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Leviticus
Chapter Twenty-two
Leviticus 22
Chapter Contents
Laws concerning the priests and sacrifices.
In this chapter we have divers laws concerning the
priests and sacrifices
all for preserving the honour of the sanctuary. Let us
recollect with gratitude that our great High Priest cannot be hindered by any
thing from the discharge of his office. Let us also remember
that the Lord
requires us to reverence his name
his truths
his ordinances
and
commandments. Let us beware of hypocrisy
and examine ourselves concerning our
sinful defilements
seeking to be purified from them in the blood of Christ
and by his sanctifying Spirit. Whoever attempts to expiate his own sin
or
draws near in the pride of self-righteousness
puts as great an affront on
Christ
as he who comes to the Lord's table from the gratification of sinful
lusts. Nor can the minister who loves the souls of the people
suffer them to continue
in this dangerous delusion. He must call upon them
not only to repent of their
sins
and forsake them; but to put their whole trust in the atonement of
Christ
by faith in his name
for pardon and acceptance with God; thus only
will the Lord make them holy
as his own people.
── Matthew Henry《Concise Commentary on Leviticus》
Leviticus 22
Verse 2
[2]
Speak unto Aaron and to his sons
that they separate themselves from the holy
things of the children of Israel
and that they profane not my holy name in
those things which they hallow unto me: I am the LORD.
Separate themselves —
When any uncleanness is upon them
as appears from Leviticus 22:3
4.
From the holy things — From eating of those parts of the offerings
which belong to them. Only
of the tithes they might eat.
They —
The children of Israel. And it ill became the priests to profane or pollute
what the people did hallow.
Verse 3
[3] Say unto them
Whosoever he be of all your seed among your generations
that goeth unto the holy things
which the children of Israel hallow unto the
LORD
having his uncleanness upon him
that soul shall be cut off from my
presence: I am the LORD.
Goeth unto the holy things — To eat them
or to touch them; for if the touch of one of the people
having his uncleanness upon him defiled the thing he touched
much more was it
so in the priest.
Cut off —
From my ordinances by excommunication: He shall be excluded both from the
administration
and from the participation of them.
Verse 7
[7] And
when the sun is down
he shall be clean
and shall afterward eat of the holy
things; because it is his food.
His food —
His portion
the means of his subsistence. This may be added
to signify why
there was no greater nor longer a penalty put upon the priests than upon the
people in the same case
because his necessity craved some mitigation: tho'
otherwise the priests being more sacred persons
deserved a greater punishment.
Verse 9
[9] They
shall therefore keep mine ordinance
lest they bear sin for it
and die
therefore
if they profane it: I the LORD do sanctify them.
Lest they bear sin —
Incur guilt and punishment.
For it —
For the neglect or violation of it.
Verse 10
[10] There shall no stranger eat of the holy thing: a sojourner of the priest
or an hired servant
shall not eat of the holy thing.
No stranger — Of
a strange family
who is not a priest; but there is an exception to this rule
Leviticus 22:11.
A sojourner —
One that comes to his house and abides there for a season
and eats at his
table.
Verse 12
[12] If
the priest's daughter also be married unto a stranger
she may not eat of an
offering of the holy things.
A stranger — To
one of another family
who is no priest. Yet the priest's wife
though of
another family
might eat. The reason of which difference is
because the wife
passeth into the name
state and privileges of her husband
from whom the
family is denominated.
Verse 14
[14] And
if a man eat of the holy thing unwittingly
then he shall put the fifth part
thereof unto it
and shall give it unto the priest with the holy thing.
Unto it —
Over and above the principle
and besides the ram to be offered to God
Leviticus 5:15.
And shall give unto the priest the holy thing — That is
the worth of it
which the priest was either to take to himself
or to offer to God
as the nature of the thing was.
Verse 15
[15] And
they shall not profane the holy things of the children of Israel
which they
offer unto the LORD;
They —
The people shall not profane them
by eating them: or the priests shall not
profane them
that is
suffer the people to profane them
without censure and
punishment.
Verse 16
[16] Or
suffer them to bear the iniquity of trespass
when they eat their holy things:
for I the LORD do sanctify them.
They —
That is
the priests
shall not (the negative particle being understood out of
the foregoing clause) suffer them - That is
the people
to bear the iniquity
of trespass - That is
the punishment of their sin
which they might expect
from God
and for the prevention whereof the priest was to see restitution
made.
