Bereans Corner
Bereans Corner
Thru the Bible - #109 - Leviticus 22 - Sundry Rules for Priest
Unlock the profound wisdom of Leviticus 22 as we explore the sacred laws for priests and offerings on Berean's Corner. Discover how the Lord's instructions to Moses directed Aaron and his sons to handle sacred offerings with the utmost reverence, ensuring they do not profane God's holy name. Learn about the various conditions that make a priest ceremonially unclean, from skin diseases to bodily discharges, and the meticulous cleansing processes they must undergo. We'll also delve into the strict rules surrounding who may partake in these sacred offerings and the necessary restitution if consumed in error. Plus, we'll discuss the critical requirement of offering only flawless animals for sacrifices to the Lord, emphasizing the significance of maintaining holiness in their divine service.
Enhance your understanding of ancient worship practices and gain spiritual insights relevant to today's faith journey. By reflecting on these ancient laws, you'll appreciate the seriousness with which priests handled their sacred duties. Our episode also provides valuable information on how you can access additional content and follow along with our lessons. Visit Bereanscornerbuzzsprout.com for transcripts and check out our YouTube page, Barren's Corner, marked by praying hands on a dark background, for more enriching content. Join us for an engaging and thoughtful exploration of Leviticus 22 that promises to deepen your spiritual walk and understanding of scripture.
Thank you for joining me here on Berean's Corner, the podcast where we go through books of the Bible verse by verse. I appreciate you. Wherever you may be, go ahead and grab yourself a glass of water, a cup of tea, a cup of coffee and let's enjoy this lesson. Open your Bible to Leviticus, chapter 22. The title of today's lesson is Sundry Laws and Rules for the Priests. We also will be talking about flawless animals for sacrifice, leviticus, chapter 22. And let's read.
Speaker 2:Leviticus 22, 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.
Speaker 2:I am the Lord. 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 an infectious 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 keep my requirements so that they do not become guilty and die for treating them with contempt. I am the Lord who makes them holy. 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 a slave is born in his household, that slave 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 house as in her youth, she may eat of her father's food. No unauthorized person, however, may eat any of it. If anyone eats a sacred offering by mistake, he 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 Lord said to Moses Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites and say to them If any of you, either an Israelite or an alien living in Israel presents a gift for a burnt offering to the Lord, either to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering.
Speaker 2: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 an offering made to the Lord by fire. 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.
Speaker 2: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 an offering made to the Lord by fire. Do not slaughter a cow or a sheep and its young on the same day. When you sacrifice a thank-offering to the Lord, sacrifice it in such a way that it will be accepted on your behalf. It must be eaten that same day. Leave none of it till morning. I am the Lord. Keep my commands and follow them. I am the Lord. Keep my commands and follow them. I am the Lord. Do not profane my holy name. I must be acknowledged as holy by the Israelites. I am the Lord who makes you holy and who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the Lord.
Speaker 1:All right Now. The last time we were together we looked at priestly regulations. Today we look at more sundry laws. The point of this chapter is that the priest was to take the things of God very seriously. In the first nine verses we see what the priest could or could not do before he was involved in sacred things. We look at verses one through nine, sorry. Then the Lord spoke to Moses saying remember we're still dealing with Israel.
Speaker 1:Tell Aaron and his sons to be careful with the holy gifts of the sons of Israel which they dedicate to me, so as not to profane my holy name. I am the Lord. Say to them if any man among all your descendants throughout your generations approaches the holy gifts which the of israel dedicate to the lord while he has an uncleanness, that person shall be cut off from before me. I am the lord. No man of the descendants of aaron who is a leper or who has a discharge may eat of the holy gifts until he is clean. And if one touches anything made unclean by a corpse, or if a man has a seminal emission, or if a man touches any teeny things by which he is made unclean, or any man by whom he is made unclean. Whatever his uncleanness, a person who touches any such shall be unclean until evening and shall not eat of the holy gifts unless he has bathed his body in water. But when the sun sets he shall be clean and afterwards he shall eat of the holy gifts, for it is his food. He shall not eat an animal which dies or is torn by bees, becoming unclean by it. I am the Lord. They shall therefore keep my charge so that they may not bear sin because of it and die thereby because they profane it. I am the Lord who sanctifies them. Now we see here that Moses is given the charge to the priest the things that they shall and shall not do. Why is this important? It's important because the Lord makes it very clear that all of these things have to be done the way that he wants them done. He is the Lord. So, however you worship him, however you uh the sacrifices you gave, even for us, in this day and time we live in, there is a certain reverence. There's a certain way that you approach the lord. You don't just approach the lord however you want to. That's why these things are so important.
Speaker 1:Uh, I noticed verse 8 when he talked about eating the animal. You shall not eat an animal which dies or is torn by beasts becoming unclean. So, in other words, when you see an animal on the side of the road, you who had got torn apart let's say it was a gazelle and it got torn halfway apart by a lion you were not to to touch that animal, kind of like some of the ways that we deal with animals here. I mean, you know, you don't see people just going, at least I. I don't see people going on the side of the road after a deer has been hit. You don't see people usually picking something up like that, putting in the back of their truck and dragging the end to. You know, to eat because it is unclean. So so they had to follow everything the way the Lord wanted these things.
