The Holy Things of God: Leviticus 21-24

How does a perfectly holy God get his perfectly forgetful people to remember who He is and what He has done for them?

He first does this by creating laws to help them know how they are to treat His holy things including His very own Holy Name. He also institutes punishments for when they profane His holy things as a way of calling them back to the holiness they were supposed to embody.

He also helps them remember by instituting holy celebrations in which they were to rest from their regular work and actively remember the things He had done for them and the way He continued to sustain them.

When they forgot these things, when they forgot to take his holiness seriously and forgot to observe the celebrations he set aside for them, they fell into a sinfulness that seemed almost beyond hope.

But we know that because of Christ, no matter how sinful we are, we are never beyond hope. So, just like the Israelites of old, we must be careful not to forget what He has done for us.

Today we’re looking at Leviticus chapters 21-24. We’ll learn about how the Israelites were to treat the Holy things of God, including the objects, sacrifices, and days that were used to help them remember how their Covenant King was to be worshiped.

Instructions for the Priests – Chapters 21 and 22

The instructions in chapter 21 apply to Aaron and his sons (the priests). The priests were held to a higher standard than the rest of Israel. They worked near the presence of the Most Holy King. They represented the people to God and God to the people. If the priests did not take their own holiness seriously, then the people might not take God’s holiness very seriously. Therefore it was very important that the priests follow God’s laws exactly.

Verses 1 – 6 of 21 instruct the priests on how they are to deal with the dead. The priests are permitted to grieve but they must not touch any of their dead loved ones (thus making themselves unclean) except for those that are closest to them. The priests are also warned that they are not to practice the mourning rites of the pagans (shaving, making cuts on their body, etc.). They are to be set apart. Later on in the chapter (vs. 10-11), we see that the rules for the chief priest are even stricter since he has been anointed with holy oil.

Chapter 21 verses 7-9 lay out what type of women the priests were permitted to marry. Divorced women, prostitutes, and women that have been defiled were off limits. Like the mourning regulations, the rules for the chief priest were stricter. He was only permitted to marry a virgin woman from his own tribe.

Verses 16-24 may bring up some questions. Why would a man with a blemish be unable to serve as a priest? It doesn’t seem fair. It was because the priests represented God’s holiness to the people. Therefore they must themselves be whole and complete in order to represent his holiness accurately (and touch the holy things of God). But God is gracious to those who have blemishes. Verse 22 tells us that they were still permitted to partake not just of the holy things (food items) but of the most holy things as well. Those with blemishes were still included amongst the priests. This also could indicate that they were permitted to participate in some of the priestly duties, just not giving holy offerings and entering into the Holy Place.

Chapter 22 reminds the priests that they must be clean in order to offer the people’s offerings to the Lord. The punishment for doing so while unclean was severe, they would be cut off from God’s people. Several times throughout these chapters, God reminds them that they must be holy and that it is He who sanctifies them.

Chapter 22:10-15 talks about how only the priests and their families (no visitors or non-family members) could eat the food that was holy (such as the priests portion of the fellowship offering). The priests needed to be very careful with they way they treated God’s holy things and be sure to guard their own ritually holy status.

The chapter ends by giving the priests instructions on which kind of animals would be acceptable as offerings. These offerings were presented to their Holy Covenant King and therefore only the best would suffice. Therefore none of the animals brought before the king could have a blemish. We see the blemishes outlined in verses 22. The one exception was for animals that were given for a freewill offering (a type of fellowship offering). They may have limbs that are too long or too short but no other types of blemishes. We also see God’s gracious provision for the animals as he forbids the slaughtering of very young animals and entire families.

The final verses remind them of why they needed to obey these laws exactly as the Lord had given them. The reason?

I am the Lord who sanctifies you, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God. I am the Lord. (22:32-33)

If you’re following along in your workbook and have filled out the table on the various laws of chapters 21-24 (page 41) , you can see how I filled out my table by clicking here.

