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Leviticus 21-22: Contamination and conduct of priests
Death of relative (Leviticus 21:1-6, 10-12)
Life is a terminal condition. It kills everyone, no one lives through it. Unlike our 21st century world, there were no funeral homes, mortuaries, etc to take care of our dead for us.
For most of the world’s history, the family took care of their own dead. The family arranged for the burial, transported it to the burial site and made sure the body was sealed up in its grave or tomb.
Burials were private matters completely handled by the family.
Regular priests could not to conduct or attend most funerals (not even for their wife). They could not even be in the same room with a dead body.
A regular priest could attend the funeral of his parents, children, or unmarried sister. Notice he could not attend the funeral of his grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins either.
The high priest was held to an even higher stand. He was not allowed to attend any funeral for anyone for any reason. When Aaron lost his two sons, Aaron could not even mourn their loss. He had to do his job. He could not take time off work to attend their funerals. The only funeral a high priest could attend was his own.
No priests could make a bald spot on their head or corner of beard. The high priest also must have short, well-trimmed hair.
Ezekiel 44:20 tells us that the Levite descendants of Zadok (spiritual inspiration for the Sadducees) are not to have long hair either, but all hair on head must be well trimmed.
Priest marriage (Leviticus 21:7-9, 13-16)
No priest is to marry a harlot, desecrated woman (a product of an illicit relationship or adulterous conduct), or divorced woman. Normal priest permitted wives include virgin, widow, and possibly non-virgin (depending on interpretation).
The high priest is only permitted to marry an Israelite virgin who is not desecrated (not a product of illicit relationship). There is a phrase that is repeated three times.
“'”so that he will not profane his offspring among his people; for I am the LORD who sanctifies him.“‘”
Leviticus 21:15 NASB
The actions of parents can affect the children. If a high priest rejects God’s counsel and marries a woman that the Law considers unfit, then his heirs from that wife, would be unfit to ever succeed him in the office of High Priest. This is what is referenced in Lev. 21:15 when God says,
The rules are not quite as strict for priests who are not in the office of High Priest.
Ezekiel 44:22 states that that the sons of Zadok are permitted to marry widows of priests, which is a change from what we read in Leviticus.
I’m not a believer that the Bible has zero contradictions. It’s not true. It actually does and it’s done on purpose, because no two witnesses say the exact same thing. If you have two identical witnesses, the exact same thing, one of them is lying or copying to the person and see the same thing. We don’t just see, we interpret what we see.
Yehovah sanctifies high priests (Leviticus 21:15)
The only reason a priest is a priest or a High Priest is anointed as High Priests is because God has selected him for that office. God is the one who has set him aside for the priestly office.
Important to note that all anointed high priests are sanctified by Yehovah. This includes Messiah (the Anointed one) and all kings over His people. Human beings cannot sanctify anyone, regardless of how we treat them.
Men can select someone for leadership but we can’t sanctify them. Only God sanctifies.
Responsibility is on priests and the people (Leviticus 21:17-22:16)
Non-priests cannot eat holy offerings (Lev. 22:10-15). This included David who broke this commandment and the High Priest Ahimelech helped him because he was hungry. David (with his men) and the High Priest knowingly broke this commandment. (1Sam 21:1-9; 22:6-23; Matt. 12:1-8). Therefore these commands are strong guiding principles to be obeyed unless temporarily overruled by greater need (not want).
What offerings are acceptable from the hands of gentiles/foreigners? (Leviticus 22:17ff)
“'”nor shall you accept any such from the hand of a foreigner for offering as the food of your God; for their corruption is in them, they have a defect, they shall not be accepted for you.”‘”
Leviticus 22:25 NASB
There are several interpretations of this verse.
It can mean that an Israelite can not present an animal on behalf of a stranger. The stranger needs to clean himself and present his own offering, not ask an Israelite to offer it in his place.
Or, the interpretation I believe makes the most sense is that if an Israelite brings an animal for sacrifice, it should come from their own livestock, their own supplies, not somebody else’s.
King David pointed out that a sacrifice isn’t really a sacrifice, a gift is not really a gift, if he didn’t have to pay for it. If it didn’t cost him anything , it doesn’t mean anything. David’s attitude is that, “Only a sacrifice that actually costs me something that I will offer to God.”
