Leviticus 21
Serving priests: close relatives that dieverses 1-4
And the LORD said to Moses
Speak to the priests the sons of Aaron
and say to them
There shall none be defiled for the dead among his people
BUT for his kin – that is near to him that is
for his mother – father – son – daughter – brother
and for his sister a virgin sister
that is nigh unto him which hath had no husband
for her may he be defiled
BUT he shall not defile himself
BEING a chief man among his people
to profane himself
Serving priests: cutting for the deadverses 5-6
They shall not make baldness on their head
neither shall they shave off the corner of their beard
nor make any cuttings in their flesh
They shall be HOLY to their God
and not profane the name of their God
For the offerings of the LORD made by fire
and the bread of their God – they do offer
therefore they shall be HOLY
Serving priests: marriageverses 7-8
They shall NOT take a wife that is a whore – or profane
neither shall they take a woman put away from her husband
for he is HOLY unto his God
You shall SANCTIFY him therefore
for he offers the bread of your God – he shall be HOLY unto you
for I the LORD – which SANCTIFY you am HOLY
Serving priest’s daughter: prostituteverse 9
And the daughter of any priest – IF she profane herself by playing the whore
she profane her father – she shall be burnt with fire
High priest: never defile himself with deadverses 10-12
And he that is the high priest among his brethren
upon whose head the anointing oil was poured
and that is CONSECRATED to put on the garments
shall not uncover his head – rent his clothes
Neither shall he go in to any dead body
nor defile himself for his father or mother
Neither shall he go out of the sanctuary
nor profane the sanctuary of his God
FOR the crown of the anointing oil of his God is upon him
I am the LORD
High priest: marry only a virgin from his tribeverses 13-15
And he shall take a wife in her virginity
a widow – divorced woman – profane – harlot
these shall he not take
BUT he shall take a virgin of his own people to wife
neither shall he profane his seed among his people
for I the LORD do SANCTIFY him
Descendant of Aaron that have defect cannot serveverses 16-21
And the LORD spake unto Moses saying
Speak unto Aaron saying
Whosoever he be of your seed in their generations that hath any BLEMISH
let him NOT approach to offer the bread of his God
FOR whatsoever man he be that hath a BLEMISH
he shall not approach
a blind man – a lame – he that hath a flat nose
or anything superfluous
Or a man that is broken footed – brokenhanded – crookbacked
dwarf – or that hath a BLEMISH in his eye – or be scurvy
or scabbed – or hath his stones broken
No man that hath a BLEMISH of the seed of Aaron the priest shall
come nigh to offer the offerings of the LORD made by fire
he hath a BLEMISH
He shall not come nigh to offer the bread of his God
Those with defects may eat holy foodverses 22-23
He shall eat the bread of his God
both of the most HOLY – and of the HOLY
Only he shall not go in unto the VEIL – nor come nigh unto the altar
BECAUSE he hath a BLEMISH
that he profane not MY sanctuaries
FOR I the LORD do SANCTIFY them
Moses delivered instructions to Aaronverse 24
And Moses told it unto Aaron and to his sons
and unto all the children of Israel
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 8 You shall sanctify him therefore, for he offers the bread of your God: he shall be holy to your: for I the LORD, which sanctify you am holy. (7126 “offers” [qarab] means near, nigh, to get/come closer, approach, to step up to, to present as an act of worship, or to come forward)
DEVOTION: Special treatment is to be given to special people. Those who served the LORD as priests were a special group of people. They had more restrictions in their life than all the rest of the children of Israel.
They were not to be given an inheritance of land in the Promised Land. They were given cities to live in but no large block of land. Their support was supposed to come from the children of Israel.
The tribe of Levi was to be the LORD’S servants. Those who were not related to Moses and Aaron were to be the servants of the priests from the tribe of Levi. There were refuse cities given to the Levites for those who have accidently killed someone.
However, the priests were the ones who offered up food to the LORD. They were to bring the sacrifices to the LORD that the people brought to them. They were to eat part of most of the sacrifices which was part of their payment for service. There were other means of income that were given to the priests.
God selected the best of the descendants of Aaron to serve as priests. They were to have special physical features. They were to be without blemish. They were to be holy.