The Feasts of the Lord

The people of God were very forgetful (not much has changed has it?). We see throughout Israel’s history that the people would habitually fall into sin because of forgetting who God was and what he had done for them. So in order to help them remember, God instituted holy days to be observed throughout the year. The people were to follow the instructions given for each particular holy day and celebrate how God had provided for them throughout their history. What follows is a summary of each of the holy days.

Sabbath

The purpose of the Sabbath was to cause the people to stop, rest, and remember. They must not forget the provision of their God and think that they have been successful by their own hard work. On the Sabbath all work was to cease to remind them of their utter dependency on Him. The Sabbath was observed on the day we now know as Saturday. It was to be observed every week without fail. When the people forget to observe the Sabbath, they soon forgot how to live in obedience to God.

The Passover and The Feast of Unleavened Bread

The celebration of the Passover was also a day of remembrance. They were to remember and give thanks for how death had passed over them and God redeemed them from the land of Egypt. The day following Passover started The Feast of Unleavened bread, a seven day long celebration in which they only ate unleavened bread to remember what they ate after they had been redeemed. There was to be no work on the first or the seventh day. At this feast (as with several others) there was to be a “holy convocation” or a gathering at the tabernacle in which they would celebrate and give offerings to God.

The Feast of Firstfruits

On the day after the Sabbath after the first harvest of the year, the people were to bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of the harvest to offer to the Lord. They were to offer the firstfruits along with a burnt offering, a grain offering, and a drink offering. The purpose of this celebration was to give to the Lord the very best of the harvest and to remember that the harvest was his gracious provision to them. Only after offering the Lord the firstfruits were the Israelites permitted to partake of the rest of the harvest.

The Feast of Weeks (Pentecost)

After the Feast of Firstfruits, the Israelites were to count out 50 days (or 7 weeks) and then celebrate the feast of weeks. This feast was another reminder of God’s gracious provision in the harvest. It was also an opportunity to thank him for it. At this feast, they were to present to God two baked loaves made from some of the new grain from the harvest. The loaves were offered as a wave offering to God and then given to the priests. There were also a number of other offerings made on this day: a significant burnt offering, a grain offering, a drink offering, a sin offering, and a fellowship offering. The Feast of Weeks was another celebration in which a holy gathering was held at the tabernacle.

The Feast of Trumpets

On the day of the Feast of Trumpets, a trumpet would blast and a day of rest was observed. Jay Sklar (2014) points out that the trumpet blast was both a request for the Lord’s favor and an assurance that they had it. They were to remember that the Lord had chosen them to be his people and looked on them favorably.

The Day of Atonement

For the particulars on the Day of Atonement read this post here. On the Day of Atonement, when all of Israel’s sins were wiped clean, the people were to fast (translated in my Bible as “afflict yourselves”) and present a food offering to the Lord (in addition to the offerings outlined in chapter 16). They were not to do any work on the Day of Atonement and celebrate it as the day in which God took away all of their sins.

The Feast of Booths

The Feast of Booths was celebrated for seven days. On the first day and the last day they were not to do any work. They were to present food offerings on each of these days. The interesting part of the Feast of Booths is where the Lord instructs them to dwell during this week. In verse 40 we see that the Israelites were to gather branches and leaves from nearby trees. They were to make structures or “booths” from these branches and live in them throughout the week. The purpose was to remember the years of their wandering in the desert, where they dwelt in booths and tents, after their exodus from Egypt. They were to remember the God who dwelt with them, provided for them, and guided them during that time. They were to always remember who they were, where they came from, and what their God had done for them. This was to be a joyous celebration with feasting. On the last day they were to hold a holy gathering at the tabernacle to bring offerings and celebrate what their God had done for them.

For an example of how the Feast of Booths was celebrated after the exile, see Nehemiah 8:13-18

I included a table in your workbook on the Feast Days (page 42). If you’d like to see how I filled out my table, click here.

The Holy Lamp & Bread and Punishment for Blasphemy – Chapter 24

Chapter 24 continues with this section of Leviticus that addresses the holy things of God and how they are to be handled.

