The Christ Church Wednesday Bible Study Group is studying of the Old Testament book of Leviticus. The key to the book of Leviticus is found in verses 45 and 46 of chapter 11.
Leviticus 11:44-45 NIV I am the Lord your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. Do not make yourselves unclean by any creature that moves along the ground. I am the Lord, who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy.
The people God made responsible for teaching the people of God’s requirements and enforcing them were the High Priest and his son. All of them were descendants of Jacob’s son Levi. Hince the name of the book we are studying which was the guide to those responsible all of which were Levites.
Since these people were responsible for the nation learning and obeying the law they held very powerful and influential positions. They were in charge of the sanctuary of God; they taught the people the Word of God; they offered the sacrifices on God’s altar; when called upon, they determined the will of God for the people.
The priests had to meet the qualifications God gave for the priesthood, and they had to serve Him according to His directions. In their personal conduct, physical characteristics, and professional concerns, they had to meet God’s approval. There’s a price to pay if you want to be a spiritual leader.
Leviticus 17—20 constituted a legal code for the people of Israel, touching on many areas of their personal and public life. The emphasis isn’t simply on justice or civic righteousness, as important as they are, but on holiness.
Chapters 17-20 deal with four special areas of life that must be respected and kept holy: the sanctity of blood, or life (chap. 17); the sanctity of sex (chap. 18); the sanctity of the law (chap. 19); and the sanctity of judgment (chap. 20)
The people God made responsible for teaching the people of God’s requirements and enforcing them were the High Priest and his son. All of them were descendants of Jacob’s son Levi. Hince the name of the book we are studying which was the guide to those responsible all of which were Levites.
Since these people were responsible for the nation learning and obeying the law they held very powerful and influential positions. They were in charge of the sanctuary of God; they taught the people the Word of God; they offered the sacrifices on God’s altar; when called upon, they determined the will of God for the people. They were leaders and there is a high cost to leadership.
The Cost of Spiritual Leadership Chapters 21-22
The spiritual leaders in the nation of Israel were the priests.
“He shall not defile himself, being a chief man among his people” (Lev. 21:4 NKJV).
They were in charge of the sanctuary of God; they taught the people the Word of God; they offered the sacrifices on God’s altar; when called upon, they determined the will of God for the people.
If you remember when we studied the chapter that described the high priest’s garments included in them was the Urim and Thummin which were in the breast piece.
Leviticus 8:8 NIV He placed the breastpiece on him and put the Urim and Thummim in the breastpiece.
Exodus 28:30 NIV Also put the Urim and the Thummim in the breastpiece, so they may be over Aaron’s heart whenever he enters the presence of the Lord. Thus Aaron will always bear the means of making decisions for the Israelites over his heart before the Lord.
The Urim and the Thummin (engraved dice-like stones used to determine truth or falsity). For this reason, the Hebrew people would go to the high priest in order to know the will of God.
An example of this is when Joshua was commissioned by Eleazar, the high priest, to assume some of Moses’ responsibilities
Numbers 27:18-21 NIV So the Lord said to Moses, “Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit of leadership, and lay your hand on him. Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and the entire assembly and commission him in their presence. Give him some of your authority so the whole Israelite community will obey him. He is to stand before Eleazar the priest, who will obtain decisions for him by inquiring of the Urim before the Lord. At his command he and the entire community of the Israelites will go out, and at his command they will come in.”
We are not exactly sure what the urim and thummin were, but the priest carried in his breastplate perhaps two sticks or stones, one white and the other black, that would give a yes or no answer to a specific question. Should Israel be preparing for battle, they would somehow shake or toss the sticks. If they turned up black the Israelites would not go to battle, and if they turned up white they would proceed into battle with the knowledge that they were in the will of God.
“Also put the Urim and the Thummin in the breastpiece, so they may be over Aaron’s heart whenever he enters the presence of the Lord. Thus Aaron will always bear the means of making decisions for the Israelites over his heart before the Lord.”
Apart from the ministry of the priests, Israel had no way to approach God.
We don’t need this today because we have the Bible and the Holy Spirit.
The priests had to meet the qualifications God gave for the priesthood, and they had to serve Him according to His directions. In their personal conduct, physical characteristics, and professional concerns, they had to meet God’s approval. There’s a price to pay if you want to be a spiritual leader.
