to the bible, is eating/drinking animal’s blood prohibited by God?


In the time of Adam and Eve
Lets go back to the time of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. We all know that God did not intend all the fruits of the trees he made to grow in that paradise to be eaten by the couple. In fact, he gave an instruction concerning food—what the couple could and couldn’t eat. 

Lets read Gen. 2:15-17 that says,

“The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."”

God clearly forbade the couple to eat fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Violation of this prohibition would mean punishment for them. And the punishment God had set was severe—they would surely die. 

What happened ever since the couple ate the forbidden fruit in violation of God’s prohibition? They were not only driven out of paradise, but from then on, God decreed that they had to work or toil for them to eat, Lets read Gen. 3:17-19, 23 that says,

“To Adam he said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat of it,' "Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.

It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return”

“So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.”

The effect of man’s salvation of God’s prohibition was far-reaching, to say the least. Not only was man decreed from then on to work for his food but he was decreed to suffer death. So, God’s prohibition on food, or any of his prohibition, for that matter, should not be taken lightly.


God’s prohibition about eating animal's blood
During the time of Noah after the great deluge, what also did God give to Noah and his descendants as food and what did he prohibited them to eat?

Lets read Gen. 9: 1-4 that says,

“Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth. The fear and dread of you will fall upon all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air, upon every creature that moves along the ground, and upon all the fish of the sea; they are given into your hands.

Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything. But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it.”

God clearly stated to Noah and his descendants which things might be eaten and which should not be eaten. As the creator of all things and the source of what man needs in order to live, God decides which food for man and which is not. In Noah’s time, not only did God give them the herbs or plants as food, but also the animals, the birds, and the fish, or in other words, flesh meat. 

But again, there was the prohibition of God. He forbade them to eat the blood. And god was so strict on this prohibition that even the meat with blood still in it should not be eaten. And this prohibition continued during the time of the Israelites.

Lets read Lev. 7:26-27 that says,

“And wherever you live, you must not eat the blood of any bird or animal. If anyone eats blood, that person must be cut off from his people.' "”

The Israelites were also prohibited to eat the blood of birds and animals. Anyone among them who would break this law would no longer be considered as among God’s people. Thus, when it comes to food, there are certain kinds that people may consider right, and even good to eat, but to God, it is not. One of them is the animal’s blood.


Why God prohibits the eating of blood
God did not just prohibit his people the eating of blood of animals. He gave the reason for such prohibition.

Lets read Deut. 12:22-23 that says,

“Eat them as you would gazelle or deer. Both the ceremonially unclean and the clean may eat. But be sure you do not eat the blood, because the blood is the life, and you must not eat the life with the meat.”

The reason given was that blood is life and therefore, it should not be eaten. No wonder, if someone loses so much blood or runs out of blood, that person dies. God clearly did not give and intend blood to be eaten. As far as God’s decree is concerned, this is not supposed to be consumed as food. If God did not intend blood to be eaten, what then did god reserve blood for?

The bible explains for what purpose blood was among God’s chosen people, in this case the Israelites, Lets read Lev. 17:11 that says,

“For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life.”

The purpose for which God intended blood to be used is sacred or holy and not for food.

Lets read also Heb. 9:13-14 that says,

“The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!”

Through the shed blood of our Lord Jesus Christ offered as a sacrifice on the cross, the members of the true church (Acts 20:28) are cleansed and forgiven of their sins and receive the right and privilege to serve god. Thus the blood of animals, since the time of the early people of god, is used for such sacred purpose and should not be eaten. For anyone not to violate God’s prohibition of eating blood, he gives this instruction whenever his people would slaughter animals for food, lets read Lev. 17:12-13 that says,

“Therefore I say to the Israelites, "None of you may eat blood, nor may an alien living among you eat blood." 'Any Israelite or any alien living among you who hunts any animal or bird that may be eaten must drain out the blood and cover it with earth,”

God’s command is clear that the blood of the animals slaughtered for food should be poured out and be covered with dust. And this is for good measure, because if the blood is poured out on the ground and covered with dust, there is no way one can eat that anymore.


The evil of violating this prohibition
Why should God’s people carefully and strictly observe the prohibition on eating blood? 

What evil does a person commit when he heats blood? 

Lets read Lev. 17: 10 that says,

“If any one of the house of Israel or of the strangers who sojourn among them eats any blood, I will set my face against that person who eats blood and will cut him off from among his people.”

God is against any person who would violate his prohibition on eating blood. As punishment, anyone among his people who would be found guilty of violating this prohibition will be cut off or will be removed from God’s nation. 

If one is separated from God’s nation, he is no longer considered as among his people and could no longer hope to receive his promised blessings, including salvation. And this prohibition of eating blood is not only for God’s early people but also, and still is, enforced in the Christian era, lets read Acts 21:25 that says,

"As for the Gentile believers, we have written to them our decision that they should abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality."

God’s prohibition on eating blood continues in the Christian era. And his prohibition is not only confined to the eating of blood but includes the eating of strangled animals, whose blood has not been poured out. As pointed out earlier, God said clearly that his servants should not eat the blood, or the life, with the meat. 

Moreover, included among what God prohibits us to eat are the foods that have been offered to idols. That’s why members of the true church of Christ do not eat blood or any food mixed with blood. We do not also eat foods that have been offered to idols, in much the same way that we do not participate in any feasts or festivals being celebrated in honor of the so called saints or idols.

Concerning these prohibitions on food in the Christian Era, the apostles are not the only ones who prohibit the eating of blood or strangled animals or food that are offered to idols. This is upon instance and inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

Lets read Acts 15: 28-29 that says,

“For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements: that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell."”

Should we then be faulted if we in the Church of Christ carefully and strictly observe all of God’s prohibitions, including those concerning food?