Tuesday, April 7, 2015

LEVITICUS: The Holiness of the Offerings, What's Accepted and Not Accepted; "Do not profane My holy name by what they dedicate to Me: I am the Lord. I will be hallowed among the children of Israel."

Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,... (Leviticus 22:1) 

Previously, we studied how the Lord God's laws and commandments regarding the holiness of the priests and how they were to conduct themselves in that office of service and ministry to the tabernacle and on behalf of the children of Israel. (Leviticus 21) The Lord God summarizes many of those instructions here. “Speak to Aaron and his sons, that they separate themselves from the holy things of the children of Israel, and that they do not profane My holy name by what they dedicate to Me: I am the Lord. Say to them: ‘Whoever of all your descendants throughout your generations, who goes near the holy things which the children of Israel dedicate to the Lord, while he has uncleanness upon him, that person shall be cut off from My presence: I am the Lord. (Leviticus 22:2-3) 

‘Whatever man of the descendants of Aaron, who is a leper or has a discharge, shall not eat the holy offerings until he is clean. And whoever touches anything made unclean by a corpse, or a man who has had an emission of semen, or whoever touches any creeping thing by which he would be made unclean, or any person by whom he would become unclean, whatever his uncleanness may be— the person who has touched any such thing shall be unclean until evening, and shall not eat the holy offerings unless he washes his body with water. And when the sun goes down he shall be clean; and afterward he may eat the holy offerings, because it is his food. Whatever dies naturally or is torn by beasts he shall not eat, to defile himself with it: I am the Lord. (Leviticus 22:4-8) 

‘They shall therefore keep My ordinance, lest they bear sin for it and die thereby, if they profane it: I the Lord sanctify them. (Leviticus 22:9) The Lord God required that the priests take their responsibilities very seriously, because they represented His Holiness before the children of Israel. Remember two of Aaron's sons who were priests, Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them. So fire went out from the Lord and devoured them, and they died before the Lord. (Leviticus 10:1-2) 

And Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord spoke, saying: ‘By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; and before all the people I must be glorified.’” So Aaron held his peace. (Leviticus 10:3) Leaders are supposed to set the example of how the rest of us are supposed to behave. Christ Jesus taught the disciples many thing, and after one of his demonstrations, He said, "For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you." (John 13:15) Later the Apostle Paul would use a similar statement, Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern. (Philippians 3:17)

The Lord God charged the children of Israel to also conduct themselves in such a way that represented His Holiness before the world. (Leviticus 12-19) Here, He would reiterate who was allowed to eat the part of the sacrifices set aside, after they were offered for sins and trespasses. ‘No outsider shall eat the holy offering; one who dwells with the priest, or a hired servant, shall not eat the holy thing. But if the priest buys a person with his money, he may eat it; and one who is born in his house may eat his food. If the priest’s daughter is married to an outsider, she may not eat of the holy offerings. But if the priest’s daughter is a widow or divorced, and has no child, and has returned to her father’s house as in her youth, she may eat her father’s food; but no outsider shall eat it. (Leviticus 22:10-13) 

‘And if a man eats the holy offering unintentionally, then he shall restore a holy offering to the priest, and add one-fifth to it. They shall not profane the holy offerings of the children of Israel, which they offer to the Lord, or allow them to bear the guilt of trespass when they eat their holy offerings; for I the Lord sanctify them.’” (Leviticus 22:14-16)

Finally, the Lord God would state again which animals are accepted and not accepted as sacrifice offerings. (Leviticus 11And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and his sons, and to all the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘Whatever man of the house of Israel, or of the strangers in Israel, who offers his sacrifice for any of his vows or for any of his freewill offerings, which they offer to the Lord as a burnt offering— you shall offer of your own free will a male without blemish from the cattle, from the sheep, or from the goats. Whatever has a defect, you shall not offer, for it shall not be acceptable on your behalf. (Leviticus 22:17-20) 

'And whoever offers a sacrifice of a peace offering to the Lord, to fulfill his vow, or a freewill offering from the cattle or the sheep, it must be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no defect in it. Those that are blind or broken or maimed, or have an ulcer or eczema or scabs, you shall not offer to the Lord, nor make an offering by fire of them on the altar to the Lord. Either a bull or a lamb that has any limb too long or too short you may offer as a freewill offering, but for a vow it shall not be accepted. (Leviticus 22:21-23) 

‘You shall not offer to the Lord what is bruised or crushed, or torn or cut; nor shall you make any offering of them in your land. Nor from a foreigner’s hand shall you offer any of these as the bread of your God, because their corruption is in them, and defects are in them. They shall not be accepted on your behalf.’” (Leviticus 22;24-25) Thank God for Christ Jesus, that we ...were not redeemed with corruptible things,... but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. (I Peter 1:18-19)

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: “When a bull or a sheep or a goat is born, it shall be seven days with its mother; and from the eighth day and thereafter it shall be accepted as an offering made by fire to the Lord. Whether it is a cow or ewe, do not kill both her and her young on the same day. And when you offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Lord, offer it of your own free will. On the same day it shall be eaten; you shall leave none of it until morning: I am the Lord. (Leviticus 22:26-30) 

“Therefore you shall keep My commandments, and perform them: I am the Lord. You shall not profane My holy name, but I will be hallowed among the children 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.” (Leviticus 22:31-33) All of this was required by the Lord God as a way of sanctifying the children of Israel, for He had said, "Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am the Lord your God. And you shall keep My statutes, and perform them: I am the Lord who sanctifies you." (Leviticus 20:7-8)

God has sanctified us, set us apart from the world also, through our faith in His Son, Christ Jesus as our Savior and Lord. When Christ Jesus prayed for His disciples, He said, "I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth." (John 17:14-19)

Christ Jesus's death, like that of the sacrifices, was the final sacrifice needed to sanctify us. And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this Man [Christ Jesus], after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. (Hebrews 10:11-14) 

But the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us; for after He had said before, “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,” then He adds, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin. (Hebrews 10:15-18)

Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. (Hebrews 10:19-22) AMEN!

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