Leviticus 21 ~ 20170205 ~ Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org
02/05 Leviticus 21-22; I Am YHWH Who Sanctifies You ; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20170205_leviticus-21.mp3
Leviticus 17-27 is known as the holiness code; how does a redeemed and rescued Israel, taken by God to live in his holy presence, now live as a new community under God?
Lev.17 The importance of blood in sacrifice
Lev.18 Avoiding pagan practices
Lev.19 Practical holiness and love for neighbors
Lev.20 Consequences of disobedience
Lev.21 Holiness of the Priests
Lev.22 Holiness of the Sacrifices
As is explicitly clear in this section, no one can accomplish their own sanctification; holiness and purity in the life of the believer can be attributed only to the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. Six times in chapters 21-22 we read the phrase 'I am the LORD who sanctifies. This phrase breaks the material into 6 distinct sections, each section concluding with this phrase 'I am the LORD who sanctifies you'. The four main sections begin with 'the LORD spoke to Moses'
This is the big idea of the passage: I AM YHWH who Sanctifies you.
Outline of Leviticus 21-22
Lev.21:1-9 priests not to make themselves unclean
Lev.21:10-15 high priest not to make himself unclean
Lev.21:16-24 blemished priests not to draw near
Lev.22:1-9 priests to abstain from holy things while unclean
Lev.22:10-16 common people to abstain from holy things
Lev.22:17-33 blemished animals not accepted for you
The positive reason for each of these is because "I am the LORD who sanctifies you." There is also a negative reason, a warning in each of these. The danger and warning is:
Lev.21:6 ...and not profane the name of their God.
Lev.21:12 ...lest he profane the sanctuary of his God,
Lev.21:23 ...that he may not profane my sanctuaries,
Lev.22:2 ...so that they do not profane my holy name:
Lev.22:15 ...They shall not profane the holy things of the people
Lev.22:32 ...And you shall not profane my holy name,
God's people are to live in holy ways because he is the one who has sanctified them, made them holy; and in order that they not profane his holy name, his holy place, his holy things.
Remember the three main categories of thinking in Leviticus of holy, clean or common, and unclean. We used a diagram to help understand the movement between these categories. Sin and infirmity profane from holy to common and pollute from clean to unclean. Sacrifice can cleanse from unclean to clean and sanctify from common to holy.
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←← SACRIFICE ←←
← Sanctify ← Cleanse
[holy] [clean/common] [unclean]
Profane → Pollute →
→→ SIN and INFIRMITY →→
[G.Wenham, NICOT, p.19, 26]
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God is saying that he is the one who sanctifies you; therefore do not treat that which is holy as common or profane. It is not the sacrifice which sanctifies you; it is God who sanctifies you by means of sacrifice. Because you have been sanctified, set apart as holy, do not profane the name of your God by your sin and infirmity.
Lev.21:1-9 Priests Not To Make Themselves Unclean
The first section addresses the priests.
Leviticus 21:1 And the LORD said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them, No one shall make himself unclean for the dead among his people, 2 except for his closest relatives, his mother, his father, his son, his daughter, his brother, 3 or his virgin sister (who is near to him because she has had no husband; for her he may make himself unclean). 4 He shall not make himself unclean as a husband among his people and so profane himself. 5 They shall not make bald patches on their heads, nor shave off the edges of their beards, nor make any cuts on their body. 6 They shall be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God. For they offer the LORD's food offerings, the bread of their God; therefore they shall be holy. 7 They shall not marry a prostitute or a woman who has been defiled, neither shall they marry a woman divorced from her husband, for the priest is holy to his God. 8 You shall sanctify him, for he offers the bread of your God. He shall be holy to you, for I, the LORD, who sanctify you, am holy. 9 And the daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by whoring, profanes her father; she shall be burned with fire.
The priests were cleansed and set apart to enter the presence of God, to offer sacrifices, and to lead the people in worship of God. There is to be a wide separation between the gift of life in the presence of God, and the wages of sin, which is the curse and death. Contact with the dead makes one unclean. The pagan cultures around Israel were involved in ancestor worship and interaction with the dead. God demanded a clear separation between his true worship and the false worship of the pagans. Rituals for the dead were to have no place in his holy sanctuary, or among his holy people. Any contact with the dead made one unclean, so priests were forbidden to be involved in funerals, except for very close relatives. Not even for his wife's close relatives was he to defile himself. And in mourning for the close relative, no pagan practices were to be used. Making bald patches, shaving parts of the beard, making cuts on their body, these were pagan ways of mourning, and were not to be adopted by God's holy people. What was forbidden for the people in general in Leviticus 19:27-28 is now forbidden explicitly for the priests.