Speaker 1:Now, next, we see a layman. Well, they were not to treat God's holy things in a light matter and a light manner. I should say verses 10 through 16. No layman, however, is to eat the holy gifts. A sojourner with the priest or a hired man shall not eat the holy gift, but if a priest buys a slave as his property with his money, that one may eat of it and those who are born in his house may eat of his food. And if a priest's daughter is married to a layman, she shall not eat of the offerings of the gifts. But if a priest's daughter becomes a widow or divorced and has no child and returns to her father's house, as in her youth, she shall eat of her father's food, but no layman shall eat of it. But if a man eats a holy gift unintentionally, then he shall add to it a fifth of it and shall give the holy gift to the priest. And they shall not profane the holy gifts of the sons of israel which they offer to the lord and so cause them to bear punishment for guilt by eating their holy gifts, for I am the lord who sanctifies them. Now, that word layman hebrew 21, 14, 24, excuse me, 21, 14 means to be a stranger. So that's what it means to be a layman. Just in case you were wondering, remember these things had to be done in the order, the way the lord wanted these things now.
Speaker 1:Next we will be looking at flawless animals for sacrifice. Now, first we notice whom the Lord is speaking, to notice verse, verses 17 through 18. Then the Lord spoke to Moses saying speak to Aaron and to his sons and to all the sons of Israel. Let's be clear. We see who the Lord is speaking to. He is speaking to the sons of Israel. Second, any offering given to God had to be without defect. We notice this in verses 18 through 25. Speak to Aaron and to his sons and to all the sons of Israel and say to them any man of the house of Israel or of the aliens in Israel who presents his offering, whether it is any of their uh, uh volatile or any of their free will offerings which they present to the Lord, for a burnt offering for you to be accepted, it must be a male without defect, from the kettle, the sheep or the goats. We see that right, very clear, clear. Whatever has a defect you shall not offer for it is not to be accepted for you.
Speaker 1:And when a man offers a sacrifice of peace offerings to the lord to fulfill a special vow or a free will offering of the herd or of the flock, it must be perfect to be accepted. There shall be no defect in it. Very, very clear. It had to be accepted. There shall be no defect in it. Very, very clear. It had to be perfect, no defect in it. It couldn't have a crooked eye, one eye, limp, limp legs, hobbling, it had to be perfect. Those that are blind or fractured or maimed or having a running sore or eczema or scabs, you should not offer to the Lord, nor make of them an offering by fire on the altar to the Lord. In respect to an ox or a lamb which has an overgrown or stunted member, you may present it for a freewill offering, but for a vow it shall not be accepted. So you can do the freewill offering, but not for a vow. Also, anything with its testicles bruised or crushed or torn or cut, you shall not offer to the lord or sacrifice in your land, nor shall you accept any such from the hand of a foreigner for offering as the food of your god, for their corruption is in them. They have a defect. They shall not be accepted. So the lord is very clear. He wanted everything to be perfect, perfect as perfect can be right.
Speaker 1:Then, third, other mandates for sacrifices. We see this in verses 26 through 33 other mandates for sacrifices. Then the lord spoke to moses, saying when an ox or a sheep or a goat is born, it shall remain seven days with his mother and from the eighth day on it shall be accepted as a sacrifice of an offering by fire to the lord. It must remain with his mother, basically, so he could suckle at his mother and kind of get that, that warmth and get that uh togetherness with his mother before it was used for a sacrifice. But whether it is an ox or a sheep, you shall not kill both it and its young in one day. So you're not supposed to do it in one day. And when you sacrifice a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the lord, you shall sacrifice it so that you may be accepted. It shall be eaten on the same day. You shall leave none of it until morning. I am the lord. So you had to eat the sacrifice that day. The lord is very clear that day there were no leftovers, there was no doggy bags. It had to be done that day, verse 31. So you shall keep my commandments and do them. I am the Lord and you shall not profane my holy name. But I will be sanctified among the sons of Israel. I am the Lord who sanctifies you, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God. I am the Lord. And once again we see that the Lord reminds the children of Israel who he is and where he brought them from. The Lord wants to always keep it in there, the front of their mind, that he is the God that brought them out of the land of Egypt. All right people. That brings us to the end of Leviticus, chapter 22.
Speaker 1:I hope you enjoyed it. Remember, you can check out my website where you can get this podcast Bereanscornerbuzzsproutcom. If you go over there and you go to my Buzzsprout page, you can get a transcript and read along, if you want to, with all of the lessons. Also, go over to our youtube page, barren's corner. Like I always say, you know that it's mine because you'll see the guy with the with the praying hands in the dark background if you look in the description page. There you will see the link tree and everywhere else that we can be found. I hope that this day finds you blessed. I hope that it finds you in good spirits and, as always, I'm praying for each and every one of you and, as I always ask, I want you to do the same for me. That is all for now. God bless, thank you. Guitar solo. Thank you.