Read Leviticus 21
22 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “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.
3 “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.
4 “‘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, 5 or if he touches any crawling thing that makes him unclean, or any person who makes him unclean, whatever the uncleanness may be. 6 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. 7 When the sun goes down, he will be clean, and after that he may eat the sacred offerings, for they are his food. 8 He must not eat anything found dead or torn by wild animals, and so become uncleanthrough it. I am the Lord.
9 “‘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.
10 “‘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. 11 But if a priest buys a slave with money, or if slaves are born in his household, they may eat his food. 12 If a priest’s daughter marries anyone other than a priest, she may not eat any of the sacred contributions. 13 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.
14 “‘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. 15 The priests must not desecrate the sacred offerings the Israelites present to the Lord16 by allowing them to eat the sacred offerings and so bring upon them guiltrequiring payment. I am the Lord, who makes them holy.’”
Unacceptable Sacrifices
17 The Lord said to Moses, 18 “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, 19 you must present a male without defect from the cattle, sheep or goats in order that it may be accepted on your behalf. 20 Do not bring anything with a defect, because it will not be accepted on your behalf. 21 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. 22 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. 23 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. 24 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, 25 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.’”
26 The Lord said to Moses, 27 “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. 28 Do not slaughter a cow or a sheep and its young on the same day.
29 “When you sacrifice a thank offering to the Lord, sacrifice it in such a way that it will be accepted on your behalf. 30 It must be eaten that same day; leave none of it till morning. I am the Lord.
31 “Keep my commands and follow them. I am the Lord. 32 Do not profane my holy name, for I must be acknowledged as holy by the Israelites. I am the Lord, who made you holy 33 and who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the Lord.”
Go Deeper
Leviticus 22 has Moses again giving very specific instructions to the priesthood on what and how to receive and proceed with offerings to God from the people. Whether they are peace, vow, free will, or thanksgiving offerings, those receiving and those offering must follow God’s instructions. The emphasis on “clean” and “pure” concerning the offering are evident throughout the chapter and it is a beautiful foreshadowing of the purity and holiness of Christ as the perfect sacrifice for us.
The last three verses are interesting and vital to understanding this chapter. Let’s re-read them:
“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.”
God says three times “I am the Lord, I am the Lord, I am the Lord!” This should be enough for all of us, but there are three better reasons to fear and honor the ways of God in our lives.
First, “keep my commands” is singularly spoken in verse 31. Christ’s words reveal the same command in John 14:15, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” As we grow in our love for God, we will desire to follow His ways and commands. We respond, not from fear, but love. This is love for God and His ways. As we walk with Him in obedience, our love will deepen and strengthen.
Second, in verse 32, God says “do not profane my holy name for I must be acknowledged as holy by the Israelites. I am the Lord, who made you holy.” He is telling the priests that they represent God’s holiness to the people. God is holy and He sanctifies the people of Israel through the law and sacrifice. Hence, the Israelites saw and experienced His Holiness through the Law and commands in sacrifices. It is the same for us. In Christ, we are sanctified by Him, as we cooperate with His Spirit in our lives. Jeremiah 31:33 speaks to this saying, “This is the covenant I will make with Israel after that time…I will put the Law in their minds and write it on their hearts.” This is the non-believers view of God through the lenses of our individual lives. All we meet will hopefully see and be touched by His holiness through us by our attitudes and behaviors.
Thirdly, in verse 33, God brought them out of Egypt to be their God, and He is their Lord! This is an important and joyous statement. He has brought them, and He has brought us out of our lands of Egypt as well full of false gods and bondages to be our God! In Christ, we are chosen to be His now and forever. We can only respond with humility and thankfulness before God. He sanctifies us now and throughout our lives as we daily commit to His loving ways. This life we are able to live is real, joyous, and powerful.
Questions
- Why did God Emphasize three times, “I am the Lord”?
- Why and how does keeping His commandments help us in living a sanctified life?
- What Egypt in your life that God has brought you out of? Be sure and thank Him for this today.
A Quote
George Williams, an early 1900’s commentary writer summarizes the idea of holiness beautifully saying, “Holiness becometh God’s House forever; and is true in all periods of time.”