Again, we know that “holy” means separated from the rest of the people for service to the LORD. We are to be a holy people as well. We are to serve the LORD from the point of salvation until we meet HIM. HE expects service. HE expects obedience.
CHALLENGE: Those in leadership in the church are held to a higher standard and HE is the one who raises them up and puts them down. We have the responsibility to pray for our leaders. We are to honor our leaders who serve the LORD faithfully.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 10 And he that is the high priest among his brethren, on whose head the anointing oil was poured, and that is consecrated to put on the garments, shall not uncover his head, nor rend his clothes. (6533 “rend” [param] means to separate or cause to separate abruptly or violently, rip, or split a more flexible object into two or more parts)
DEVOTION: Here we have Moses giving instructions from the LORD to Aaron regarding the lifestyle of the High Priest. There were different instructions given to the regular priests but the High Priest had to live by a higher standard.
This passage deals with a High Priest who has lost a loved one. He is not to go to the funeral. He is not to leave the sanctuary area. He is not to dishonor the anointing oil.
The High Priest has been chosen for a certain time period to be the LORD’S representative to the people. While he had the holy garments on he was not to take them off to go to the funeral of a loved one.
He could not act like other people who lost a loved one. He was doing a special duty to the LORD for a given time period and he had to honor the commands of the LORD while in the office.
There are many people who don’t understand the commitment made by those who were to serve the LORD. If there is a calling to serve it has to be done in a manner that is pleasing to the LORD.
Today many men are called to serve the LORD as leaders in the local church. They have the responsibility to honor the LORD while they are doing this responsibility. They will not be sinless but they will keep short accounts with God as many in the congregation look up to them.
The office of High Priest was one that the rest of the people were to look up to and honor. He is no longer representing himself or his nation but the LORD.
CHALLENGE: These instructions were given to not only Aaron and his sons but to all of the children of Israel. They were to know what was expected of those who represented them before the LORD.
: 13 And he shall take a wife in her virginity. (1331 “virginity” [bathuwliyn] means maid, tokens of virginity, evidence of virginity, state of being a female virgin, or proof of virginity)
DEVOTION: In these days there was a custom to show that a daughter had never had sexual relations with a man. She was to take a special sheet with her to the honeymoon bed. Once they had a marriage relationship the blood of her virginity would be on the sheet. The father would keep the sheet in case the husband accused her of not being a virgin when they married.
Here we find that a High Priest could not marry any young girl who was not a virgin. It was a requirement for her and him. God wanted the one representing HIM to have special requirements for the office to keep it pure and holy. Marriage was to be between two virgins. That was the example the High Priest was to set for the LORD and for the people.
There seemed to be many women available to the High Priest but some of them were widowed or divorced or profane or harlots. These were not to be even considered by the High Priest.
The standard for God today is that two virgins should marry. That is not what is happening because society has taught even Christians that marriage in not for a lifetime.
So there are many Christians who are marrying individuals who are not pure in the eyes of the LORD. Does this mean that this was not happening in the tribes of the children of Israel? NO!!
The standard was for that day and is ideal for today. Divorce is not the unpardonable sin. Many in our churches are divorced for one reason or another. Some are divorced on Biblical grounds. Many are not.
We live in a world that is not ideal. It would be good for every believer to marry a virgin and live with them until they die. It seems that there are fewer and fewer of these couples around today. It should be the goal of every young person to look at marriage as a lifetime experience with the same person. That should be our prayer.
CHALLENGE: If you are looking for a spouse ask the LORD to direct you to one who loves HIM. Those who love the LORD can work out any trial in their marriage.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 17 Speak to Aaron, saying, Whosoever, he be of your seed in their generation that has any blemish, let him not approach to offer the bread of his God. (3971 “blemish” [muwm] means physical defect, to stain, blot or spot)
DEVOTION: God has given a standard for all the animals that can be sacrificed to HIM. These sacrifices had to be without blemish. If an animal had any defect, the LORD would not accept the sacrifice. The position of priest had the responsibility to inspect all sacrifices for defects. If they found a defect, they were to return the animal to the one who offered it to the LORD. We learn later in the history of the children of Israel that the priests were using any animal as a sacrifice to the LORD. It was a sin of leadership the LORD would judge.