This sheds light on the priest in Jesus' parable of the good Samaritan. If you remember Jesus' story in Luke 10:25-37, a priest and then a Levite passed by the injured man on the other side of the street. They were avoiding contact with someone who would defile them and make them unclean. Jesus, clarifying the passage in Leviticus 19 that teaches love for neighbor as self, teaches that the one who showed mercy proved to be a neighbor to the man in need, and Jesus said 'go and do likewise.'
Priests were to be holy by avoiding contact with the dead. They were also to be holy in their relationships. They were held to a higher standard in marriage, required to marry a woman of character and integrity. Their children were to maintain that same integrity, or the consequences were grave.
This is similar to the New Testament teaching in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 that a deacon, an elder, a pastor in the church is held to a higher standard of integrity. He is to be above reproach. His wife is to be a woman of character. They are to manage their children well.
Lev.21:10-15 High Priest Not To Make Himself Unclean
The great high priest is held to an even higher standard.
Leviticus 21:10 “The priest who is chief among his brothers, on whose head the anointing oil is poured and who has been consecrated to wear the garments, shall not let the hair of his head hang loose nor tear his clothes. 11 He shall not go in to any dead bodies nor make himself unclean, even for his father or for his mother. 12 He shall not go out of the sanctuary, lest he profane the sanctuary of his God, for the consecration of the anointing oil of his God is on him: I am the LORD. 13 And he shall take a wife in her virginity. 14 A widow, or a divorced woman, or a woman who has been defiled, or a prostitute, these he shall not marry. But he shall take as his wife a virgin of his own people, 15 that he may not profane his offspring among his people, for I am the LORD who sanctifies him.”
The high priest is not to make himself unclean or show outward signs of mourning, even for father or mother. This is heavy, but to be called to serve as the great High Priest of the nation is even more weighty, and duties to God take precedence over family ties. When a would-be follower asked:
Matthew 8:21 Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 22 And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”
Jesus teaches again in Matthew 10
Matthew 10:37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.
Yes. By all means care for your own family. 1 Timothy 5 says
1 Timothy 5:8 But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
But Jesus is saying that he must take precedence over family relationships. He must be first place in our affections and in our devotion. "Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me."
Lev.21:16-24 Blemished Priests Not To Draw Near
The last section of chapter 21 deals with physical blemishes in the priests.
Leviticus 21:16 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 17 “Speak to Aaron, saying, None of your offspring throughout their generations who has a blemish may approach to offer the bread of his God. 18 For no one who has a blemish shall draw near, a man blind or lame, or one who has a mutilated face or a limb too long, 19 or a man who has an injured foot or an injured hand, 20 or a hunchback or a dwarf or a man with a defect in his sight or an itching disease or scabs or crushed testicles. 21 No man of the offspring of Aaron the priest who has a blemish shall come near to offer the LORD's food offerings; since he has a blemish, he shall not come near to offer the bread of his God. 22 He may eat the bread of his God, both of the most holy and of the holy things, 23 but he shall not go through the veil or approach the altar, because he has a blemish, that he may not profane my sanctuaries, for I am the LORD who sanctifies them.” 24 So Moses spoke to Aaron and to his sons and to all the people of Israel.
Twelve physical defects are listed, ranging from physical deformities, to injuries, to diseases. Any blemish disqualified a priest from drawing near to God.
Under the old covenant, holiness found outward expression in wholeness. Physical integrity served as a picture of integrity of character. This understanding led to the false conclusion that all imperfections were evidence of sin. “Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” (Lk.9:2). But the use of a physical impairment to illustrate a spiritual truth is powerful. Jesus accused the religious leaders of his day of being blind guides.
Luke 6:39 He also told them a parable: “Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? 40 A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher. 41 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?
Physical blindness served as an illustration of the inability to perceive spiritual truth. Someone who cannot see clearly is unfit to lead others. For a blemished priest to draw near would be to 'profane my sanctuaries'.
Distinction between Identity and Enjoyment
In this we see the amazing care and compassion of God. The priest with a blemish is a priest, he is a priest by birth, he was born into the priestly line, he was anointed as a priest, and he is entitled to the sustenance of the priests. But he may not approach to offer the bread of his God; he shall not draw near; he shall not come near to offer the LORD's food offerings; he shall not come near to offer the bread of his God; he shall not go through the veil or approach the altar, that he may not profane my sanctuaries. His identity is a priest; his provision comes as a priest; he is entitled to “eat the bread of his God, both of the most holy and of the holy things.” but he is restricted from performing the highest duties of a priest. He may not draw near.