Verse 18
[18]
Speak unto Aaron
and to his sons
and unto all the children of Israel
and say
unto them
Whatsoever he be of the house of Israel
or of the strangers in
Israel
that will offer his oblation for all his vows
and for all his freewill
offerings
which they will offer unto the LORD for a burnt offering;
Strangers —
Such as were proselytes.
Verse 19
[19] Ye
shall offer at your own will a male without blemish
of the beeves
of the
sheep
or of the goats.
A male —
For a burnt-offering
which was always of that kind: but the females were
accepted in peace-offerings
and sin-offerings.
Verse 25
[25]
Neither from a stranger's hand shall ye offer the bread of your God of any of
these; because their corruption is in them
and blemishes be in them: they
shall not be accepted for you.
A stranger's hand —
From proselytes: even from those
such should not be accepted
much less from
the Israelites.
The bread of your God — That is
the sacrifices.
Verse 28
[28] And
whether it be cow or ewe
ye shall not kill it and her young both in one day.
In one day —
Because it favoured of cruelty.
Verse 32
[32]
Neither shall ye profane my holy name; but I will be hallowed among the
children of Israel: I am the LORD which hallow you
Hallowed
or sanctified
either by you in
keeping my holy commands
or upon you in executing my holy and righteous
judgments. I will manifest myself to be an holy God that will not bear the
transgression of my laws.
── John Wesley《Explanatory Notes on
Leviticus》
22 Chapter 22
Verse 11
If the priest buy any soul . . . and he that is born.
Bought
or born
Strangers
sojourners
and servants upon hire were not to eat of
holy things. It is so in spiritual matters still. But two classes were free at
the sacred table--those who were bought with the priest’s money
and those who
were born into the priest’s house.
I. Bought. Our
great High Priest has bought with a price all those who put their trust in Him.
They are His absolute property. Not for what they are in themselves
but for
their Owner’s sake they are admitted into the same privileges which He Himself
enjoys
and they shall “eat of His meat.” He has meat to eat which worldlings
know not of. “Because ye belong to Christ
” therefore shall ye share with your
Lord.
II. Born. This is
an equally sure way to privilege; if born in the Priest’s house we take our
place with the rest of the family. Regeneration makes us fellow-heirs
and of
the same body; and
therefore
the peace
the joy
the glory
which the Father has given
to Christ
Christ has given to us. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Verse 21
It shall be perfect to be accepted.
A plain man’s sermon
1. The ceremonial
law
as ordained by the hand of Moses and Aaron
called the worshippers of God
to great carefulness before Him. Before their minds that solemn truth was ever made visible
“I
the Lord thy God am a jealous God.” Nothing might be done thoughtlessly. Of every
ceremony it might be said
“It must be perfect to be accepted.” God must have
the minds and thoughts of men
or He counts that they are no worshippers. We
need to think a great deal more about how we come before the Most High; and if
we thought more and prayed more
we should become more certain of our inability
to do anything as we ought to do it
and we should be driven to a more entire
dependence upon the Spirit of God in every act of worship. This in itself would
be a great blessing.
2. The ceremonial law also engendered in men who did think a great
respect for the holiness of God. They could not help seeing that God required
everything in His service to be of the very best. They must have felt that sin
was not a trifle
but a thing for which there must be life given and blood shed
before it could be removed; and that life and blood must be the life and blood
of a perfect and unblemished offering.
3. Under the Jewish ceremonial law
one of the most prominent
thoughts
next to a great respect for the holiness of God
would be a deep
regard for the law of God. Everywhere that the Israelite went he was surrounded
by law. If men do not understand the law
they will not feel that they are
sinners; and if they are not consciously sinners
they will never value the
sin-offering.
I. First
then
the rule of our text
“it shall be perfect to be accepted
” may be used to shut
out all those faulty offerings whereon so many place their confidence.
1. It most effectually judges and casts forth all self-righteousness
although this is the great deceit wherewith thousands are buoyed up with false
hopes. “It shall be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no blemish therein.”
If you can come up to this rule you shall be saved by your righteousness; but
if you cannot reach you must fail of acceptance.
2. Why
look
ye that hope to be saved by your own doings
your
nature at the very first is tainted! There is evil in your heart from the very
beginning
so that you are not perfect and are not without blemish. Who can
bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Not one.
3. Look again
for I feel sure that there must have been a blemish
somewhere as matter of fact. As yet you are not conscious of a blemish; and
possibly there is some justification for this unconsciousness. Looking upon
you
I feel inclined to love you
as Jesus loved that young man who could say
of the commandments
“All these have I kept from my youth up.” But I must beg
you to answer this question--Has there not been a blemish in your motives? What
have you been doing all these good things for? “Why
that I might be saved!”
