A Work in Progress….

Leviticus 22:24–25a 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.

Again, I think it’s extremely important to look at the “Why” behind the scripture: Why was this said at this time in this way? Who needed to hear it and for what purpose? Answering those questions allows us to keep scripture in context.

Leviticus 22:25b They will not be accepted on your behalf, because they are deformed and have defects.’ ”

Commentary says of today’s scripture, “In ancient Israel, these physical rules were meant to teach reverence, moral distinction, and the gravity of approaching a holy God.” It goes on to say that in the New Testament, Jesus is both the purest sacrifice and the most holy priest.

Leviticus 22:26-27 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.

Precious Savior, Thank You for the reminder that Your Word has history, background, and context. We can absolutely learn from it today, but that context is also important. Thank You. Amen.

Leviticus 22:28 Do not slaughter a cow or a sheep and its young on the same day.

Have a blessed day. 

Leviticus 22:14 “ ‘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.

Commentary talks about how, in Jesus’s time, the corrupt priests used verse 19 for their gain, declaring proffered sacrifices as impure so the offeror had to purchase an approved sacrifice at an exorbitant price.

Leviticus 22:15-16 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.’ ”

Honestly, that is my fear with how some use God’s word: They get so comfortable that they use it for personal gain or to push personal agendas instead of to learn more about God, His love, His character, HIs ways. They interpret passages based on their ways and not God’s ways. That’s not what God wants from us or for us.

Leviticus 22:17-18 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,

Precious Savior, Interpretation is human nature, but inherent bias is, too. We interpret things based on our personal views and biases. Help us to draw closer to You and shine Your light, leaving our personal biases as far away as possible. Help us, Jesus. Amen.

Leviticus 22:19 you must present a male without defect from the cattle, sheep or goats in order that it may be accepted on your behalf.

Have a blessed day.

Leviticus 22:1-2 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.

Once again I have had to go back and review the history of all that came before this chapter. Joseph’s connections allowed the Israelites to escape famine, but that escape came at the cost of 400 years of captivity in a land that allowed and encouraged ways of worship and deities of worship that God was not ok with.  

Leviticus 22:3 “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.

Now that the Israelites are no longer in that state of captivity, God wants to reestablish what is allowed and acceptable in worship of Him, which is vastly different than what any of these Israelites would have been familiar with as they all have been in Egypt and around Egyptian custom.

Leviticus 22:4a “ ‘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. 

Precious Savior, It feels very important to remember that this book was written at a very specific time for a very specific reason. That’s not to say we can’t learn about who You are as the sovereign God and who You are to Your people from reading it, but context is important. Thank You for drawing me closer. Amen.

Leviticus 22:4b-5 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.

Have a blessed day. 

Leviticus 21:7 “ ‘They must not marry women defiled by prostitution or divorced from their husbands, because priests are holy to their God. 

Verses 6 and 8 both discuss the “food of your God,” described in commentary as “a picture of fellowship,” leading us to assume a connection between “holiness and fellowship.” I love this idea, this connection.    

Leviticus 21:8 Regard them as holy, because they offer up the food of your God. Consider them holy, because I the Lord am holy—I who make you holy.

I think God created us for community, for fellowship, and I say that as a strong introvert who is easily overwhelmed and exhausted by too many people. I recognize, however, that I need people, that people need each other, that fellowship with His people is an important part of my relationship with God.

Leviticus 21:9 “ ‘If a priest’s daughter defiles herself by becoming a prostitute, she disgraces her father; she must be burned in the fire.

Precious Savior, Thank You for this need for fellowship, even if my introverted self can only handle it in small doses. Thank You that the ability to gather and break bread and be with Your people is an important part of nurturing my relationship with You. Help me never to take the call to fellowship for granted. Amen.

Leviticus 21:10 “ ‘The high priest, the one among his brothers who has had the anointing oil poured on his head and who has been ordained to wear the priestly garments, must not let his hair become unkempt b or tear his clothes.

Have a blessed day. 

Leviticus 21:1-3 The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them: ‘A priest must not make himself ceremonially unclean for any of his people who die, except for a close relative, such as his mother or father, his son or daughter, his brother, or an unmarried sister who is dependent on him since she has no husband—for her he may make himself unclean.

In trying to understand these verses, I turned once again to GoogleAI to get some cultural background I was clearly missing. I found the following: “When the Book of Leviticus was written, the Israelites were surrounded by complex, deeply ingrained Ancient Near Eastern ‘cults of the dead’ …. practiced by the Canaanites, Egyptians, and Mesopotamians.”

Leviticus 21:4 He must not make himself unclean for people related to him by marriage, and so defile himself.

Even the definition of a cult in this instance has changed from what it was in that context, but this information reaffirms that God was reestablishing for His newly freed Israelites what was acceptable to Him and that it was very different than what was acceptable to so many of those surrounding them culturally.

Leviticus 21:5 “ ‘Priests must not shave their heads or shave off the edges of their beards or cut their bodies.

Precious Savior, It just occurred to me that now as then You are calling us to live differently, to live according to a higher standard, Your standard. Thank You for the reminder that You are now calling us to radical love of Your people. Help me to draw closer to You. Amen.

Leviticus 21:6 They must be holy to their God and must not profane the name of their God. Because they present the food offerings to the Lord, the food of their God, they are to be holy.

Have a blessed day.