Leviticus 22:17-20 A burnt offering or a final sacrifice?

 17Then the LORD said to Moses, 18“Speak to Aaron and his sons and all the Israelites and tell them, ‘Any man of the house of Israel or any foreign resident who presents a gift for a burnt offering to the LORD, whether to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering, 19must offer an unblemished male from the cattle, sheep, or goats in order for it to be accepted on your behalf. 20You must not present anything with a defect, because it will not be accepted on your behalf.

“The Hebrew word for “burnt offering” actually means to “ascend,“ literally to “go up in smoke.” The smoke from the sacrifice ascended to God, “a soothing aroma to the LORD” (Leviticus 1:9). Technically, any offering burned over an altar was a burnt offering, but in more specific terms, a burnt offering was the complete destruction of the animal (except for the hide) in an effort to renew the relationship between Holy God and sinful man. With the development of the law, God gave the Israelites specific instructions as to the types of burnt offerings and what they symbolized.”

https://www.gotquestions.org/burnt-offering.html

unblemished, must not present anything with a defect......

Malachi 1: 7By presenting defiled food on My altar.

But you ask, ‘How have we defiled You?’

By saying that the table of the LORD is contemptible.

8When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is it not wrong? And when you present the lame and sick ones, is it not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you or show you favor?” asks the LORD of Hosts.

"How was Jesus’ sacrifice better than the Levitical sacrifices?"

“In short, the sacrifice of Jesus is better than the Levitical sacrifices because Jesus’ sacrifice did what the Levitical sacrifices could never do—make forgiveness of sins possible, once and for all, with a sacrifice that is never to be repeated.”(A final sacrifice!)

https://www.gotquestions.org/Jesus-better-Levitical-sacrifices.html

Which sacrifice do you put your trust (salvation) in?

Blessings, David 

Leviticus 22:10-16 The Lords Provision!

 10No one outside a priest’s family may eat the sacred offering, nor may the guest of a priest or his hired hand eat it. 11But if a priest buys a slave with his own money, or if a slave is born in his household, that slave may eat his food.

12If the priest’s daughter is married to a man other than a priest, she is not to eat of the sacred contributions. 13But if a priest’s daughter with no children becomes widowed or divorced and returns to her father’s house, she may share her father’s food as in her youth. But no outsider may share it.

14If anyone eats a sacred offering in error, he must add a fifth to its value and give the sacred offering to the priest. 15The priests must not profane the sacred offerings that the Israelites present to the LORD 16by allowing the people to eat the sacred offerings and thus to bear the punishment for guilt. For I am the LORD who sanctifies them.”

The Lord’s provision had to receive special care as they were sanctified by the Lord and not everyone could eat of it. These verses explain who, what when and where.

I am a sinful man and my nature reminds me everyday. But if it wasn’t for the Lord Jesus I’d be doomed! He provides me with a daily dose of spiritual food which helps me get through my day. 

I am thankful for the Lords provision, the remission of sins, His daily blessings and His undeserved love. 

Without Him I couldn’t get through it!

Do you indulge in a daily dose of spiritual food?

Blessings, David 

Leviticus 22:4-9 Cleanliness is next to Godliness?

  4If a descendant of Aaron has a skin disease or a discharge, he may not eat the sacred offerings until he is clean. Whoever touches anything defiled by a corpse or by a man who has an emission of semen, 5or whoever touches a crawling creature or a person that makes him unclean, whatever the uncleanness may be— 6the man who touches any of these will remain unclean until evening. He must not eat from the sacred offerings unless he has bathed himself with water.

7When the sun has set, he will become clean, and then he may eat from the sacred offerings, for they are his food. 8He must not eat anything found dead or torn by wild animals, which would make him unclean. I am the LORD. 9The priests must keep My charge, lest they bear the guilt and die because they profane it. I am the LORD who sanctifies them.

Cleanliness is next to Godliness?

John Wesley wrote, “Slovenliness is no part of religion. Cleanliness is indeed next to Godliness." John Wesley used it in a sermon but he didn’t say it was in the Bible.

The descendants of Aaron, the priests “cleanliness“ outside and inside is because of holiness, eating sacred offerings.

But look what Jesus said:

Matthew 23: "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean.

They weren’t clean on the inside!

We can say we need to be clean on the inside because Jesus looks at the heart ❤️.

Some churches have the motto, come as you are. I recall one stormy winter day I wore a military jacket to church and a lady whom I did not know judged me for wearing it to church. My reply was, if you knew where I lived you’d understand why I wore it. 

I suspect she doesn’t understand the “come as you are” concept and didn’t care for my outward appearance.

The Lord gave us our body and He wants us to take care of it but He is more concerned with our heart ❤️condition (our cleanliness on the inside).

What is your ❤️ condition?

Blessings, David 

Leviticus 22:1-3 His Will!

 1Then the LORD said to Moses, 2“Tell Aaron and his sons to treat with respect the sacred offerings that the Israelites have consecrated to Me, so that they do not profane My holy name. I am the LORD.