PERSONAL CONDUCT (21:1–15)
The privilege of leadership brings with it the responsibility of maintaining a life that’s above reproach. In their devotion and obedience to God, the priests were to be examples to the rest of the nation.
There were qualifications and requirements not only for the priests but also for every member of the priests’ families. The important thing for all of them was that they remain ceremonially clean before the Lord. You will notice that at the end of each major paragraph in chapters 21—22, the Lord says, “I am the LORD who sanctifies you,” or words to that effect.
The high priests’ sons
There was only one high priest, but since his sons served with him, they were also ordained and required to meet the qualifications given by the Lord.
God told the priests how to express their grief at the loss of a loved one.
Leviticus 21:1-6 NKJV And the Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them: ‘None shall defile himself for the dead among his people, except for his relatives who are nearest to him: his mother, his father, his son, his daughter, and his brother; also his virgin sister who is near to him, who has had no husband, for her he may defile himself. Otherwise he shall not defile himself, being a chief man among his people, to profane himself. ‘They shall not make any bald place on their heads, nor shall they shave the edges of their beards nor make any cuttings in their flesh. They shall be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God, for they offer the offerings of the Lord made by fire, and the bread of their God; therefore they shall be holy.
While God expected the priests to show sorrow at the death of a loved one, He also expected them to act like the servants of God.
Anyone who touched a dead body, or even went into a tent where somebody had died, was defiled for a week, and defilement would prevent the priest from serving the people.
Numbers 19:11-16 NKJV ‘He who touches the dead body of anyone shall be unclean seven days. He shall purify himself with the water on the third day and on the seventh day; then he will be clean. But if he does not purify himself on the third day and on the seventh day, he will not be clean. Whoever touches the body of anyone who has died, and does not purify himself, defiles the tabernacle of the Lord. That person shall be cut off from Israel. He shall be unclean, because the water of purification was not sprinkled on him; his uncleanness is still on him. ‘This is the law when a man dies in a tent: All who come into the tent and all who are in the tent shall be unclean seven days; and every open vessel, which has no cover fastened on it, is unclean. Whoever in the open field touches one who is slain by a sword or who has died, or a bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days.
Therefore, the priests could defile themselves only for their parents, their children, and their brothers and unmarried sisters, but all other deceased were off-limits for them. Obedience had to take precedence over affection.
Luke 9:57-62 NIV As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” He said to another man, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.” Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”
The Lord even regulated the way they grieved.
They could not do what those of the pagan nations around them did to mourn the dead. We talked about some of that last week when we talked about tattoos, the prohibition of marking or cutting your body,
Leviticus 19:27-28 NKJV You shall not shave around the sides of your head, nor shall you disfigure the edges of your beard. You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any marks on you: I am the Lord.
Any priest who shaved his head and his beard and who cut his body was acting like the heathen and thereby profaning God’s name and defiling God’s altar. A priest who acted like his pagan neighbors would encourage the Jewish people to disobey God’s law and follow his bad example. It was indeed a privilege for him to know God and serve at God’s altar. To disobey God would mean dishonoring God’s name and defiling God’s altar and sacrifices.
God also told the priests how to choose a wife.
Leviticus 21:7-8 NKJV They shall not take a wife who is a harlot or a defiled woman, nor shall they take a woman divorced from her husband; for the priest is holy to his God. Therefore you shall consecrate him, for he offers the bread of your God. He shall be holy to you, for I the Lord, who sanctify you, am holy.
As for marriage, the priests were forbidden to marry prostitutes and divorcees. In the pagan religions, there were temple prostitutes serving with the priests, but prostitution was forbidden in Israel.
Leviticus 19:29 NKJV ‘Do not prostitute your daughter, to cause her to be a harlot, lest the land fall into harlotry, and the land become full of wickedness.
Since a priest would hold a special place in the nation. The only way to be sure the priestly line was kept pure was for him to marry a virgin.
When you read the qualifications for pastors (elders, bishops) and deacons in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1, in the New Testament you can’t help but see that a church leaders’ wife and family are an important part of his ministry. It is exceedingly difficult for someone in ministry to be effective going it on their own because their spouse significant other has no interest in spiritual things.
We have been talking about the males in a priest’s family now there are some instructions about the females or daughters.