Imagine the difference between going to a market and purchasing an animal for sacrifice that you just met at that moment and would be take for slaughter a short time later. What bond do you have with that animal? What bond does that animal have with you? None.
Now on the other hand if you raised the animal from birth. You feed it, gave it water, provided it shelter. Then you have go to your own livestock and select an animal for sacrifice. That animal is more than just money now. It’s your labor. It’s your effort.
The point of a sacrifice to God is that you are supposed to give Him something important to you to show Him that your relationship with Him is more important than any other relationship.
Leviticus 23: מוֹעֲדֵ֣י יי Mo’adey Adonai (appointed times of the LORD)
- Shabbat (end of every seven-day week)
- 1 mo’ed (meeting time) and מִקְרָא קֹ֑דֶשׁ miqra qodesh (holy convocation) each week
- based on 7
- Passover & Matzot (7 days)
- Passover mo’ed is the afternoon of the 14th day of the 1st month (Abib, March/April)
- No specific
- Matzot mo’edim are the 15th and 21st days of the 1st month
- 2 מִקְרָאֵ֣י קֹ֑דֶשׁ miqrey qodesh annually (1st and 7th days of the Matzot)
- Passover mo’ed is the afternoon of the 14th day of the 1st month (Abib, March/April)
- Counting Omer (7 sets of 7 days)
- No miqrey qodesh, but it begins with a mo’ed (some say the 16th day of )
- Shavuot (end of 7 sets of 7 days)
- Pentecost: 1 mo’ed
- Yom Teruah (Day of Blowing Trumpets, 1st day of 7th month): 1 mo’ed
- Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement, 10th day of 7th month): 1 mo’ed
- Sukkot (Tabernacles/Booths, 7 days in 7th month, from the 15th to the 21st days of the 7th month): 1 mo’ed
- Shemini Atzeret (Eighth Day, last mo’ed in the 7th month, 22nd day of the 7th month): 1 mo’ed
More groups of seven
- Menorah: 7 branches
- Showbread on the table in the tabernacle is exchanged every 7 days
- Shemitah: 7 years for land to rest
- Yobel (Jubilee): 7 sets of 7 years plus one
Implication of these groupings of seven
- Shabbat’s 7th day = rest or release from labor
- Matzot’s 7 days = rest or release from sin or bondage
- Menorah’s 7 eyes of Yehovah = looking at 12 loaves of (matzot) bread for 7 days (Zech. 4:1–14)
- Sukkot’s 7 = dwelling with Yehovah in wilderness
It appears that the intended theme for grouping all of these symbols of seven is to combine the idea that Yehovah’s appointments (and seven-year events) are for Him to stop and see what we are doing as well as us to stop and see what He is doing.
Strange interlude: Bane of the blasphemer
Why on earth is this blasphemer story shoved here completely out of context? Makes no sense. It looks like someone just jammed it in somewhere where there might have been a break in the parchment and they glued it in.
After all, they could have placed this admonition next to the story about the man picking up wood on shabbat.
And so the only explanation I have is that the reason it’s here is is to look more closely at the rest of the commandments listed with it. The appointments are a time for us to look up at God and what He is doing and for Him to look down upon and observe us.
God is looking at how man treats man, how man treats animals, etc. If I brag to God that I am a holy person but He has seen me treating my neighbor like garbage, what do I have to show Him other than my conduct?
Do we want to bring all the unresolved resentments, arguments and discontent we have with our family, friends and neighbors before God? We should resolve these issues first before we attend God’s appointed feasts.
I believe this is why Yeshua says,
“’Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.’”
Matthew 5:23–24 NASB
God cares about our conduct. He cares about where our hearts are at when we show up to His appointments.
What does it mean to blaspheme God?
“’You shall speak to the sons of Israel, saying, “If anyone curses his God, then he will bear his sin. ‘Moreover, the one who blasphemes the name of the LORD shall surely be put to death; all the congregation shall certainly stone him. The alien as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death.”‘”
Leviticus 24:15–16 NASB
You can interpret this text broadly, narrowly or somewhere in between. For me, I do my best to try to view it or interpret it as broadly as possible and leave room for error. So, blaspheming Him will be, In my opinion, a broad spectrum verb form of giving Him or putting blame on His shoulders for things that he may or may not have done.
The blasphemer’s story and list of conduct between men appears in the middle of the groups of sevens, possibly because of what Yehovah does at His appointed times: observe our conduct.
Summary: Tammy
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