In this chapter we have the standard for those who would serve as priests and those who would serve as High Priest. The standards for those who served in the priesthood, was very high. Those who didn’t qualify were able to eat of the bread but couldn’t serve it before the LORD inside the veil or in the holy of holies.
The first standard dealt with relatives that died related to the priest and High Priest. The High Priest could not defile himself by going to a funeral of a loved one. The priests could go to certain funerals.
The second standard dealt with who the priests could marry, especially the High Priest. He could only marry a virgin from the tribe of Aaron.
The third standard dealt with those who were born into the families of the children of Aaron. Anyone who was born into this family still had the privilege of eating the sacrifices but didn’t have the ability to offer the sacrifices. These included all those who had any physical defect. The list is long.
Why such a long list and why a list at all? The LORD answers this question by stating that HE is HOLY and those who were HIM must be without blemish. IF they entered the sanctuary, they would profane it according to HIM. HE has separated the sanctuary for only those who are without blemish.
Once we become a follower of Christ we are without blemish because of the blood of Jesus Christ. We are declared HOLY. We are declared a child of the King. We have changed families. HE accepts our service to HIM.
However, there is a list of standards for those who serve in the offices of pastor and deacon in the local church. We examine those who attend our churches to see if they are qualified to enter the offices. Many are not able. Some have things happen to their marriages that limit their availability for service. Some have things happen in their families that limit their availability for service. Some who serve today as pastors or deacons would not qualify to be priests in the Old Testament. This does not seem to disqualify them for service.
CHALLENGE: Know God’s standards for our lives and practice them. Confess sins regularly. Serve the LORD with GLADNESS. Help others to live lives that are pleasing in HIS sight. Only chose men who are qualified to serve as leaders. Some are want-a-be pastors and they are hurting the church. Look for men who are dedicated to the LORD and trained in HIS WORD.
:20 Or crookbacked, or a dwarf, or that has a blemish in his eye, or be scurvy, or scabbed, or has his stones broken; (810 “stones” [ʾeshek] means testicles. [Strong, J. (1995). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship])
DEVOTION: Here we see a euphemism being used to describe someone who had been involved in an accident and had his testicles crushed. So, he would be infertile and unable to conceive a family. If this were to happen to a Levite male, he would be incapable of doing temple (or tabernacle) duties that all of the rest of the males in his family were allowed (and expected) to do.
The challenge of this could be crushing to such a person. No family, no respect, no honor. Yet there were people (not Levites) that this happened to in Old Testament—Daniel and his three friends. Once part of the royal family, they had been humiliated by Nebuchadnezzar by being castrated. Never to have a family due to infertility, and never to get married due to the shame of being less than a true man. However, we see that Daniel never wavered in his faithful allegiance to the LORD in spite of all of his circumstances, and that God prospered him through the royal courts of at least three kings.
While God is the one who decides which disabilities. He allows us to have, He is also the one who decides what ministries we can have because of our disabilities. Paul was one who had to learn that it was God who wanted to use his weaknesses for the furtherance of His kingdom, and Paul had to be willing to cooperate with God in allowing God to do so (2 Corinthians 12:8-10). God is looking for the same thing in our lives today as well, and waits for us to surrender our weaknesses to Him so that He can use them for His glory in the way that He only can do.
CHALLENGE: What physical challenge do you face today? Ask God to help you minister to others with this problem so that His glory will rest upon you. (MW)
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD (Jehovah)verses 1, 6, 8, 12, 15, 16, 21, 23
God (Elohim)verses 6-8, 12, 17, 21, 22
Holyverse 8
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Defiled for the deadverses 1, 3, 4, 11
Profaneverses 4, 6, 7, 9, 12, 15, 23
Priest make baldness, shave beard, cuttingverse 5
Take a whore for wife [priest]verses 7, 14
Divorced [priest]verses 7, 14
Widow [priest]verse 14
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on cross for our sins)
Holyverses 6-8
Sanctifyverses 8, 15, 23
Consecratedverse 10
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Priests: sons of Aaronverse 1
Offerings of the LORDverse 6
High Priestverses 10-15
Wife in her virginity
Blemish keeps out of the High Priesthoodverses 17-23
blind – lame – flat nose –brokenfooted
brokenhanded – crookbacked
dwarf – blemish in his eye
scurvy – scabbed
his stones broken
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
Burnt with fireverse 9
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QUOTES regarding passage
21:7–8. For the same reasons the priests were to avoid marrying prostitutes and divorcees, but could marry a widow (contrast v. 14). Obviously, the reputation of a priest’s wife could reflect on her husband’s fitness to minister in holy things. The motivation and means of holiness are found in the divine pronouncement, I the Lord, who makes you holy, that is, the Lord, your Sanctifier, am holy. The threefold repetition of this (or a similar) phrase marks off the three major sections of this chapter (cf. vv. 15, 23).