Leviticus 21:9 NKJV The daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by playing the harlot, she profanes her father. She shall be burned with fire.
This requirement may appear to be unnecessarily severe, but “if anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?”
I Timothy 3:5 NKJV (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?);
Unfortunately, a pastor or leader of the church and other organizations are criticized because of what their children do are do not do.
Those are the rules for personal conduct of the priests and their families but the rules for the High Priests are even more stringent.
Since the high priest was especially anointed and clothed with holy garments, he had a greater obligation to serve the Lord faithfully and honor His name.
Leviticus 21:10-12 NKJV ‘He who is the high priest among his brethren, on whose head the anointing oil was poured and who is consecrated to wear the garments, shall not uncover his head nor tear his clothes; nor shall he go near any dead body, nor defile himself for his father or his mother; nor shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his God; for the consecration of the anointing oil of his God is upon him: I am the Lord.
The ordinary priests were permitted to be defiled by the dead bodies of their immediate family, but the high priest wasn’t allowed to do even that.
Aaron and his sons had their tents on the east side of the tabernacle, and they were expected to stay on duty and not become involved in other activities in the camp.
Numbers 3:6-10 NIV “Bring the tribe of Levi and present them to Aaron the priest to assist him. They are to perform duties for him and for the whole community at the tent of meeting by doing the work of the tabernacle. They are to take care of all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, fulfilling the obligations of the Israelites by doing the work of the tabernacle. Give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are the Israelites who are to be given wholly to him. Appoint Aaron and his sons to serve as priests; anyone else who approaches the sanctuary is to be put to death.”
Since the firstborn son of the high priest became the next high priest, the only way to be sure the priestly line was kept pure was for him to marry a virgin. In most cases, the priests chose their wives from the tribe of Levi, and this would be especially so with the high priest.
Leviticus 21:13-15 NKJV And he shall take a wife in her virginity. A widow or a divorced woman or a defiled woman or a harlot—these he shall not marry; but he shall take a virgin of his own people as wife. Nor shall he profane his posterity among his people, for I the Lord sanctify him.’ ”
While these special regulations don’t apply to workers in the church today, the principles are still important and applicable. If we want to have God’s blessing on our ministry, we must keep ourselves, our marriages, and our families pure and dedicated before God. A godly marriage with godly children constitutes a spiritual fortress from which God’s servants can go forth to do battle for the Lord.
2 Corinthians 6:14 NIV Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?
Paul gave a strong warning against choosing to become unequally yoked together with unbelievers. He counselled against choosing to get bound-up together with non-Christians or become intimately associated with those who are not saved. Paul knew that the inevitable outcome is an increasing disassociation from the Lord, a distancing of oneself from Christian brethren and even a quenching of the Holy Spirit in their lives - all of which inhibit spiritual development and result in a back-slidden life.
The general principle is that any relationship that hinders or prohibits a developing relationship to the Lord is better terminated - even before it begins to develop. Paul was not implying that the Christian must be completely isolated from unbelievers, nor was he condemning casual interactions, involvement in a working relationship or even social contact - but the general principle that Paul was teaching is that Christians should never initiate, maintain or desire close, intimate association with unbelievers, as this inevitably prevents or inhibits close communing with the Lord; has a serious impact on spiritual growth, adversely affect relationships with other believers and grieves the Spirit of God.
Like many of Paul's instructions this is not a law that is to be strictly imposed on believers but a general principle that each of us needs to apply to our own life - or to be given as wise, biblical counsel to those who may have become embroiled in an unwise alliance. He is encouraging wise personal judgment when choosing and maintaining special relationships in our lives, and certainly not imposing any legalistic command that must be followed rigidly. But we all need to look at our own lives.. and consider the friendship choices that we have made or are considering.. and to base our choice on wisdom from the Word of God and the godly counsel of spiritual Christians.
We have dealt with the personal conduct of the Levites but there were also strict regulations about their physical make up.
For those of us today who are saved and called priests and saints physical defects don’t affect our ability to serve worship and praise.
Because of the sacrifice of Jesus who came to fulfill the Law our physical and moral defects aren’t an obstacle to either salvation or service. When God invites the lost to be saved, He calls to “the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame”, the very people Jesus ministered to when He was here on earth. And all believers can surrender to the Lord and be “living sacrifices” for His glory, no matter what handicaps they may have.