We learn at the beginning of the chapter that the Golden Lamp (which you can read about here in Exodus 25:31-40) within the tabernacle was to use pure oil beaten from olives and was to be kept burning continually. One of the duties of the priests was to keep the lamp burning. This would have reminded them that God was present in their midst.

The Table of the Presence in the tabernacle was to always be set as if ready to serve a feast. This also was to remind them that their Lord was present in that place. Two piles of six loaves was to continually be on the table and was switched out every week. The old loaves then went to the priests to be eaten. They were most holy and therefore could only be eaten by the priests.

The chapters ends with one of the very few sections of narrative in the entire book. A man (half Israelite/half Egyptian) was caught blaspheming God’s Name. This means that he was not merely taking the Lord’s name in vain but he was speaking evil of the Lord himself. Moses and the congregation are unsure how to address the situation since the man is not a native Israelite so they inquire of God. God says, in no uncertain terms, that the man is to be put to death (Sklar, 2014).

We then come to a well known part of the book of Leviticus (24:17-21). This is the part of Scripture where we get the famous “eye for an eye” verse. This is not a formula that allows us to exact revenge on those who wrong us (Jesus addresses this very issue in Matthew 5:38-42), but rather it is a guideline for the Israelites showing them that in legal matters the “punishment must fit the crime.” Blaspheming the name of the Lord was a very serious crime and we see at the end of chapter 24 that the man guilty of this crime is taken outside the camp and stoned to death.

To see my how I filled out my table for chapter 24 click here.

Application – How should it change me?

It was so important that the Israelites rest and remember who their God was and what he had done for them.

In chapters 21-14 of Leviticus, we see God giving instructions to the Israelites on how they are to handle his holy things, including the holy celebrations he had set aside to help them remember the God that they belonged to.

Not only were they to reflect and remember what God had done for them during several bigger celebrations throughout the year, but they were to observe a day of solemn rest weekly to remind themselves that they were completely dependent on this God who took such great care in providing for them.

We no longer observe the Sabbath. Instead we have a weekly celebration in which we gather with the body of believers and remember what God has done for us. Particularly what he has done for us through Christ.

Just like the Israelites, when we forget, when we stop resting in God’s care and remembering how He has provided for us, we quickly fall into sin.

So the question we should ask ourselves after reading a text like this: Am I taking the time to rest and remember?

I have a tendency to sabotage my rest. Instead of habitually stopping and reflecting on what God has done for me, I fill up any quiet time with noise and distraction. I consider it resting when I take a few minutes to lie on my bed in peace and quiet and flip through my social media feeds. And then I wonder why I come away from that time feeling restless and unprepared to face my tasks for the day.

Sometimes I’m too distracted and “busy” to spend time in God’s Word or even go to church. I mistakenly think that I can get along just fine without those set aside times of rest and remembrance.

But, just like the Israelites, I cannot forsake my times of rest for very long before I find myself falling into sinfulness. When I try to keep going on my own strength, and forget how dependent I am on the Lord to sustain me for my daily tasks, I quickly become fatigued and look to the things of the world to fulfill me.

We must not forget to rest and remember!

Just like the feasts God instituted in the Old Testament times to help his people habitually remember that he was their God, Jesus instituted a feast that we still partake in today to help us to stop and remember what He has done for us.

We call this feast communion. However often your church celebrates the Lord’s supper, remember, Jesus gave us this celebratory meal in order to cause us to stop and remember his sacrifice on the cross. We must never forget the great lengths he went to to save us from our tendency to forget who he is.

So take time today, even this very hour, to stop and rest and remember. Don’t sabotage your rest by filling up the quiet with the noise and distraction of this world. Rest often, celebrate with the body of believers, and use the time given to observe the Lord’s supper as a regular time of reflection and remembrance. May we never forget the God who created us, who sustains us, and who redeemed us through the precious blood of the perfect Lamb.

Homework

Well if you’ve made it this far, congratulations! This is your final homework assignment! Next week we’ll wrap up the book of Leviticus. You’ll find your homework assignment below!

I’ll meet you back here next week to talk through the final chapters of Leviticus!

Works Cited

Sklar, J. (2014). Leviticus: An introduction and commentary. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic.