God gave His people some pretty specific instructions throughout Leviticus. He was giving them the rules that would lead to healthier, happier lives and build a relationship with Him. God also laid out specific rules for the spiritual leaders of the people, those charged with teaching the people about Him and representing them before God.
In Leviticus 21, God gives even more specific rules for the daily living of the priest, including who a priest could or could not marry (vv 7-8), with even more stringent rules for the high priest, the most important spiritual leader in the land (vv. 10-13).
In Leviticus 21:16-23, it looks like God is unfairly discriminating against handicapped people by saying that they are unqualified to offer sacrifices. But that isn’t the case! Just as God had instructed that no imperfect animals were sacrificed, so too it was that no imperfect priest could offer the sacrifice. Rather than being an insult to a handicapped priest, this had to do with the extreme precision that priests had to follow in sacrificing an animal to the Lord. Additionally, any Levites who were handicapped were to be cared for and supported by the people, just like all the Levites. And, as was their Levitical birthright, they had the opportunity to perform many essential tasks and services within the Tabernacle.
But it does still beg the question about why their were so many rules and guidelines for priests (Lev. 22:1-9)? You’ll recall that the Israelites lived in Egypt for nearly 400 years, so they would be very familiar with the behavior of the Egyptian priests, who were motivated not by the gods they served, but by accumulating political power within the empire. For the Egyptian priests, religion was just a means to gain that power. God did not want His priests to be viewed with the same suspicion and ill-regard the Egyptians had for their priests. God’s priests were to serve both Him and the people. All of God’s priests’ duties were religious; their goal to bring the people nearer to God and worship Him. This is also the reason that the priests weren’t able to own land or take money from anyone; by being totally dependent on the people, the priests’ activities could never be mistaken as politically motivated, thus allowing the priests to accomplish what they were supposed to be doing: leading the people to God.
Lastly, God talks about unworthy sacrifices (Lev. 22:19-25). Animals with defects were unacceptable to God because the sacrifice was meant to represent God’s perfect nature. Beyond just that, the animal sacrifices were representative of the Perfect Sacrifice that God would make for us through His Son.
The same still holds true for us today. How often to we lazily give a tithe or an offering, or try to short-change God? We are telling God that He isn’t good enough for our best, but just good enough to get something. We give because we feel obligated, not because we care about God. Much later in their history, the Israelites also forgot what God had instructed them to to, and took God or granted, just assuming that doing something was “good enough.” Listen to what God has to say about that in Malachi 1:6-14:
6 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies says to the priests: “A son honors his father, and a servant respects his master. If I am your father and master, where are the honor and respect I deserve? You have shown contempt for my name!
“But you ask, ‘How have we ever shown contempt for your name?’
7 “You have shown contempt by offering defiled sacrifices on my altar.
“Then you ask, ‘How have we defiled the sacrifices?’
“You defile them by saying the altar of the Lord deserves no respect. 8 When you give blind animals as sacrifices, isn’t that wrong? And isn’t it wrong to offer animals that are crippled and diseased? Try giving gifts like that to your governor, and see how pleased he is!” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
9 “Go ahead, beg God to be merciful to you! But when you bring that kind of offering, why should he show you any favor at all?” asks the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
10 “How I wish one of you would shut the Temple doors so that these worthless sacrifices could not be offered! I am not pleased with you,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “and I will not accept your offerings. 11 But my name is honored by people of other nations from morning till night. All around the world they offer sweet incense and pure offerings in honor of my name. For my name is great among the nations,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
12 “But you dishonor my name with your actions. By bringing contemptible food, you are saying it’s all right to defile the Lord’s table. 13 You say, ‘It’s too hard to serve the Lord,’ and you turn up your noses at my commands,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “Think of it! Animals that are stolen and crippled and sick are being presented as offerings! Should I accept from you such offerings as these?” asks the Lord.
14 “Cursed is the cheat who promises to give a fine ram from his flock but then sacrifices a defective one to the Lord. For I am a great king,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “and my name is feared among the nations!
Remember, the next time you are in church, that you are in God’s house. God wants us to be holy because HE is holy. We respect our parents, our friends, we should also respect God. In the end, who has done more for us than He has?
Encounter: Are you living for God, or merely living?
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