Leviticus 22:1-33


The Lord has made special provisions for the priests who serve in the tabernacle so that they can dedicate themselves to their service to the Lord while at the same time they can provide for the needs of their family.  This was God’s gift to the priests, and as a gift from God to them it was to be treated with reverence and respect.  We must never treat the gifts of God to us with irreverence but must receive them with thanksgiving and obedience.  Every gift that God gives has a purpose and He is glorified when we use His gifts for their intended purpose.

GOD’S PROVISION IS SACRED: The sacrifices that were brought to the tabernacle were God’s means of providing for the forgiveness of the people as well as for the support of the priests who offered these sacrifices.  It was very important to God that the priest realized the sacredness of this gift from God to them.  Only he and his family were allowed to eat this food.  However, they were only allowed to eat it when they were ceremonially clean before the Lord.  If they had come into contact with a dead body or anything else that would cause them to become unclean, they were not allowed to eat of the sacrifice until they were cleansed.  It is important that we realize the holiness of all the gifts that God gives to us.  Reverence in these days of informality and familiarity seems to be a lost virtue in the lives of many believers.

GOD’S PREREQUISITE IS SACRIFICE: The people were to bring sacrifices before the Lord as an admission of their sin and as recognition that they needed forgiveness from God.  The sacrifice was to prefigure the final sacrifice of Christ made on behalf of all of mankind.  The blood of animals could not pay for the sins of men, but the blood of the Son of God who took on flesh so that He could pay for our sin was the perfect sacrifice for our sin.  Since the animals were representatives of Christ it was vital that they be perfect sacrifices and not blemished or lame animals.  God has given us the very best in His Son and e demands the very best of us.  God expects us to dedicate our gifts to Him with excellence.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Isaiah 54:1-17

Hope is a wonderful blessing from God, without which we would be vulnerable to all kinds of destructive tendencies in our lives.  Today’s society is marked by depression, anger, fear, anxiety and self-righteousness, in large part, because of the sense of hopelessness that prevails in our culture.  Isaiah writes to a people who are about to be taken into captivity because of their sin.  God knows that they will feel rejected, threatened and hopeless so He reveals His future plans for the nation in order to give them hope in the midst of the coming trial.  Hope is the expectation of good based upon the promises of God.  Many times when our lives are marked by the sins mentioned above it is because we have forgotten or failed to focus upon the promises of God’s Word. THE PROMISE OF GOD: From the very first day that God revealed His plan for the nation of Israel, He promised numerous descendants.  God chose Abraham, not because he was more righteous than any of the other people of his
Read more

1 Timothy 1:3-7

As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not   to teach any different doctrine,   nor   to devote themselves to myths and endless   genealogies, which promote   speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith.    The aim of our charge is love   that issues from a pure heart and   a good conscience and   a sincere faith.    Certain persons, by   swerving from these, have wandered away into   vain discussion, desiring to be teachers of the law,   without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.   There will always be false teachers that come into the church attempting to distract people from the truth and destroy people’s faith.  When this happens, it is the job of spiritually mature leaders to confront these false teachers and correct their teachings.  However, it is important that this correction be accomplished with the right motives and methods. 
Read more

1 Timothy 2:11-15

Let a woman learn quietly   with all submissiveness.    I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.    For Adam was formed first,   then Eve;   and Adam was not deceived, but   the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.    Yet she will be saved through   childbearing—if they continue in   faith and love and holiness, with self-control. There is certainly controversy and confusion about this passage in many churches today.  The idea of a distinction between men and women and their roles in the family and church certainly goes against the flow of many cultures around the world.  Some would argue that the literal and plain teaching of this passage is no longer applicable to today’s culture.  However, it is always dangerous to discard biblical teaching or try to interpret Scripture based on the cultures in which we live.  Certainly, the Spirit who inspired this text was aware of the many changes that would occur in future cul
Read more