Have the Rules been relaxed as to who can serve in the priesthood?

Leviticus 21:16-24 People Prohibited from the Priesthood

While some are awaiting the end of Lent and their fasting, many more this year are awaiting the end of “required self-isolation” and “social distancing”. For us today marks the end of three weeks (two self-quarantine due to returning from the U.S. and one at the on-going request of the powers that be). As a result, it has been five weeks since we have seen our youngest grandchildren who live less than half an hour away. Most outlooks now look towards May 4^th for the possible easing up on this and perhaps the re-opening of our schools. Life goes on.  Some handling it better than others. Reading our Bibles is a big comfort for the believer. My study in Leviticus continues.  Thanks for joining me. Today we look at who God didn’t want in the service of the priesthood.

The Passage

Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ¹⁷ “Speak to Aaron, saying, ‘No man of your offspring throughout their generations who has a defect shall approach to offer the food of his God. ¹⁸ For no one who has a defect shall approach: a blind man, or a lame man, or he who has a disfigured face, or any deformed limb, ¹⁹ or a man who has a broken foot or broken hand, ²⁰ or a hunchback or a dwarf, or one who has a defect in his eye or eczema or scabs or crushed testicles. ²¹ No man among the descendants of Aaron the priest who has a defect is to come near to offer the Lord’s offerings by fire; since he has a defect, he shall not come near to offer the food of his God. ²² He may eat the food of his God, both of the most holy and of the holy, ²³ only he shall not go in to the veil or come near the altar because he has a defect, so that he will not profane My sanctuaries. For I am the Lord who sanctifies them.’” ²⁴ So Moses spoke to Aaron and to his sons and to all the sons of Israel.

Thoughts on the Passage

It is very clear from this passage that God did not want any man (from the family of the High Priest, Aaron) that had a physical defect of any kind to follow in the footsteps of Aaron – that is, to become a priest. And that this requirement was to be for “all generations” that followed.

What God did not want was for His sanctuaries to be defiled or profaned in any way with any blemish.

In verse 22, however, such a person in the family of Aaron was still allowed to “eat the food that was for the priests in the process of it being presented to God” and that got David Guzik to write:

This indicates that those in priestly families could be supported by the priesthood.  The barring of physically defective persons as priests was no bar to fellowship with God, only a bar against the public service of God in the tabernacle itself.

This then begs the question, why were these men of Aaron’s family excluded from the office of priest? Again, Guzik helps us out here:

This obviously shows God’s standard for those who would come before Him in service as priests. The prohibition against those with physical defects was meant to point to the even more obvious need to be free from spiritual defect when coming to God.

Robert Jamieson suggests it was to allow for others to focus on what was being done rather than the blemish of the priest, and he writes:

As visible things exert a strong influence on the minds of men, any physical infirmity or malformation of body in the ministers of religion, which disturbs the associations or excites ridicule, tends to detract from the weight and authority of the sacred office.

Matthew Henry points out that what matters in those days with respect to who could be a priest and who could not, was whether or not those that couldn’t be would be taken care of by the rest of family.  And of course, God made provision for that.  However, in today’s society, the concern would be about whether or not taking God’s approach amounts to a Human Rights or Equal Opportunity violation. My how we have changed the way God wants us to live and take care of each other.

Henry says that God made this requirement for no blemish, etc. here . . . 

For the preserving of the reputation of his altar, that it might not at any time fall under contempt. It was for the credit of the sanctuary that none should appear there who were any way disfigured, either by nature or accident.

Henry does say things are different, however, under the New Testament where the Gospel of Christ takes over. He writes:

Under the gospel, those that labour under any such blemishes as these have reason to thank God that they are not thereby excluded from offering spiritual sacrifices to God; nor, if otherwise qualified for it, from the office of the ministry. There is many a healthful beautiful soul lodged in a crazy deformed body.

Yet, we ought to infer hence how incapable those are to serve God acceptably whose minds are blemished and deformed by any reigning vice. Those are unworthy to be called Christians, and unfit to be employed as minsters, that are spiritually blind, and lame, and crooked, whose sins render them scandalous and deformed, so as that the offerings of the Lord are abhorred for their sakes.. . . Let such therefore as are openly vicious be put out of the priesthood as polluted persons; and let all that are made to our God spiritual priests be before him holy and without blemish, and comfort themselves with this, that, though in this imperfect state they have spots that are the spots of God's children, yet they shall shortly appear before the throne of God without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing.

And Moses passed this on to Aaron.

What is our take-away? God cares today about the minds and hearts of our clergy more than their physical deformities. And that’s why our elders and deacons need to keep an eye on our pastors and ministers by meeting with them regularly and checking out how they are doing in that regard.  Perhaps, the question to ask your pastor as you treat them to a coffee or a lunch next is, “How’s your heart, pastor?”

In addition, where the heart is not right and cannot or will not be fixed, it is incumbent on our elders and deacons to take the godly steps to remove those who would only keep the post out of ego or self-centredness.

Finally, we owe it to God’s servants to make sure they are compensated well in order to be able to provide for their families. Those who are deacons, elders, and even the lay people of the church have this as an awesome responsibility. Church boards should have an intentional process by which these needs are identified.

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.