Deeper Commentary
Lev 22:1 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying-
The language of the next verses is used elsewhere about the peace
offerings, so perhaps they were particularly in view. Voluntary devotion
to God doesn't mean we can ignore His principles.
Lev 22:2 Tell Aaron and his sons to separate themselves from the holy
things of the children of Israel, which they make holy to Me, and that
they don’t profane My holy name. I am Yahweh-
The summary idea is as in GNB "You must not bring disgrace on my holy
name, so treat with respect the sacred offerings that the people of Israel
dedicate to me". Eating the
Lev 22:3 Tell them, ‘If anyone of all your descendants throughout your
generations approaches the holy things, which the children of Israel make
holy to Yahweh, having his uncleanness on him, that soul shall be cut off
from before Me. I am Yahweh-
Lev 22:4 Whoever of the seed of Aaron is a leper or has an issue shall not
eat of the holy things, until he is clean. Whoever touches anything that
is unclean by the dead, or a man whose seed goes from him-
As noted on Lev. 13:1 and throughout Lev. 13,14, I suggest that the
leprosy in view is a specific stroke of Divine judgment, from which the
person could be cleansed by repentance. It doesn't refer to leprosy as we
now understand it, i.e. Hansen's disease. Whilst a priest was under Divine
judgment, he couldn't eat in fellowship with God.
Lev 22:5 or whoever touches any creeping thing, whereby he may be made
unclean; or a man from whom he may take uncleanness, whatever uncleanness
he has-
The "whoever" continues to apply to the Levites; see on :3. Leviticus
is specifically commandment to the Levites.
Lev 22:6 the person that touches any such shall be unclean until the
evening, and shall not eat of the holy things, until he bathe his body in
water-
As we as the new priesthood (1 Pet. 2:5) read of
these requirements not to eat the holy things whilst unclean, we may
wonder how we as sinners can ever eat the bread and drink the wine as
required to remember Christ’s death. But the fact is, we have been washed
and sanctified for service by baptism into the Name of Christ (1 Cor. 6:11
alludes here). This is a status we are continually in- for this is the
wonder of the concept of our being “in Christ”.
Lev 22:7 When the sun is down, he shall be clean; and afterward he shall
eat of the holy things, because it is his food-
The food which the Levites ate is also called God's food (see on Lev.
21:17); their eating of it for themselves was effectively God eating the
sacrifices of the people. So in eating it, they were to manifest God, and
therefore not be in a state of uncleanness.
Lev 22:8 That which dies of itself, or is torn by animals, he shall not
eat, defiling himself by it. I am Yahweh-
Ex. 22:31 says they were to throw such food to the dogs and not eat
it. Perhaps "dogs" meant Gentiles. This command wasn’t only
for hygienic reasons. God wished to encourage His people to have a healthy
work ethic, not taking short cuts, but eating animals they had raised
themselves for that purpose. We live in a society where laziness and
trying to live for free has become almost an art form. We cannot
ultimately get around the curse, that we shall eat only as a result of the
sweat of our own labour. We have to accept our humanity and our fallen
condition, looking for the lifting of the curse in God’s future Kingdom.
Lev 22:9 They shall therefore follow My requirements, lest they bear sin
for it, and die therein, if they profane it. I am Yahweh who sanctifies
them-
They were to be holy or sanctified, because Yahweh counted them as
holy / sanctified.
Lev 22:10 No foreigner shall eat of the holy thing: a foreigner living
with the priests, or a hired servant, shall not eat of the holy thing-
The Law has a lot to say about welcoming foreigners
and being hospitable to them. We as the “Israel of God” (Gal. 6:16) should
likewise be open rather than closed to the people of the world around us,
even though we are in another sense separated
from them and
unto the things of our God.
Lev 22:11 But if a priest buys a slave, purchased by his money, he shall
eat of it; and such as are born in his house, they shall eat of his bread-
Gentiles who had been bought for a price by a priest
to be his servants were treated as Israelites. This looked forward to
Christ, the final Priest, buying us with His own blood that we might be
His servants, and thereby we are fully part of His family and the people
of God (1 Cor. 7:23).