In the nation of Israel, however, God required that every priest be free from defects and blemishes.
Leviticus 21:16-24 NKJV And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron, saying: ‘No man of your descendants in succeeding generations, who has any defect, may approach to offer the bread of his God. For any man who has a defect shall not approach: a man blind or lame, who has a marred face or any limb too long, a man who has a broken foot or broken hand, or is a hunchback or a dwarf, or a man who has a defect in his eye, or eczema or scab, or is a eunuch. No man of the descendants of Aaron the priest, who has a defect, shall come near to offer the offerings made by fire to the Lord. He has a defect; he shall not come near to offer the bread of his God. He may eat the bread of his God, both the most holy and the holy; only he shall not go near the veil or approach the altar, because he has a defect, lest he profane My sanctuaries; for I the Lord sanctify them.’ ” And Moses told it to Aaron and his sons, and to all the children of Israel.
There were two reasons for this requirement. First of all, the sacrifices that the people brought to the Lord had to be perfect; it was only right that those who offered the sacrifices at the altar also be without defect. Second, the priests exemplified that great High Priest who was to come, and there is no defect in Him.
While priests with physical defects couldn’t serve at the altar or in the holy place, they were still considered priests and were allowed to share with their families in the sacrificial meals and the other material benefits that the tribe of Levi enjoyed.
Leviticus 2:3, 10 NKJV The rest of the grain offering shall be Aaron’s and his sons’. It is most holy of the offerings to the Lord made by fire. And what is left of the grain offering shall be Aaron’s and his sons’. It is most holy of the offerings to the Lord made by fire.
Leviticus 6:14-18 NKJV ‘This is the law of the grain offering: The sons of Aaron shall offer it on the altar before the Lord. He shall take from it his handful of the fine flour of the grain offering, with its oil, and all the frankincense which is on the grain offering, and shall burn it on the altar for a sweet aroma, as a memorial to the Lord. And the remainder of it Aaron and his sons shall eat; with unleavened bread it shall be eaten in a holy place; in the court of the tabernacle of meeting they shall eat it. It shall not be baked with leaven. I have given it as their portion of My offerings made by fire; it is most holy, like the sin offering and the trespass offering. All the males among the children of Aaron may eat it. It shall be a statute forever in your generations concerning the offerings made by fire to the Lord. Everyone who touches them must be holy.’ ”
Once again, this biblical passage must not be used today to humiliate or intimidate anybody with a physical disability. It was never written for that purpose. The priests were special people with an important job to do, and God wanted them to be the very best physically. A beautiful soul often lives in a crippled body, and people like that can be greatly used of the Lord.
PROFESSIONAL CONCERNS (22:1–33)
For a priest to serve the Lord acceptably, it wasn’t enough that he qualify as a son of Aaron without any physical defects. He also had to carry on his ministry in such a way that the Lord was pleased with him. The worshippers might look at the outward ritual, but God would look at his inner heart.
Leviticus 22:1-2 NIV The Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron and his sons to treat with respect the sacred offerings the Israelites consecrate to me, so they will not profane my holy name. I am the Lord.
In King James it says “separate themselves from the holy things”. This the theme for chapter 22. means “to treat with regard and respect” or “to be careful in handling.” The priests offered sacrifices all day long, all year long; it would be easy for them to develop an attitude of professionalism that would turn a sacred ritual into a shallow routine. That’s what this warning is all about.
Outwardly, you do all the right things the right way, but when God looks at your heart, nothing there is right. What God wanted to prevent by their obeisance is what is written in Malachi.