21:9. Not only the reputation of a priest’s wife (vv. 7–8) but also that of his daughter affected his fitness for priestly service. Such prostitution (either cultic, at a pagan shrine, or noncultic) required the death penalty (burned by fire). (Lindsey, F. D. (1985). Leviticus. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 203). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
The high priests’s sons (vv. 1–8). 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. Other Jews in the camp could plan weddings and funerals pretty much as they pleased, but God told the priests how to express their grief (vv. 1–6) and how to select a wife (vv. 7–8). (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Holy (p. 91). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books)
Ver. 8. Thou shalt sanctify him therefore, &c.] In thought and word, as Aben Ezra, by thinking and speaking well of him; should esteem and reckon him a holy person, being in a sacred office, and honour him as such; and do all that can be done to preserve him from unholiness and impurity, and particularly from marrying with improper and unsuitable persons, such as would bring a scandal on him and his sacred office: this seems to be spoken to Moses, and so to the civil magistrate in succession, who were not to suffer such marriages to take place in the priesthood; and were not only to persuade from it, but to exercise their authority, and oblige them to put away such wives, and if they refused, to use severity; so Jarchi, “thou shall sanctify him, whether he will or no; if he will not put her away, beat him and chastise him until he does put her away,” see Ezra 2:62: for he offereth the bread of the Lord; meaning not the shew-bread he set in order before the Lord every week, but the various gift and sacrifices which were offered to God by him, and were acceptable to him as his food; and therefore he ought to be holy that drew nigh to God, and was employed in such service, see ver. 6: he shall be holy unto thee; in thy account and estimation, and for thy service to offer holy sacrifices, and therefore should be careful of his holiness to preserve it: for I the Lord, which sanctify you, am holy; in his nature, works, and ways, and who had separated them from all other people to be a holy people to him, and therefore they that ministered in holy things for them should be holy likewise. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 1, p. 659). London: Mathews and Leigh)
21:8, 9 Prostitution, the ultimate promiscuity, was the opposite of holiness, the ultimate faithfulness. The priest’s daughter was to reflect her father’s holiness to God, especially in an age when everything one did reflected on one’s family. (Radmacher, E. D., Allen, R. B., & House, H. W. (1999). Nelson’s new illustrated Bible commentary (p. 183). Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers.)
7–8 One special reason for the prohibition in v.7 is that there should be no question of paternity about the next generation of priests. For the same reason the high priest must marry a “virgin from his own people” (v.14). Josephus (Antiq. XIII, 291–92 [x.5]) tells of a high priest in the Hasmonean house who was accused of doubtful paternity because his mother had been a slave (and therefore not able to resist illegitimate union). (Harris, R. L. (1990). Leviticus. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers (Vol. 2, p. 616). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
21:7–9 Priests are also prohibited from marrying prostitutes and divorcees (21:7). The noun “divorcee” is from the root grš, which denotes a separation between persons or groups. The term has the meaning of “drive away” and was used for driving Adam from the garden (Gen 3:24), but most often it was used for driving the Canaanites from the land (Exod 23:28, 29, 31; 33:2; Deut 33:27; Josh 24:12, 18; Judg 2:3; 6:9; 1 Chr 17:21; Pss 78:55; 80:8 [9]). The term is also used of divorce in Num 30:10; Ezek 44:22. In the Old Testament the rite of divorce was restricted to the man except on occasions when the man falsely accused his wife of premarital intercourse or when he had sexual relations with her prior to marriage (Deut 22:13–21, 28–29). Since priests could marry widows, the prohibition was designed to be a comment on the woman’s character rather than her sexual experience. Also since only in the case of the widow was the former sexual partner absent, the legislation must be addressing the question of paternity. There could be a question of a male son’s legitimacy for priesthood if his mother had been sexually active shortly before she married the priest.