Lev 22:12 If a priest’s daughter is married to an outsider, she shall not
eat of the heave offering of the holy things-
The girl who married a Gentile couldn’t eat of the holy things; and
neither could a Gentile who was passing through, it is stated, in this same passage (Lev. 22:11).
The point was: if you marry a Gentile, then you are a Gentile, and you
forego your spiritual privileges which you have as an Israelite.
Lev 22:13 But if a priest’s daughter is a widow, or divorced, and has no
child, and has returned to her father’s house, as in her youth, she may
eat of her father’s bread-
Divorce was clearly possible under the Mosaic system. If a man's wife
committed adultery he could have her killed; or he could put her
through the trial of jealousy of Num. 5, with the result that she would
become barren; or he could divorce her (Dt. 22:19; 24:1 RV; Lev. 21:14;
22:13). Within a Law that was holy, just and good (Rom. 7:12), unsurpassed
in it's righteousness (Dt. 4:8; and let us not overlook these
estimations), there were these different levels of response possible. But
there was a higher level: he could simply forgive her. This was what God
did with His fickle Israel, time and again (Hos. 3:1-3). And so the
Israelite faced with an unfaithful wife could respond on at least four
levels. This view would explain how divorce seems outlawed in passages
like Dt. 22:19,29, and yet there are other parts of the OT which seem to
imply that it was permitted. It should be noted that there were some
concessions to weakness under the Law which the Lord was not so willing to
make to His followers (e.g., outside the marriage context, Dt. 20:5-8 cp.
Lk. 9:59-62; 14:18,19). He ever held before us the Biblical ideal of
marriage.
But no stranger shall eat any of it-
But if the stranger had been bought by the Priest, he or she was no
longer a stranger (:11). Paul has this passage in mind when he rejoices
that those baptized into Christ are no longer strangers and foreigners but
members of God’s family and fellow citizens with “the saints”, a term
which he may well have understood in this context as referring to the
community of Israel (Eph. 2:19).
Lev 22:14 If a man eats something holy unwittingly, then he shall add the
fifth part of its value to it, and shall give the holy thing to the
priest-
We note that the legislation about the cities of refuge likewise
reflected God's special concern about unintentional sin. He recognizes
that there are different kinds of sin. And in this we see His sensitivity,
for the other legal codes at the time saw everything in black and white
terms of obedience or disobedience to legal statutes. The word for
"unwittingly" or "unintentionally" is s.w. 'deceived' (Job 12:16). It
could be that God also recognizes that some are deceived into sin, and
therefore treats those who lead into sin more severely than those who are
led into sin. Likewise the New Testament condemns false teachers, but
seems to be more acceptive of the falsely taught, the misguided.
Lev 22:15 The priests shall not profane the holy things of the children of
Israel, which they offer to Yahweh-
The summary idea is as in :2 GNB "You must not bring disgrace on my
holy name, so treat with respect the sacred offerings".
Lev 22:16 and so cause them to bear the iniquity that brings guilt, when
they eat their holy things; for I am Yahweh who sanctifies them’-
The man who ate the holy things in a state of uncleanness had to die;
his eating would load him with the condemnation of his sins (Lev. 22:3,16
AV mg.). This is surely the source for our possibility of “eating...
condemnation" to ourselves by partaking of the breaking of bread in an
unworthy manner.
See on :3.
Lev 22:17 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying-
The idea of the following section is that the offerings now described
had to be as the offerers, whose 'without blemish' status has just been
described. Perhaps this was to develop the reflection that the offerer was
to be as the offering. Because the offering represented the offerer; and
this is made explicit in the New Testament invitation to be living
sacrifices (Rom. 12:1).
