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.