We finish this series in Leviticus with this study, where we see once more how the people of God are to worship a God who is holy and demands that His people are holy.
(A) How we worship: on God’s terms of holiness (Lev 22:17-25)
Here, the priests (Aaron, his sons), and all the people of Israel are being addressed (Lev 22:17). God has been speaking to His priests, but now speaks to all of Israel. Previously, the priests were given the instructions because the priests are to be responsible for the holiness of others, but in this passage, welearn that the laypeople are not totally uninformed. The people of Israel do not just blindly follow the instructions of the priests. God speaks to them and makes known His requirements to them also. God's people ought to know the consequences of their actions too. God speaks to us whether or not we are pastors or leaders. He speaks to us through His Word and calls us all to live lives that are ordered in a certain way, honorable to Him and are good testimonies.
How do the instructions in v19-20 differ from previous instructions regarding sacrifices? There appears to be a certain order in the way the instruction is laid out. This pattern is also repeated in the next set of instructions (Lev 22:21-25)
Positive outcome -- hypothetical ‘if’ (Lev 22:19a)
Positive condition to achieve the outcome -- it must be something, do something (Lev 22:19b)
Negative condition -- do not do something (Lev 22:20a)
Negative outcome-- it will not be accepted (Lev 22:20b)
Our impression of Leviticus is that it is a rulebook – mostly do this or that. However here we see more of an emphasis on the outcome, what makes it acceptable. It is possible for something to be offered (probably with the best intentions), but not accepted by God. This idea may be a bit jarring to us today in the light of ‘God will take us as we are’ and ‘we just have to do our best with the right heart’. There are standards that must be kept in the worship of God. These have been clearly laid out for us, not only in Leviticus, but also in the rest of the Bible.
This part of the instructions also lay out the negative condition and outcome. Why did God basically repeat the same thing in a negative way? It might also appear imposing and restrictive, but this is possibly a way of making us aware of what is sinful, because are hearts are inclined that way. If only the positive thing is given to us, our sinful hearts are also inclined to try to twist the words to suit our own intents and purposes, and to self-justify our actions. This whole section in Leviticus has done just that -- spelling out certain sins such as sexual immorality, child sacrifice, worship of idols etc -- precisely for this reason.
Lev 22:21-25 list out some conditions for peace offerings, and they sound similar to the conditions that priests must meet to serve God, seen previously in Lev 21:17-21. There is a clear similarity between the conditions that the priests must meet, as well as the sacrifices must adhere to. There is an intimate relationship between priest and offering, worshipper and worshipping – at least, in Israelite thought. All of it must be holy, and this can apply to us today also. How? If we are not in the right frame of mind and our minds are filled with uncleanness and sin, it doesn't matter if we pretend to be ok on the outside and sing the songs or serve etc. God sees the heart and the uncleanness of the heart. Our being and identity must be holy, as must our actions, seen in the way we live. Do we read our Bibles? Do we participate in the life of the church?
In Lev 22:23 tell us that some minor blemishes in the animal can be offered for a free will offering, but it is not so for a vow offering. Castration (bruised, crushed, torn, or cut testicles) is unacceptable for any offering (Lev 22:24) because it is seen as damaging God’s good creation – and holiness is symbolised in wholeness. Also, it directly defies God’s commandment to ‘go forth and multiply.’
Lev 22:24-25 also draw out the distinction between the Israelites and the foreigners. Israelites might have bought animals for sacrifice from foreigners, who might have offered such animals before to their gods. Yet, the standards of holiness are different for God’s people, and once again we are reminded that we are not to be like others. The foreigners might have had good intentions, but intention is less important than keeping in line with the commands God Himself has given. How do we worship God? Do we approach God on our own terms? When we sing the hymns, do we think about what we sing? Do we read and cherish His Word? Do we participate in community life? Perhaps, we too, hold on to persistent sins? Romans 12:1 tells us to present our bodies as sacrifices. The Israelites had to offer perfect animals etc, but we are called to offer our whole lives. How is your worship life? What are some of the ways in which you are choosing to worship God on your own terms?
(B) Why we worship: we have been eternally accepted through Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross (Lev 22:26-30)
Lev 22:27-28 contain a set of instructions regarding how the young of the the animals to be sacrificed are to be treated. The young is to remain with its mother for seven days, and only counted as an acceptable sacrifice (Lev 22:27). 7 days could symbolise maturity. Furthermore, children were circumcised on the eighth day, creation in 7 days, etc. This may also point to the concept of timing in God’s plans. Moses and Jesus could have been killed in their youth, but that was not God’s timing. Nothing should be killed before its time. In some sense, God was kind enough to allow the child to be with its mother in its infancy. It was to avoid wanton and senseless destruction to ensure preservation. Even in the most catastrophic destruction (the great flood), Noah was instructed to preserve at least 2 of every animal.
What kind of people must this be? The farmer would need to know the flock, and organize it well enough to know the young and the mother. This also speaks about the kind of attention to detail that one ought to pay to the sacrifices.
The ESV renders Lev 22:29 as "you shall sacrifice it so that you shall be accepted". This is different from previous instances that say the sacrifice is accepted. (other versions generally have ‘accepted on your behalf’ throughout, so this may be more of a translation preference thing). Using the phrase "on your behalf" means that the thing that is done is done in your name/identity as if you are performing the act yourself. All credit, recognition, is subscribed to the person who the proxy is serving. The acceptance of the sacrifice is given to the worshipper who has made the sacrifice.
For the Israelites, making offerings was not just about appeasing an angry God, or going through customs for the sake of being a good person. It was about being accepted as one of God’s people though they were sinners. The offering is not meant to just appease God, but as the worshipper's offering is accepted, they can be reconciled back to God. For us, thestory is a bit different – we do not need to make these offerings, because the ultimate sacrifice was made for us. Jesus Christ died in our place and on our behalf, meaning that we are eternally accepted into the family of God. So we worship, not because we can be accepted. Rather, we worship because we have already been eternally accepted through Christ's sacrifice on the cross. This is what makes Christianity fundamentally different from all other religions. Other religions speak of how we can become good enough to go to heaven etc. Christianity tells us that we are not good enough, but we have a God who came and paid the price on our behalf, so that we can be brought into the presence of God again.
(C) Who we worship: an almighty, perfect, faithful God. (Lev 22:31-33)
How does the LORD describe Himself at the end of Lev 22? He is LORD and He uses the personal, covenantal name of God in these verses. What follows? He creates the commandments, and His commandments are to be kept (Lev 22:31). In some sense, what He says is the law and we ought to obey, because He is the Creator and made everything. His name should not be profaned, it should be sanctified (Lev 22:32a). His name cannot be contaminated, because He is thoroughly perfect and pure in every way. He is also the LORD who sanctifies His people (Lev 22:32b). He brought His people out of the land of Egypt. For us too, the exodus and deliverance from Egypt is also a picture of our lives. We were brought out of the darkness of our sins, where we were slaves, and brought into His light. He did not just send a substitute, but came on our behalf.
This is the God who calls us to worship Him according to His terms of holiness, and offer our bodies as living sacrifices. This is the God who brought them out of Egypt to be their God, but did not leave them alone, and also gave them commands to show them how to live as His holy people, because He is a holy God. When we think of who God is, it should impact how we live and worship. If there is a sin in your life, repent of it. This is the God of Leviticus, but is also the God we come before to today.