Lev 22:18 Speak to Aaron, and to his sons, and to all the children of
Israel, and say to them, ‘Whoever is of the house of Israel, or of the
foreigners in Israel, who offers his offering, whether it be any of their
vows, or any of their freewill offerings, which they offer to Yahweh for a
burnt offering-
Lev 22:19 that you may be accepted, you shall offer a male without
blemish, of the bulls, of the sheep, or of the goats-
No animal actually is without blemish. God recognizes that we will not
attain perfection in this life, but we are to do our best towards it; and
His love imputes righteousness to us, counting us as unblemished because
of our status in Christ. For only Christ was the sacrifice totally without
moral blemish (1 Pet. 1:19).
Lev 22:20 But whatever has a blemish, that you shall not offer: for it
shall not be acceptable for you-
The idea of being not accepted may mean that the fire of God would
not appear and consume it. "Acceptable" translates the same Hebrew word
used for "at your own will" (:19,29; Lev. 1:3; 19:5). The sense is that
offering a blemished animal would as it were cancel out the commendable
freewill desire to offer to God. Our desire to serve God on our initiative
doesn't mean that we can ignore the need to give Him the best.
Lev 22:21 Whoever offers a sacrifice of peace offerings to Yahweh to
accomplish a vow, or for a freewill offering, of the herd or of the flock,
it shall be perfect to be accepted: no blemish shall be therein-
This repeats the principle discussed on :20; that a desire to serve
God on our own initiative does not mean we can ignore His principles. They
are not somehow subsumed beneath the value of our freewill; His will is to
be honoured more than ours. And yet "perfect to be accepted" would have
struck the thoughtful Israelite as a principle which left them for ever
unacceptable- for no offerer nor offering was "perfect". And so again the
whole structure was set up to elicit a desire for the perfect One, the
Lord Jesus.
Lev 22:22 Blind, injured, maimed, having a wart, festering, or having a
running sore, you shall not offer these to Yahweh, nor make an offering by
fire of them on the altar to Yahweh-
But this is precisely what the priests at the time of the restoration
are condemned for doing in Mal. 1:8. The excuse of the priests would have
been that it was the people who offered these defective animals. But they
were judged as responsible, as their acceptance of them encouraged the
masses in their disrespect. Thus they failed to speak out against the low
spiritual standards of their flock, but instead went along with them.
Lev 22:23 A bull or a lamb that has any deformity or is lacking in his
parts, that you may offer for a freewill offering; but for a vow it shall
not be accepted-
For a freewill offering, God would accept a deformed animal (Lev.
22:23), even though this was against His preferred principle of absolute perfection in offerings. There was no atonement without the shedding of blood; and yet for the very poor, God would accept a non-blood sacrifice. This all reflected the zeal of God to accept fallen men.
Lev 22:24 That which has its testicles bruised, crushed, broken, or cut,
you shall not offer to Yahweh; neither shall you do thus in your land-
Animals weren’t to be castrated. We see in this not
only a reflection of the huge value God places upon life in general, but
also His sensitivity to animals. Verses 27 and 28 may reflect the same.
Lev 22:25 Neither shall you offer any of these as the food of your God
from the hand of a foreigner; because their corruption is in them. There
is a blemish in them. They shall not be accepted for you’-
Paul saw the sacrifices of Israel as having some relevance to the
Christian communion meal. He comments: "Are those who eat the victims not
in communion with the altar?" (1 Cor. 10:18); and the altar is clearly the
Lord Jesus (Heb. 13:10). Eating of the communion meal was and is,
therefore, fundamentally a statement of our fellowship with the altar, the
Lord Jesus, rather than with others who are eating of Him. The bread and
wine which we consume thus become antitypical of the Old Testament
sacrifices; and they were repeatedly described as "Yahweh's food", laid
upon the altar as "the table of Yahweh" (Lev. 21:6,8; 22:25; Num. 28:2;
Ez. 44:7,16; Mal. 1:7,12). And it has been commented: "Current
translations are inaccurate; lehem panim is the 'personal bread' of
Yahweh, just as sulhan panim (Num. 4:7) is the 'personal table' of
Yahweh". This deeply personal relationship between Yahweh and the offerer
is continued in the breaking of bread; and again, the focus is upon the
worshipper's relationship with Yahweh rather than a warning against
fellowshipping the errors of fellow worshippers through this action. What
is criticized in later Israel is the tendency to worship Yahweh
through these offerings at the same time as offering sacrifice to other
gods.
