Separation of the Priests

INTRO

Remember when we brought in a Jewish person who knew everything about Leviticus? I want you to feel qualified to teach and share with others. I want you to feel like you can teach on Leviticus 22 today. Hopefully, you wouldn’t run in fear. Hebrews 5—6 says we should no longer be teaching on the elementary things, but we should be teaching on things that are deep and mature in the Lord.

Here is a list of the commentaries I use in these studies:

• The John MacArthur Bible Commentary
• Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Commentary
• New American Bible Commentaryby Mark F. Rooker (who wrote only on Leviticus)
• The World Biblical Commentaryby John E. Hartley
• JPS Torah Commentary

Before you read any of the commentaries listed above, the first place you need to go to is the Holy Spirit. Scripture says you don’t need anyone to teach you; let the Holy Spirit teach you (John 14:26).

TEACHING

Leviticus 22:1: Remember, Leviticus 22 is an instruction manual of how the priests were supposed to be living their lives as holy men. Sometimes when you go through the routines of ministry over and over, it can become lifeless. Moses warned the priests not to become lifeless. Wiersbe recorded, “Novelist George McDonald said ‘Nothing is so deadening to the divine as a habitual dealing with outsiders of holy things.’”¹We’re going to walk through the three things Wiersbe says were to keep the priests from becoming lifeless: First, let’s make sure we are not becoming unclean priests.²

Leviticus 22:2–4: Moses was to tell Aaron and his sons to deal respectfully with the holy offerings. If anyone approached the holy offerings unclean, he would be cut off. Sometimes that meant he would be killed, and sometimes it meant removing him and putting him someplace else. None of Aaron’s descendants who had a skin disease (leprosy) or discharge could eat of the holy offerings until they were clean.

Leviticus 22:5–7: If a priest was made unclean, he would remain unclean until evening and would not eat of the holy offerings unless he had bathed his body with water. Not only was water a part of the cleansing process, but so was time. When sunset came, only then would he become clean. Then he would be able eat of the holy offering, for that was his food.

Leviticus 22:8: A priest was not to eat an animal that died naturally or was mauled by wild beasts. Ordinary people could, but priests were to be set apart. Remember the whole goal was that the Lord was setting them apart.

Leviticus 22:9: The Lord wanted the priest to keep His instructions. A priest could actually go along with this routine and his life be a mess. That’s called hypocrisy. Hypocrisy goes on in the church. That’s why I believe we need a move of God. In order to be a priest, a man could not be a part of these things that are unclean. In Matthew 23:25–27, Jesus described religious hypocrisy.

Leviticus 22:10–16: Second, there could be unqualified guests.³While the priest might want to bless others, the commandment said not to feed people. The priests couldn’t feed guests. Only their immediate family could eat of the sacrificed food. Sometimes, being set apart means saying no to the things you really want to do.

If priests purchased someone (a slave), that person could not partake. If a priest’s daughter was married to someone outside the family (son-in-law), she could not eat either. If the daughter became widowed or divorced, had no children to take care for her, and returned to the house to live, then the father could share the food with her. The priests were not to profane the holy offerings.

Leviticus 22:17–30: Third, make sure you are not allowing unacceptable sacrifices.⁴Fellowship sacrifices were to be unblemished sheep or cattle. Someone bringing an unacceptable sacrifice may be thinking, “Oh, it’s okay if that sheep is missing an ear.” If we are not careful, we can go from the standard, which is constant, to sin (Malachi 1:13). Second Samuel 24:24 says God is worthy of our best. Stop trying to cut corners in your walk with the Lord. Only what’s perfect is acceptable.

Leviticus 22:31–33: The Lord said, “Keep My commands and do them. I am the LORD. Do not profane My holy name.” According to Nelson’s commentary, “God’s person, His name, His present action in sanctifying His people, and His past action in rescuing them from slavery in Egypt, all were given as the basis of Israel’s worship.”⁵The Lord continued to say, “I am your God! Trust Me on these standards that I am asking you to do! I am the One who brought you out of Egypt.”

CLOSING

Where are you giving God your best? Where are you with Revive School and your reading? Are you bringing your obedience to the table?

Leviticus 22 reminds us to bring our best and to stick to the manual. What does the Word of God say? We need a holy priest. There is one Priest who has it all figured out:

Hebrews 7:26: “For this is the kind of high priest we need: holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.”

Hebrews 9:14: “How much more will the blood of the Messiah, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works to serve the living God?” We are now allowed to serve the living God!

Ephesians 5:27: “He did this to present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and blameless.”

We depend upon the High Priest to live holy and blameless, and His name is Jesus.