Precisely so. Therefore selfishness has been the motive which has ruled your
life. Moreover
it is not only your nature and your motive which are imperfect.
You certainly must have erred somewhere or other
in some act of your life. The
Scripture also is dead against you when it says
“There is none righteous; no
not one.”
4. Methinks if I could read all hearts
there is not one here
however self-righteous he may be
who would not have to confess distinct acts
of sin. I know how some of you have lived. You were amiable girls and excellent
young women
and have grown up to be careful
loving wives; and therefore you
say
“I never did anybody any harm; surely I may be accepted.” I wish that there
were more like you. I am not condemning you; far from it; but I know that your
tendency is to think that because of all this you must in yourselves be
accepted of God. Give me your hand
and let me say to you
with tears
“It is
not so
my sister; it is not so
my brother. It must be perfect to be accepted;
there must be no blemish in it.” This is a death-blow for your self-confidence;
for there was a time
some day or other in your life
in which you did wrong.
What I have you no hasty temper? Have no quick words escaped you which you
would wish to recall? What! have you never murmured against God
or complained
of His providence? Have you never been slothful when you ought to have been
diligent? Can you say that your heart has never desired evil--never imagined
impurity? Have you never gone to live in an old house which looked like new?
You had fresh paint
and varnish
and paper in superabundance; and you thought
yourself dwelling in one of the sweetest of places
till one day it happened
that a board was taken up
and you saw under the floor. What a gathering of
every foul thing! You could not have lived in that house at peace for a minute
had you known what had been covered up. Rottenness had been hidden
decay had
been doctored
death had been decorated. That is just like our humanity. When lusts are quiet
they are all there. The best man in this place
who is not a believer in
Christ
would go mad if he were to see himself as God sees him.
5. This text makes a clean sweep of all other kinds of human confidences.
Some are deceived in this sort: “Well
” they say
“I do not trust in my works; but I am a
religious person
and I attend the sacrament
and I go to my place of worship
pretty regularly. I feel that I must certainly be right. I have faith in Jesus
Christ and in myself.” In various ways men thus compose an image whose feet are
part of iron and part of clay.
II. As this rule
shuts out all other confidences
so this rule shuts us up to the sacrifice of
Jesus Christ. Oh
if I had the tongues of men and of angels
I could never
fitly tell you of Him who offered Himself without spot unto God
for He is
absolutely perfect; there is no blemish in Him!
1. He is perfect in His nature as God and man. There was not the
possibility of sinning about the Saviour--no tendency that way
no desire that
way. Nothing that could be construed into evil ever came upon His character.
2. As He was perfect in His nature
so was He in His motive. What
brought Him from above but love to God and man? You can find no trace of ambition
in Christ Jesus. In Him there is no thought of self.
3. As His nature was perfect
so was His spirit. He was never
sinfully angry
nor harsh
nor untrue
nor idle. Tile air of His soul was the
atmosphere of heaven rather than of earth.
4. Look at His life of obedience
and see how perfect that was. Which
commandment did He ever break? Which duty of relationship did He ever forget?
He honoured the law of God and loved the souls of men.
5. Look at the perfection of His sacrifice. He gave His body to be
tortured
and His mind to be crushed and broken
even unto the death-agony. He
gave Himself for us a perfect sacrifice. All that the law could ask was in Him.
III. Listen
ye that
follow after righteousness
ye that know the Lord! You are saved. You have not
therefore
to bring any sacrifice by way of a sin-offering
but you have to
bring sacrifices of thanksgiving. It is your reasonable service that you offer
your bodies a living sacrifice unto God. If you do this you cannot bring an
absolutely perfect sacrifice
but you must labour to let it be perfect in what
is often the Biblical sense of perfection. You must take care that what you
bring is not blind
for the blind were not to be offered. You must serve God
with a single eye to the glory of God. And as it must not be blind
so it must
not be broken. Whenever we serve God
we must do it with the whole of our
being
for if we try to serve God with a bit of our nature
and leave the rest
unconsecrated
we shall not be accepted. Next
they were not to bring a maimed
sacrifice: that is
one without its limbs. Some people give grudgingly
that is
to say
they come up to the collection-box with a limp. Many serve Christ with
a broken arm. The holy work is done
but it is painfully and slowly done. Among
the heathen
I believe
they never offered in sacrifice to the gods a calf that
had to be carried. The reason was that they considered that the sacrifice ought
to be willing to be offered
“and so it must be able to walk up to the altar.