The idea of eating the bread of God, the sacrifice which represents His
son, and thereby having fellowship with Him, should send our minds forward
to John 6. "The bread of God is He which comes down from heaven", i.e. our
Lord Jesus (Jn. 6:33). Not for nothing do some Rabbis speak of 'eating
Messiah' as an expression of the fellowship they hope to have with Him at
His coming. The sacrificial animals are spoken of as "the bread of your
God" (Lev. 21:6,8,21; 22:25; Ez. 44:7 etc.), pointing forward to Christ.
In addition to alluding to the manna, Christ must have been consciously
making this connection when He spoke about himself as the bread of God.
The only time "the bread of God" could be eaten by the Israelite was at
the peace offering. When in this context Christ invites us to eat the
bread of God, to eat His flesh and drink His blood (Jn. 6:51,52), He is
looking back to the peace offering. But this is also an evident prophecy
of the breaking of bread service. Many of the Jews just could not cope
with what Christ was offering them when He said this. They turned back,
physically and intellectually. They just could not grapple with the idea
that Christ was that peace offering sacrifice, and He was inviting them to
sit down with God, as it were, and in fellowship with the Almighty,
partake of the sacrificed body of His Son. But this is just what Christ is
inviting each of us to do in the memorial meeting, to sit down in
fellowship with Him, and eat of His bread. God really is here with us at
the memorial meeting. He is intensely watching us. He is intensely with
us, He really is going to save us, if only we can have the faith to
believe how much He loves us, how much He wants us to share His fellowship
and know His presence.
Lev 22:26 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying-
We must remember that these commands are given to the Levites- we are
reading Leviticus. They were not to consider that the low standards of
others were not their concern.
Lev 22:27 When a bull, or a sheep, or a goat, is born, then it shall
remain seven days with its mother; and from the eighth day and thenceforth
it shall be accepted for the offering of an offering made by fire to
Yahweh-
Animals often died after birth, and it was only by the eighth day that
it was apparent whether or not it was deformed. This was to remind them
that they were to offer the best to God, and not to offer that which cost
them nothing (2 Sam. 24:24).
Lev 22:28 Whether it is a cow or ewe, you shall not kill it and its young
both in one day-
The Mosaic law sought to inculcate a culture of kindness and extreme
sensitivity to all, even animals. Read like this, the law about not
boiling a kid in its mother's milk is similar to the prohibitions of
killing on the same a cow and a calf, or a ewe and her lamb.
It is likely that this was also related to a paganic fertility ritual,
performed at harvest time ; and God didn't want His people to even
remotely be associated with that. For He alone was the source of all
fertility.
The peoples' behaviour in 1 Sam. 14:32 is portrayed as breaking every principle of the commands about eating blood in Lev. 17:10-14. They ate blood, and also killed calves and mothers on the same day (disobeying Lev. 22:28). All because they were more obedient to their oath to Saul not to eat anything until sundown, rather than to God's covenant. For all this, they were to have God against them and be cut off from God's people. The essence of this has been seen so many times in church history. An insistence upon petty legalism leads people to commit major sin. They are more obedient to the party line and the barked orders of their leadership, than to God. And the legalistic demands of their elders lead them to make utter shipwreck of their faith, breaking the most elemental principles of their covenant with God. Once sundown came and they were free from the oath to Saul, the people were totally disobedient to the covenant.
Lev 22:29 When you sacrifice a sacrifice of thanksgiving to Yahweh, you
shall sacrifice it so that you may be accepted-
The Levite was not to just assume that an unacceptable peace offering
was not his concern. He was not to just do his job as if it were a secular
day job of mere religion. His passion was to be that others might be
accepted by God; and as a nation of priests (1 Pet. 2:5) we should have
the same spirit.