Leave a Comment Below
Join the Team
Interested in writing for the Bible Reading Plan? Email hello@biblereadingplan.org.
6 thoughts on “Leviticus 22”
Holiness
Priest
God’s Word says we are to be holy for He is holy. 1 Peter 1:15-16: “But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy'”.
God’s Word says we are priest. 1 Peter 2:9: “But you are a chosen people, royal priests, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession. You were chosen to tell about the wonderful acts of God, who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light”.
So this chapter is for us to learn that we will not be perfect but we must strive for perfection because that is how God sees, and wants us. We are to renew our minds to God and His word sometimes minutely due to life around us.
Ephesians 4:23: “Be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind”
We are to be a model for the world to see Jesus in our words, actions and deeds.1 John 2:6 Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. A light in a dark place. Ephesians 5:8
“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord”
A servant who is obedient and thankful. 1 John 5:3 – For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.
God thank You that I can be obedient, faithful, renewing my mind to Your Word. God I desire to abide with You. Help me in applying that into my everyday walk. God show me how to show others You, Your love, Your joy, Your patience, and all that You desire me to. God forgive me for trying to remove others speck of dust when my plank is clearly in the way. God I give You these minutes of this day. Guide me, direct me, thank You for helping me to be Your hands and feet today in Jesus name amen.
WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Note – at the top of this page, it say “Read Leviticus 21” should say “Read Leviticus 22”
“32 I am the Lord, who made you holy 33 and who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the Lord.”
Yes, “I am the Lord” is a profound, life-defining declaration! Why do I continue to struggle throughout my life thinking that I am the Lord, that I am in charge? He is my Lord, who brought me out of Egypt!
A verse that I’ve embraced and one that is on repeat in my prayers as I begin each new day is Psalm 90:12, “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” As we read Levitical laws, we can easily distance ourselves from the wisdom God purposefully tucked inside for all of us. May God reveal the brevity of life and how through his timely wisdom we can make our days on earth count. That revelation will help us grow wise, and wisdom is important because the choices we make during our brief stay on earth have eternal consequences
“But if the priest’s daughter becomes widowed or divorced, has no children, and returns to her father’s house as in her youth, she may share her father’s food. But no outsider may share it.”
Leviticus 22:13 HCSB
https://bible.com/bible/72/lev.22.13.HCSB
Even then he was including the most vulnerable! He sees you!
“Then Samuel said: Does the Lord take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? Look: to obey is better than sacrifice, to pay attention is better than the fat of rams.”
1 Samuel 15:22 HCSB
https://bible.com/bible/72/1sa.15.22.HCSB
Egypt= Darkness
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His possession, SO THAT that you may proclaim the praises of the One who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”
1 Peter 2:9 HCSB
https://bible.com/bible/72/1pe.2.9.HCSB ( emphasis mine)
Thanks be to God! 🙌
Oh, the timeless Truth of God! From the very beginning He had a perfect plan to reconcile His highly imperfect people to His holy and perfect self.
Here we read again what God requires of both the offering AND the offerer. Such impossibly high standards for an imperfect people highlight our need for a perfect Savior.
As I read this passage, I am humbled and grieved as I consider all the times I’ve offered God only the leftover scraps of my life. I know full well He deserves only the best from me … and of me.
Instead, He gets my very least:
My casual compromises. My careless but catastrophic drift into sin. My callous disregard of the consequences of unrighteousness living. When I turn my back on holiness, it deeply hurts God, me, and those I love most.
It’s heartbreaking … and unnecessary.
Not because of what we do, but what He has already done.
For one thing, God gives us a daily do-over, as we read in v. 7 an echo of Lamentations 3:22, “His mercies are new every morning.”
Most importantly, we are fully and perfectly reconciled to God … because He gave from Himself the very best of Himself.
“He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.”
-Titus 2:14 NLT
20 Do not bring anything with a defect, because it will not be accepted on your behalf.
God defines what is and what is not acceptable. May we hear Go’s Word and obey it.
This is our reminder of our responsibility. Deliver us from our pride, from thinking we know what is good. Make us a people a people of Your Word.