GOD’S STANDARDS OF PERFECTION
LEVITICUS 22
INTRODUCTION
When making an offering to God, there are divine standards that are unmatched by man's ideas or thoughts that are to be followed.
Leviticus gives details of God's requirement for making offerings to Him.
God is holy and they that worship Him must do so in spirit and in truth.
The spirit is the Holy Spirit and the truth is according to His Word.
The standards for making offerings to God exclude man’s thoughts and ideas. The reason is that any standards that man derives will be corrupt. Left to ourselves, we will do what is convenient to us, which oftentimes
Ignores God’s commands. God is holy and Incorruptible.
God’s standards of cleanliness include:
The person whose sins need atonement Leviticus 19, 20:7
The priest making the atonement Leviticus 16:3
The place of atonement, the Tabernacle Leviticus 16:18-20
The animals to be sacrificed for atonement Leviticus 22
Leviticus 22 gives God detailed instructions regarding the holiness
Of the offering to him. Detail preparations before the sacrificing of
The offering was also given.
The cleanliness of the priest handling the offering verses 22:2-4
The cleanliness of the person eating the offering Verses 22:5-16
The quality of the animals offered for sacrifice Verses 22:17-30
GOD’S REQUIREMENTS FOR A SACRIFICE
Leviticus 22:17-21
V:17. The Lord said to Moses, 18 "Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites and say to them: 'If any of you — either an Israelite or an alien living in Israel — presents a gift for a burnt offering to the Lord, either to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering, 19 you must present a male without defect from the cattle, sheep or goats in order that it may be accepted on your behalf. 20 Do not bring anything with a defect, because it will not be accepted on your behalf.
Any offering made to the Lord must meet His standards
Man cannot be involved in making standards because his
Standards will be corrupt
The setting of God’s standards is exclusive. Only God is capable of making standards of holiness and righteousness.
God’s standards include every living being. Anyone coming to God,
Must come to Him according to His standards.
John 4:24
God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."
God’s Standards cannot be left to man’s interpretation.
If we interpret God’s standards we interpret by our corrupt
Thoughts.
It is important for the believer to allow the indwelling Holy Spirit to teach the meaning of God’s standards.
The Holy Spirit that lives within us will guide us to the correct
Interpretation.
It is up to us to consult the Holy Spirit while meditating on the Word
For guidance in the practical application of the Word.
We must be careful who we associate with. Those who don’t know the Lord can corrupt us with their ways. God gave a warning against
Accepting offerings from strangers.
Leviticus 21:24
and you must not accept such animals from the hand of a foreigner and offer them as the food of your God. They will not be accepted on your behalf, because they are deformed and have defects.'"
THE QUALITY OF THE OFFERING
Leviticus 22:21-22
21 When anyone brings from the herd or flock a fellowship offering to the Lord to fulfill a special vow or as a freewill offering, it must be without defect or blemish to be acceptable.
God did not leave the words defect or blemish to man’s interpretation.
He was specific in His meaning.
The quality of the animal offered included its health and structure.
It must not be blind, injured, or maimed
It must not have warts, festering, or running sores
It must not be deformed or stunted
It must not have bruised, crushed, cut, or torn testicles
Any offering that did not meet God’s standards was not accepted by Him. There were no exceptions.
God is aware of the heart and the actions of everyone. He holds His
Chosen people to a high standard for the world to follow.
THE AGE OF THE ANIMAL
Leviticus 22:26-28
V:26 The Lord said to Moses, 27 "When a calf, a lamb or a goat is born, it is to remain with its mother for seven days. From the eighth day on, it will be accepted as an offering made to the Lord by fire. 28 Do not slaughter a cow or a sheep and it's young on the same day.
The animal must be at least 8 days old.
God created the earth in 6 days and on the seventh day He rested.
The start of a new week was on the eighth day.
The animal was not mature or self-sustaining during the first week.
In addition, the relationship between the parent and its offspring was to be honored.
Leviticus 22:28
A law intended to remind the Israelites of the sacredness of the relation between the parent and its offspring.
(from Barnes' Notes, Electronic Database Copyright © 1997-2014 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)
A number of different offerings were commanded by God where
a perfect animal without blemishes or defects was required.
All had age and health requirements.
Leviticus 22:27
Bullocks, i.e., steers or young oxen of more than a year old, are frequently mentioned and prescribed for the festal sacrifices (for the young ox of less than a year old is called
±eegel
; Leviticus 9:3), viz., as burnt-offerings in Leviticus 23:18; Numbers 7:15,21,27,33,39 ff., Numbers 8:8; 15:24; 28:11,19,27; 29:2,8, and as sin-offerings in Leviticus 4:3,14; 16:3; - sheep (lambs) of one year old are also prescribed as burnt-offerings in Leviticus 9:3; 12:6; 23:12; Exodus 29:38; Numbers 6:14; 7:17,21,27,33,39 ff., 28:3,9,19,27; 29:2,8,13,17 ff., as peace-offerings in Numbers 7:17,23; 29:35 ff., and as trespass-offerings in Numbers 6:12; also a yearling ewe as a sin-offering in Leviticus 14:10 and Numbers 6:14, and a yearling goat in Numbers 15:27.
(from Keil and Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament: New Updated Edition, Electronic Database. Copyright © 1996 by Hendrickson Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.)
This reminds us that Jesus died for our sins in the fullness of time.
Galatians 4:4-5
But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
KJV
OUR ACCEPTABLE OFFERING
Leviticus 22:29-30
V:29 "When you sacrifice a thank offering to the Lord, sacrifice it in such a way that it will be accepted on your behalf. 30 It must be eaten that same day; leave none of it till morning. I am the Lord.
The Lord holds tomorrow in His hands. We are not to worry about tomorrow. The Lord’s prayer that Jesus gave us highlights this
Principle.
Matthew 6:11
Give us today our daily bread.
The Israelites traveling in the desert had no way of preserving food for another day.
The Lord provides new grace and new mercies each day. We should
Offer to the Lord new thanksgiving each day.
While we are not under the law today, our offering should follow God’s commands. We do not offer animals for sacrifice because Jesus Is our one and only sacrifice for the atonement of sins for
All times.
Malachi 3:10 describes our grace offering required by the Lord.
It is to be an offering without blemish or defect of our thought
process.
2 Corinthians 9:7-8
7 Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
When we hesitate to give or give out of compulsion we corrupt the
Offering. The moment we remove love and gratefulness from our offering, it is corrupt. A corrupt heart cannot give an uncorrupt offering.
Our offerings must be given in faith that God’s promises of provisions
Will cover us.
Matthew 6:30-31
If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
The Israelites grew up through 400 years of slavery. They were forced to live and work under oppression. They were treated less
Than the animals of Egypt. They had no say in their daily lives.
They learned the worship of idol gods.
Now that they were free, God gave them a new set of rules to live by.
They were now required to see God as their Holy authority.
We are no different. We grew up learning to live for ourselves. Now
That we have Jesus in our lives we have to learn daily to live for God.
Before Jesus, our authority was the man. Although our authority is Jesus,
We have a difficult time summiting ourselves completely to Him.
Let us see and worship God as our Holy Authority
Rev. M. Mitchell
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