Notice in the Old Testament
though there were many creatures
both birds and
beasts
that were offered to God
they never offered any fish on the holy
altar. The reason probably is that a fish could not come there alive. Its life
would be spent before it came to the altar
and therefore it could not render a
life unto God. Take care that you bring your bodies a living sacrifice. We must
not bring Him the mere chrysalis of a man
out of which the life has gone; but
we must bring before Him our living
unmaimed selves if we would be acceptable
before Him. It is then added
“or having a wen.” It does not look as though it
would hurt the sacrifice much to have a wen; yet there must not be a wen
or
spot
or wrinkle
or any such thing. Above all
avoid that big wen of pride.
The sacrifice was not to be scabbed
or to have the scurvy. That is to say
it
was to be without any sort of outward fault. I have heard men say
“It is true
I did not do that thing well
but my heart was right.” That may be
but you
must try and make the whole matter as good as it can be. What a deal of scabbed
service our Lord gets! Men try to be benevolent to their fellow-creatures with
an irritable temper. Certain people try to serve God
and write stinging
letters to promote brotherly love
and dogmatical epistles in favour of
large-mindedness. Too many render to the Lord hurried
thoughtless worship; and
many more give for offerings their smallest coins and such things as they will
never miss. God has many a scurvy sheep brought before Him. The best of the best
should be given to the Best of the best. Would God that the best of our lives
the best hours of the morning
the best skill of our hands
the best thoughts
of our minds
the very cream of our being
were given to our God! (C.
H. Spurgeon.)
Offerings to be without blemish
1. This law was
then
necessary for the preserving of the honour of
the sanctuary and of the God that was there worshipped.
2. This law made all the legal sacrifices the fitter to be types of
Christ
the great Sacrifice
from which all those derived their virtue.
3. It is an instruction to us to offer to God the best we have in our
spiritual sacrifices. If our devotions be ignorant
and cold
and trifling
and
full of distractions
we offer the blind
and the lame
and the sick for sacrifice.
But cursed be the deceiver that doth so
for while he thinks to put a cheat
upon God
he puts a damning cheat upon his own soul. (Matthew Henry
D. D.)
Blemishes in our sacrifices
All religious service is of the nature of sacrifice.
I. Read this requirement
of perfect sacrifices
and by it let us test our regard for the sabbath
services. God has once
at least
read us a very solemn lesson of the manner in
which He regards lost Sabbaths. Seventy Sabbatical years the Jews allowed to
drop out of their calendar. Seventy years were spent by them in captivity. A
fearful presage to us of what might be the national judgment if
as a Church
and people
we went on to blot out from amongst us our day of rest. Every one
will agree that if the Sabbath be obligatory
then it is assuredly obligatory
thus far--
1. That there be regular attendance upon public service.
2. Of the other hours of the day
that a part be spent in private
devotional exercises
a part in religious reading; that a higher and more
sacred tone of conversation be maintained; that some work of piety and love be
performed.
II. By this test
let us judge our sanctuary worship. Examine ourselves in the house of God.
Difficulty of keeping the mind collected and devout results from want of due
preparation.
1. Something may be said respecting the posture of body we assume in
the sanctuary. Position of body reacts upon the mind. Indolence is associated
with
and leads to
irreverence. Kneeling is required equally by the dignity of
God and the weakness of our nature.
2. So with the voice. Difficult to overestimate how much is lost--
(a) to the beauty of our services;
(b) to the glory of God;
(c) to our own souls
by the silence so many of us maintain
both in
the responses and in the service of song.
But there are more serious “blemishes” in our sanctuary sacrifices
than these. Where is--
Well might St. James say
“Ye have not because ye ask not
or ask
amiss.” “Blemish on sacrifice” drives the flame down again.
III. By this test
let us examine our observance of the sacrament of the Lord’s supper. A word in
solemn affection to some. You never attend the sacrament to celebrate the
Lord’s death at all. Others
if at all
so irregularly as almost to turn the
attendance into a mockery.
1. Happy for us that we can turn from all our poor “blemished”
sacrifices to that pure and perfect sacrifice of Christ
which has been offered
“without blemish and without spot” for us.
2. Only let us never forget that he who would safely trust in the
power of that “Sacrifice” for his salvation must take the spotlessness of that
Sacrifice for his daily pattern. (Anon.)