Lev 22:30 It shall be eaten on the same day; you shall leave none of it
until the morning. I am Yahweh-
The law of the peace offerings was designed so as to encourage the
person who decided to make such a freewill offering to execute
immediately- they were to eat it the same day they offered it, and the
sacrifice would be totally unacceptable if it was killed but left for some
days (Lev. 19:5-7). If we have an impulse to respond to the Lord, we
should respond to it immediately. This isn’t mere impetuosity. It’s a
spirit of always having an immediacy of response, which empowers us to
overcome the procrastination which holds us back so much. Lev. 7 warns
against various ways of using the peace offering for the benefit of the
offerer. One such idea may have been to kill meat and eat it over three
days, and then claim this was a peace offering- when actually it involved
eating meat which the offerer wanted to eat anyway. So the warning is
against using voluntary offerings [in whatever way] as a front for doing
our own thing, offering what cost us very little, and only appearing to
others to have a great religious devotion. Lev. 19:7 warns that "If it is
eaten at all on the third day, it is an abomination". We note that "the
third day" was not to be taken as 72 hours, and this affects our
understanding of the chronology of the Lord's death and resurrection. If
we think our freewill devotions to be God can be done as we wish without
regard for His principles, then what we do is obnoxious to Him. The Hebrew
word translated “abomination” is often used about idol worship; we will
not be worshipping Him, but the idols of our own image and standing in the
eyes of people.
Lev 22:31 Therefore you shall keep My commandments, and do them. I am
Yahweh-
The word so often used for keeping / "diligently observing" Yahweh's
commandments is from the word meaning a thorn hedge; the idea originally
was to hedge in. Taking this too literally led Judaism to all their
endless fences around the law, i.e. forbidding this or that because it
might lead to doing that or this, which in turn would then lead to
breaking an actual commandment. And those various fences become elevated
to the level of commandments. But this is not the idea. We are indeed to
hedge ourselves in ("take heed to yourself", Dt. 11:16; 12:13,19,30,32
s.w.), so that we may keep / hedge ourselves in to keep the commandments
of God (Lev. 18:4,5,26,30; 19:19,37; 20:8,22; 22:9,31; 25:18; 26:3; Num.
28:2; Dt. 7:11,12; 8:1,11 [s.w. "beware"]; 10:13;
11:1,8,22,32; 12:1; 13:4,18; ; 15:5,9 ["beware"]; 17:19; 19:9; 23:9
["keep yourself"]; 24:8; 26:16-18; 27:1; 28:1,9,13; 29:9; 30:10,16; 31:12;
32:46). And without falling into the legalism of Judaism, self discipline
does require a degree of fencing ourselves in to the one way. Thus the man
struggling with alcoholism avoids the supermarket where alcohol is pushed
in front of the eyes of the shoppers; the married woman struggling with
attraction to another man makes little laws for herself about avoiding his
company. And if we do this, then the Lord will "keep" us, will hedge us in
to keeping His way (s.w. Num. 6:24).
Lev 22:32 You shall not profane My holy name, but I will be made holy
among the children of Israel. I am Yahweh Who makes you holy-
They as us were to live out in practice the status
which God had given them. He had made them holy and acceptable in His
sight, and they were therefore to live in a holy manner.
Lev 22:33 Who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. I am
Yahweh-
The language echoes that of God to Abraham: "I am Yahweh who brought
you out of Ur" (Gen. 15:7). They were being asked to act as Abraham's
seed, and respond as He did to the Divine initiative in separating them
from the world- by following His commandments.
Whenever God speaks about His Name, it is in the context of His
emphasizing His huge commitment to Israel as His people, often in the face
of their weakness (Ex. 12:12; 15:26; 20:2; Ez. 20:5,6). The very meaning
of God's Name is of itself encouraging- although it is somewhat masked in
English translations. God 'is' not just in the sense that He exists, but
in that He 'is' there with and for us. The verb behind 'YHWH' was
"originally causative", i.e. God not only 'is' but He causes things to
happen. We aren't to understand Him as passive, just a stone cold Name...
but rather passionately active and causative in our sometimes apparently
static and repetitive lives.
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