3Tell them that for the generations to come, if any of their descendants in a state of uncleanness approaches the sacred offerings that the Israelites consecrate to the LORD, that person must be cut off from My presence. I am the LORD.

Everything had to be pure, because it is a shadow (a copy) of what is in heaven!

Hebrews 8: 4Now if He were on earth, He would not be a priest, since there are already priests who offer gifts according to the law. 5The place where they serve is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.”

This reminds me of the Lord prayer...

Matthew 6: 9So then, this is how you should pray:

‘Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be Your name.

10Your kingdom come,

Your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

11Give us this day our daily bread.

12And forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

13And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from the evil one.b’

“10Your kingdom come,

Your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.”

His will, do you understand that?

Blessings, David 

Leviticus 22:1-3 His Will!

 1Then the LORD said to Moses, 2“Tell Aaron and his sons to treat with respect the sacred offerings that the Israelites have consecrated to Me, so that they do not profane My holy name. I am the LORD.

3Tell them that for the generations to come, if any of their descendants in a state of uncleanness approaches the sacred offerings that the Israelites consecrate to the LORD, that person must be cut off from My presence. I am the LORD.

Everything had to be pure, because it is a shadow (a copy) of what is in heaven!

Hebrews 8: 4Now if He were on earth, He would not be a priest, since there are already priests who offer gifts according to the law. 5The place where they serve is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.”

This reminds me of the Lord prayer...

Matthew 6: 9So then, this is how you should pray:

‘Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be Your name.

10Your kingdom come,

Your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

11Give us this day our daily bread.

12And forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

13And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from the evil one.b’

“10Your kingdom come,

Your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.”

His will, do you understand that?

Blessings, David 

Leviticus 21:16-24 Physical Abnormalities!

 16Then the LORD said to Moses, 17“Say to Aaron, ‘For the generations to come, none of your descendants who has a physical defect may approach to offer the food of his God.

Physical and Spiritual defects!

Every animal sacrificed must be without blemish and the same law applies to the priests who offer the sacrifices.

Lev 1:3 NKJV - 3 'If his offering [is] a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish; he shall offer it of his own free will at the door of the tabernacle of meeting before the LORD.

18No man who has any defect may approach—no man who is blind, lame, disfigured, or deformed; 19no man who has a broken foot or hand, 20or who is a hunchback or dwarf, or who has an eye defect, a festering rash, scabs, or a crushed testicle.

“The twelve physical abnormalities listed may be representative, although this passage comprises the most comprehensive discussion on the subject of defects in the Bible.” (Rooker)

21No descendant of Aaron the priest who has a defect shall approach to present the offerings made by fire to the LORD. Since he has a defect, he is not to come near to offer the food of his God. 22He may eat the most holy food of his God as well as the holy food, 23but because he has a defect, he must not go near the veil or approach the altar, so as not to desecrate My sanctuaries. For I am the LORD who sanctifies them.’ ”

24Moses told this to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites.

“The expression come near the veil, then, means to go into the first part of the sanctuary to put bread on the table, to light the lamps, and to burn the incense to God.” (Peter-Contesse)

We may be weak, we have have physical abnormalities but......

“Our involuntary weaknesses shall not debar us from benefit by Christ.” (Trapp)

Matthew 11:28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.

When I am weak, when I have physical abnormalities, when I have a heavy burden I call out to Jesus and lean on Him to get me through the day! 

He benefits me greatly!

Do you benefit from Christ?

Blessings, David

Leviticus 21:10-15 The high priest!

 10The priest who is highest among his brothers, who has had the anointing oil poured on his head and has been ordained to wear the priestly garments, must not let his hair hang loose or tear his garments. 11He must not go near any dead body; he must not defile himself, even for his father or mother. 12He must not leave or desecrate the sanctuary of his God, for the consecration of the anointing oil of his God is on him. I am the LORD.

13The woman he marries must be a virgin. 14He is not to marry a widow, a divorced woman, or one defiled by prostitution. He is to marry a virgin from his own people, 15so that he does not defile his offspring among his people, for I am the LORD who sanctifies him.”

The high priest!

He wasn’t allowed to morn the dead, not even his parents!

He must not let his hair hang loose or tear his garments.

Matthew 26: 65At this, the high priest tore his clothes and declared, “He has blasphemed! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy. 66What do you think?”

Caiaphas the high priest sinned at the trial of Jesus!

He also was to be very selective with the woman he married because he was sanctified by the Lord.

“The mention of a harlot is intended to remind the Israelites that cultic prostitution of the Canaanite variety had no place whatever in the life of the covenant community, since such behaviour would profane God’s holy name.” (Harrison)

Jesus was our high priest!

Hebrews 4: 14Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we profess. 15For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who was tempted in every way that we are, yet was without sin. 16Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Is Jesus your high priest?

Blessings, David 

https://www.gotquestions.org/Jesus-High-Priest.html