Giving the worst to God
A pastor went one day to call on a member of his church
who was a farmer. During the conversation the work of Christian benevolences
was touched upon
and the farmer proudly alluded to the fact that out of his
few acres of ground he always set aside one acre to the Lord’s use. The pastor
hoping to here get the material for an illustration in his own work
asked the
farmer brother
“Which acre do you set aside?” This was a question that came
very unexpectedly
but the farmer was honest enough to tell the truth
and
replied
“When it is a dry season
I select one up there
” pointing to a field
on the hillside; “and when it is a wet season
I choose one down there
”
pointing to a field of very low land which lay at the foot of the hill. I give
this illustration
not on account of its rarity
but because it is a true
picture of thousands of professed Christians
who give to God’s service that
part of their time and means that is left after first satisfying their own
personal selfish ends. (Sharpened Arrows.)
God ought to have the best
One cold morning a little ragged
woeful-looking child came in at
our back door
begging for food. “Please
ma’am
mend the children most
starved. Only a bit o’ bread.” “Have you no father or mother
child?” asked
I. “Yes’m
” and a
look of shame and despair mantled his hollow cheeks. “Don’t they work and earn
money?” “Yes’m
little; but they most allus spend it afore they gets home
at
the ‘Horn o’ Plenty.’ “Immediately my heart became adamant. The miserable
drunken brutes
thought I
I’ll not feed their children. Then I remembered
there is a very stale loaf of bread in the cupboard
scarcely fit for toast. I
gave that to the child
very glad to dispose of it. He grabbed it eagerly
with
a clutch that reminded one of the grasp of the drowning
when they would fain
save themselves. Little Gracie
our six-year-old darling
had been a silent
spectator; but after the boy departed
she came to me with deep inquiry
depicted upon her spiritual countenance
saying
“Mamma
if Jesus Christ had
come and said He was starving to death
would you have given Him that awful dry
loaf of bread?” “Why
child
” said I
“why do you ask such a question ?” “Why
when we give to the poor
ought we not to think that we are really giving to
Jesus Himself? I thought He said so when here upon the earth.” “Well
Gracie
”
said I
kissing her sweet
troubled face
“I think you are right
and I will
remember your lesson next time. Yes
Gracie
we
whom the Lord hath blessed in
our ‘granary and our store
’ would soon relieve suffering humanity if we gave
our alms as if we really were giving to the ‘Blessed Redeemer.’ We are too
prone to forget this truth.” “The very best that we have in the house isn’t too
good for Him
is it
mamma?” asked she. “No
no
my precious child
” replied I
clasping her to my heart and thinking
“Out of the mouths of babes and
sucklings hast Thou ordained strength and wisdom.” (Christian Age.)
Worthless offerings
A missionary in China
describing in the Sunday at Home
the
sacrifices which are offered to Confucius at the usual and autumnal equinoxes
says
“We looked at the victims
and they were diseased
scraggy brutes
worthless offerings. Oh
the mockery and the utter insincerity and indifference
of the Chinese mind to all sense of honour I My friend explained the matter to
me; he said they were allowed so much by the Treasury for this purpose
and the
cheaper they could get the animals the more they could pocket.” (J. Tinling.)
Verses 31-33
I am the Lord.
Five motives to obedience
Five motives are strewn on their path to constrain them to close
obedience.
1. “I am the Lord.” This is authority employed.
2. “I will be hallowed among the children of Israel.” This is His
holiness
and His desire to diffuse awe of His holy name.
3. “I am the Lord which hallow you.” Here is an appeal to their privileges
as Israelites. Do you not feel that you actually are set apart for Me?
4. “I am the Lord which brought you out of Egypt.” Here is His claim
as Redeemer
who paid the price and set free the captives. Is there gratitude
in your souls? Is there sense of thankfulness for favour done?
5. “Your God”--as well as your Lord: His claim as Father
Shepherd
King
and whatever else there is that is tender in relationship
or beneficial
in office
or sweet in character--all is summed up in “your God”! Who is like
“our God”? “Who would not fear Thee?” (Jeremiah 10:7). (A. A. Bonar.)
Unquestioning obedience peremptorily enforced
I. What Jehovah
was in Israel. “I am the Lord.”
II. What Jehovah
was to Israel. “Your God.”
III. What Jehovah
had done for Israel. “That brought you out of the land of Egypt.”
IV. What Jehovah
would do with Israel. “I am the Lord which hallow you.” Ceremonially and
symbolically priests and people were made holy by--
1. The rights they observed.
2. The sacrifices they offered.
3. The manifested presence of the Lord. (F. W. Brown.)
──《The Biblical Illustrator》