If the daughter of a priest becomes a prostitute, it is a capital offense of death by burning (21:9). A priest who would allow a prostitute to reside under his roof would not be qualified to render decisions on behalf of the covenant community. This rare form of punishment was also suggested for prostitution in Genesis 38. This prohibition regarding the priest’s daughter may also be a warning of apostasy, since pagan worship often involved cultic prostitution. The priest was not in any way to be associated with these evil practices because he was the designated vessel in the service of God (21:8).
( Rooker, M. F. (2000). Leviticus (Vol. 3A, pp. 274–275). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
Romans 15
We are to conduct our lives in a way that glorifies God
INSIGHT
When we become Christians, we exchange our citizenship on earth for citizenship in heaven. Therefore, we live according to the value system in heaven, not the value system on earth. On earth we look out for ourselves, and we satisfy our own wants and desires. In heaven we look out for the welfare of others. This does not mean that we neglect ourselves and our families. Other passages in Scripture indicate that we are to love our spouses, children, and parents and care for their needs, which brings this teaching into balance with other truths. (Quiet Walk)
Understanding Through the Word
“Thy hands have made me and fashioned me: give me understanding, that I may learn thy commandments.” (Psalm 119:73)
Understanding the Word of God begins with seeing God as the Creator of all things (Colossians 1:16-17). The beginning of faith rests solidly on belief in the creation (Hebrews 11:3), and even the “everlasting gospel” embraces the conscious worship of the Creator (Revelation 14:6-7). “I am the LORD, and there is none else….Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker!” (Isaiah 45:5, 9).
Scholars who distort Scripture to compromise with the atheistic naturalism of evolutionary science wind up “ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Timothy 3:7). May God rebuke them.
The theme of this stanza (Psalm 119:73-80) weaves a series of requests around various examples of need centered around the psalmist’s leadership position. “They that fear thee will be glad when they see me; because I have hoped in thy word” (v. 74). “Let those that fear thee turn unto me, and those that have known thy testimonies” (v. 79).
Though he recognized that the Lord “afflicted” him in the past (v. 75), the psalmist also expected the Lord to bring him mercies and comfort, for the law of God was his delight (v. 77). We might view this godly leader as “set for the defence of the gospel” (Philippians 1:17) and “ready always to give an answer” (1 Peter 3:15).
In summary, the last verse of this stanza reads: “Let my heart be sound in thy statutes; that I be not ashamed” (Psalm 119:80). Would God that our hearts be driven to this level of boldness in our witness while resting in the absolute authority, integrity, and accuracy of the infallible writings of the Creator God for our salvation (2 Timothy 3:16).
(HMM III, The Institute for Creation Research)
JESUS, HIS SON
…the blood of Jesus Christ his Son …1 John 1:7
I would not say there is no value at all in good, uplifting, and moral teaching or that there is no benefit to be derived by society from the consideration of noble ideas and exalted conceptions with regard to life. That is all right, but it is just not Christianity. It has nothing to do with it, in a sense, and we can do no greater violence to the New Testament doctrine than to represent the message of Christ’s birth as but some vague general message of goodwill and of good cheer and happiness. That is not its message at all.
If we do not start with the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, if we are not absolutely clear about Him, then there is nothing. There is no good news, there is no evangel, there is no gospel; there is nothing to cheer us up, there is no hope. We are just living in the darkness of the world, and we are unutterably foolish in trying to persuade ourselves that things are better than they really are. There is no such thing, in a sense, as “the Christmas spirit.” That is not the Christian message, which is not a vague spirit; it is a message of news concerning Christ. So, therefore, we must of necessity start at this point and be absolutely clear about this matter.
As has often been pointed out, Christianity is Christ. It all centers around Him, and every doctrine that we have and every idea that we possess is something that comes from Him. Therefore, of necessity we must start with Him, and of course John in this letter has already done so. The whole message that John has to deliver to us is that there is only one way of fellowship and communion with God, and that is because of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is He alone who can enable us to know this fellowship, for there is “one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5).
A Thought to Ponder: Christianity is Christ.
(From Fellowship with God, pp. 148-149, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones).
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