Under the New Covenant we see that every believer is a priest of God.
1 Peter 2:5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ...9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
This is who we are in Christ. This is our position. We are kings and priests. It is this holy priesthood that Peter addresses in verse 11
1 Peter 2:11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
As priests of God, we are exhorted to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. As priests, we are intended to 'offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.' As priests, we are meant to 'proclaim the excellencies of him who called you.' But when we give in to the passions of the flesh, we forfeit the full enjoyment of our privileges as priests. We are still sustained by his sovereign grace, but we miss out on the fullness of fellowship. We cannot forfeit our place as adopted children around his table, but we can fail to taste the delight of 'presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship' (Rom.12:1). We cannot be excluded from the table, but we will experience his discipline, 'for the Lord disciplines the one he loves' and 'he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness' (Heb.12:6,10).
This is truly good news. It is God who sanctifies us!
Philippians 1:6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
God sanctifies. He is able.
Jude 24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.
Our holiness can only be attributed to the sanctifying work of God's Holy Spirit in us.
C.H. Mackintosh, an Irish minister,wrote in 1881 “The believer is 'washed, sanctified, and justified' (1Cor.6:11); he is 'accepted in the Beloved' (Eph.1:6); he can never come into judgment, as regards his person (John 5:24 …); death and judgment are behind him, because he is united to Christ, who has passed through them both on his behalf and in his stead. All these things are divinely true of the very weakest, most unlettered, and inexperienced member of the family of God; but yet, inasmuch as he carries about with him a nature so incorrigibly bad and so irremediably ruined that no discipline can correct it and no medicine cure it, inasmuch as he is the tenant of a body of sin and death – as he is surrounded on all sides by hostile influences – as he is called to cope perpetually with the combined forces of the world, the flesh, and the devil, he could never keep his ground, much less make progress, were he not upheld by the all-prevailing intercession of his great High-Priest, who bears the names of His people upon His breast and upon His shoulder.” (p.397).
“I am the LORD who sanctifies them.”
Leviticus 21:17 ... None of your offspring throughout their generations who has a blemish may approach to offer the bread of his God. 18 For no one who has a blemish shall draw near, a man blind or lame, or one who has a mutilated face or a limb too long, 19 or a man who has an injured foot or an injured hand, 20 or a hunchback or a dwarf or a man with a defect in his sight or an itching disease or scabs or crushed testicles. 21 No man of the offspring of Aaron the priest who has a blemish shall come near to offer the LORD's food offerings; since he has a blemish, he shall not come near to offer the bread of his God. 22 He may eat the bread of his God, both of the most holy and of the holy things, 23 but he shall not go through the veil or approach the altar, because he has a blemish, that he may not profane my sanctuaries, for I am the LORD who sanctifies them.”
It is YHWH who sanctifies; makes them holy; in the Old Testament the LORD sanctified by separation and exclusion. No one who has a blemish shall draw near. But in the New Covenant, YHWH sanctifies by making whole, by healing, by transformation.
Jesus told a story about a master who prepared a great feast.
Luke 14:21 ...Then the master of the house ... said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’
These are the kind of people King Jesus invites in! These are the kind of people Jesus makes whole.
No one who has a blemish shall come near. But these are precicely the kinds of blemishes Jesus healed!
Matthew 11:4 And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5 the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. 6 And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”
Matthew 12:10 And a man was there with a withered hand. ... 13 Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other.
Matthew 15:30 And great crowds came to him, bringing with them the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others, and they put them at his feet, and he healed them, 31 so that the crowd wondered, when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled healthy, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they glorified the God of Israel.
“I am the LORD who sanctifies them.” Jesus opens blind eyes, causes the deaf to hear, gives life to the dead, causes the paralyzed to leap for joy. Jesus is the one who brings us near. Jesus is the one who makes us holy.
Ephesians 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
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What is hindering you from presenting your body as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God? Are you paralyzed by fear? A prisoner to the passions of the flesh? Crippled by lust? Blinded by the cares of this world? Led astray by the deceitfulness of riches? Deaf to the needs of others? Allow Jesus to set you free and draw you near. Allow him to touch the broken places in you and bring life and wholeness and fruitfulness. I am the LORD who sanctifies you. Allow him to bring you near.
Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org