Malachi 1:6-29 NIV “A son honors his father, and a slave his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me?” says the Lord Almighty. “It is you priests who show contempt for my name. “But you ask, ‘How have we shown contempt for your name?’ “By offering defiled food on my altar. “But you ask, ‘How have we defiled you?’ “By saying that the Lord’s table is contemptible. When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice lame or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?” says the Lord Almighty. “Now plead with God to be gracious to us. With such offerings from your hands, will he accept you?”—says the Lord Almighty. “Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors, so that you would not light useless fires on my altar! I am not pleased with you,” says the Lord Almighty, “and I will accept no offering from your hands. My name will be great among the nations, from where the sun rises to where it sets. In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to me, because my name will be great among the nations,” says the Lord Almighty. “But you profane it by saying, ‘The Lord’s table is defiled,’ and, ‘Its food is contemptible.’ And you say, ‘What a burden!’ and you sniff at it contemptuously,” says the Lord Almighty. “When you bring injured, lame or diseased animals and offer them as sacrifices, should I accept them from your hands?” says the Lord. “Cursed is the cheat who has an acceptable male in his flock and vows to give it, but then sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord. For I am a great king,” says the Lord Almighty, “and my name is to be feared among the nations. “And now, you priests, this warning is for you. If you do not listen, and if you do not resolve to honor my name,” says the Lord Almighty, “I will send a curse on you, and I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have already cursed them, because you have not resolved to honor me. “Because of you I will rebuke your descendants; I will smear on your faces the dung from your festival sacrifices, and you will be carried off with it. And you will know that I have sent you this warning so that my covenant with Levi may continue,” says the Lord Almighty. “My covenant was with him, a covenant of life and peace, and I gave them to him; this called for reverence and he revered me and stood in awe of my name. True instruction was in his mouth and nothing false was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and turned many from sin. “For the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge, because he is the messenger of the Lord Almighty and people seek instruction from his mouth. But you have turned from the way and by your teaching have caused many to stumble; you have violated the covenant with Levi,” says the Lord Almighty. “So I have caused you to be despised and humiliated before all the people, because you have not followed my ways but have shown partiality in matters of the law.”
Carelessness and professionalism at the altar would show itself in three ways: unclean priests (Lev. 22:3–9), unqualified guests (vv. 10–16), and unacceptable sacrifices (vv. 17–33). The priest would end up defiling himself, the sacrifices, and the very altar where he was supposed to serve God.
Unclean priests (vv. 3–9).
Leviticus 22:3-9 NIV “Say to them: ‘For the generations to come, if any of your descendants is ceremonially unclean and yet comes near the sacred offerings that the Israelites consecrate to the Lord, that person must be cut off from my presence. I am the Lord. “ ‘If a descendant of Aaron has a defiling skin disease or a bodily discharge, he may not eat the sacred offerings until he is cleansed. He will also be unclean if he touches something defiled by a corpse or by anyone who has an emission of semen, or if he touches any crawling thing that makes him unclean, or any person who makes him unclean, whatever the uncleanness may be. The one who touches any such thing will be unclean till evening. He must not eat any of the sacred offerings unless he has bathed himself with water. When the sun goes down, he will be clean, and after that he may eat the sacred offerings, for they are his food. He must not eat anything found dead or torn by wild animals, and so become unclean through it. I am the Lord. “ ‘The priests are to perform my service in such a way that they do not become guilty and die for treating it with contempt. I am the Lord, who makes them holy.
Suppose a priest became defiled but did nothing about it? How would anybody know that he was unclean? He could minister at the altar, handle the sacrifices, even eat his lawful share of the sacred offerings, and apparently get away with it. But God would know it, and the priest would be in danger of death
Leviticus 22:9 NIV “ ‘The priests are to perform my service in such a way that they do not become guilty and die for treating it with contempt. I am the Lord, who makes them holy
If the priest was unclean and he knew it and still ministered and handled the sacrifices he was being a hypocrite by pretending to be clean when he was actually toxic, because he was defiling the ministry for which God had set him apart. He was acting like the Pharisees.
Matthew 23:25-28 NIV “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
We must thank God for the privilege of being called to serve, and we must treat the things of God with holy respect. We can’t hide from God
Hebrews 4:12-13 NIV For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
So like Paul we should work to always have a clear conscience when it comes to the things of God.
Acts 24:16 NIV So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man.
Somebody wrote that the conscience is like a window that lets in the light. When the window becomes soiled, the light gradually becomes darkness. Once “conscience is defiled”, it gradually gets worse, and eventually it may be so “seared” that it has no sensitivity at all.
1 Timothy 4:1-2 NIV The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.
Then it becomes an “evil conscience”, one that functions just the opposite of “a good conscience”.
Carelessness and professionalism at the altar would show itself in unclean priests which we just talked about it will also show itself with unqualified guests.
Unqualified guests (vv. 10–16)
Leviticus 22:10-16 NIV “‘No one outside a priest’s family may eat the sacred offering, nor may the guest of a priest or his hired worker eat it. But if a priest buys a slave with money, or if slaves are born in his household, they may eat his food. If a priest’s daughter marries anyone other than a priest, she may not eat any of the sacred contributions. But if a priest’s daughter becomes a widow or is divorced, yet has no children, and she returns to live in her father’s household as in her youth, she may eat her father’s food. No unauthorized person, however, may eat it. “ ‘Anyone who eats a sacred offering by mistake must make restitution to the priest for the offering and add a fifth of the value to it. The priests must not desecrate the sacred offerings the Israelites present to the Lord by allowing them to eat the sacred offerings and so bring upon them guilt requiring payment. I am the Lord, who makes them holy.’ ”
The priest and members of his family who were qualified could eat portions of specified offerings. but if he was too generous with God’s offerings and included outsiders, he sinned against the Lord and against his guest. The unqualified guest would have to bring a trespass offering plus a fine.
In other words, a faithful priest had to have the honesty and courage to say no. This would include any daughters who had married outside the priestly family. To include them would only hurt them and force them to pay a fine.
One of the most difficult things in Christian ministry is having to say no, but to keep our fellowship pure before God, we must sometimes do it.
Unacceptable sacrifices (vv. 17–32)
Leviticus 22:17-25 NIV The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites and say to them: ‘If any of you—whether an Israelite or a foreigner residing in Israel—presents a gift for a burnt offering to the Lord, either to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering, you must present a male without defect from the cattle, sheep or goats in order that it may be accepted on your behalf. Do not bring anything with a defect, because it will not be accepted on your behalf. When anyone brings from the herd or flock a fellowship offering to the Lord to fulfill a special vow or as a freewill offering, it must be without defect or blemish to be acceptable. Do not offer to the Lord the blind, the injured or the maimed, or anything with warts or festering or running sores. Do not place any of these on the altar as a food offering presented to the Lord. You may, however, present as a freewill offering an ox or a sheep that is deformed or stunted, but it will not be accepted in fulfillment of a vow. You must not offer to the Lord an animal whose testicles are bruised, crushed, torn or cut. You must not do this in your own land, and you must not accept such animals from the hand of a foreigner and offer them as the food of your God. They will not be accepted on your behalf, because they are deformed and have defects.’ ”
Just as the priests had to be free from physical defects, so the sacrifices that they offered had to be perfect or the Lord wouldn’t accept them.
Malachi 1:8 NIV When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice lame or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?” says the Lord Almighty.
Malachi 1:13 NIV And you say, ‘What a burden!’ and you sniff at it contemptuously,” says the Lord Almighty. “When you bring injured, lame or diseased animals and offer them as sacrifices, should I accept them from your hands?” says the Lord.
The priest who had respect for his ministry and high regard for the sacrifices of God would accept only those animals that met God’s requirements. To send a worshipper away from the altar with a false assurance of forgiveness would do great damage to his or her spiritual life.
Leviticus 22:26-28 NIV The Lord said to Moses, “When a calf, a lamb or a goat is born, it is to remain with its mother for seven days. From the eighth day on, it will be acceptable as a food offering presented to the Lord. Do not slaughter a cow or a sheep and its young on the same day.
The special requirement about the age of the offering shows the tender heart of the Creator toward His creation.
Deuteronomy 22:6-7 NIV If you come across a bird’s nest beside the road, either in a tree or on the ground, and the mother is sitting on the young or on the eggs, do not take the mother with the young. You may take the young, but be sure to let the mother go, so that it may go well with you and you may have a long life.
A calf or lamb younger than a week old who was transported any distance to the sanctuary might die in the process.
Suppose a priest asked, “Why should I honor and respect the sacrifices of God and the ministry He has given me?”
Leviticus 22:31-33 NIV “Keep my commands and follow them. I am the Lord. Do not profane my holy name, for I must be acknowledged as holy by the Israelites. I am the Lord, who made you holy and who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the Lord.”
The closing three verses of this chapter would clearly answer that question:
(1) These are God’s commandments, and they must be obeyed. God never commands anything that isn’t the best for us.
(2) This is the way we glorify God’s great name and sanctify Him before His people.
(3) The Lord who commands us also redeemed us from slavery, and He’s the one who has set us apart to be His special people. We owe everything to Him!
What greater motivation do we need?
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