Leviticus Chapter 22: More Priesthood Laws
Leviticus 22:1-16 What Priests Can’t Do
Day 22 of social distancing. Its end is being talked about but with no certainty. As my daughter observed, “We really can’t start the countdown yet, can we?” So, we press on. One of our small groups that we are involved with meets for the second time virtually tonight. I am teaching a course next week virtually. I’ve started a set of collective bargaining negotiations via email this week. Life is changing. But hey I love some of the changes. Maybe we’ll keep some of them long after this is over. So, hang in there. I’m continuing my study in Leviticus about the priesthood. I really love delving into the mind and thinking of God as He shared it with Moses. Hope you’re enjoying it too.
The Passage
Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Tell Aaron and his sons to be careful with the holy gifts of the sons of Israel, which they dedicate to Me, so as not to profane My holy name; I am the Lord. 3 Say to them, ‘If any man among all your [a]descendants throughout your generations approaches the holy gifts which the sons of Israel dedicate to the Lord, while he has an uncleanness, that person shall be cut off from before Me; I am the Lord. 4 No man of the [b]descendants of Aaron, who is a leper or who has a discharge, may eat of the holy gifts until he is clean. And if one touches anything made unclean by a corpse or if a man has a seminal emission, 5 or if a man touches any teeming things by which he is made unclean, or any man by whom he is made unclean, whatever his uncleanness; 6 a [c]person who touches any such shall be unclean until evening, and shall not eat of the holy gifts unless he has bathed his [d]body in water. 7 But when the sun sets, he will be clean, and afterward he shall eat of the holy gifts, for it is his [e]food. 8 He shall not eat an animal which dies or is torn by beasts, becoming unclean by it; I am the Lord. 9 They shall therefore keep My charge, so that they will not bear sin because of it and die thereby because they profane it; I am the Lord who sanctifies them.
10 ‘No [f]layman, however, is to eat the holy gift; a sojourner with the priest or a hired man shall not eat of the holy gift. 11 But if a priest buys a [g]slave as his property with his money, [h]that one may eat of it, and those who are born in his house may eat of his [i]food. 12 If a priest’s daughter is married to a [j]layman, she shall not eat of the [k]offering of the gifts. 13 But if a priest’s daughter becomes a widow or divorced, and has no child and returns to her father’s house as in her youth, she shall eat of her father’s [l]food; but no [m]layman shall eat of it. 14 But if a man eats a holy gift unintentionally, then he shall add to it a fifth of it and shall give the holy gift to the priest. 15 They shall not profane the holy gifts of the sons of Israel which they offer to the Lord, 16 and so cause them to bear [n]punishment for guilt by eating their holy gifts; for I am the Lord who sanctifies them.’”
Footnotes:
- Leviticus 22:3 Lit seed
- Leviticus 22:4 Lit seed
- Leviticus 22:6 Lit soul
- Leviticus 22:6 Lit flesh
- Leviticus 22:7 Lit bread
- Leviticus 22:10 Lit stranger
- Leviticus 22:11 Lit soul
- Leviticus 22:11 Lit he may
- Leviticus 22:11 Lit bread
- Leviticus 22:12 Lit stranger
- Leviticus 22:12 Lit heave offering
- Leviticus 22:13 Lit bread
- Leviticus 22:13 Lit stranger
- Leviticus 22:16 Or iniquity requiring a guilt offering
Thoughts on the Passage
The first nine verses of this chapter are specifically directed towards those who are from the family of Aaron – the Levitical family of the priesthood throughout the ages. They repeat, for all intents and purposes, the same restrictions that were uttered earlier in the book of Leviticus.
There is a lesson for us in verse 7, however. Notice the unclean person referred to there is only unclean until sunset, and then he is clean. David Guzik has this helpful information for us:
The Jews start their days at sundown, not sunrise or midnight. With this description God indicates that one can start the new day clean and pure to the Lord. No matter how we might have failed the day before, we can begin each new day pure and close to the Lord. His mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:23). In application, we can stop beating our self up for yesterday’s sin. We should confess it, repent of it, and then get on with the business of walking with Lord today.
In verse ten, the focus shifts to how the priests interact with the layperson. The priests are forgiven to give the holy food offered to God to a layperson, a sojourner, or a hired hand.
Verse 11 make an exception for the slave that the priest has bought with his own money. The exception also applies, I would assume from this verse, to all slaves born in the priest’s house, or maybe even to those born to sojourners who are in the priest’s house.
In his commentary, Guzik correctly points to the difference between a purchased servant and a hired hand. As Christians we have been bought with the blood of Jesus and belong to His family. We are not hired hands to accomplish some divine mission although we are called to work with God in His mission for mankind. What a privilege.
Verse 13 indicates that once a priest’s daughter marries a layman, she cannot participate of this food from the offerings. The daughter of a priest who becomes a widow or is divorced and has no child and returns to the priest’s house ‘in her youth’ – she is able to partake of the food of offering. And then God repeats, “no layman shall eat of it.” Robert Jamieson says it is important to note that if such a widow or divorcee . . .
had become a mother, as her children had no right to the privileges of the priesthood, she was under a necessity of finding support for them elsewhere than under her father’s roof.
Verse 14 covers food eaten by error. If someone does that, he must increase the amount eaten by 20% and give it to the priest.
Matthew Henry sees this whole passage as a reminder to our own pastors and other clergy that they are not to just allow everyone to partake in certain sacraments (communion comes to mind) without making sure they have been adopted into the family of God by accepting Christ as their Savior. I often observe communion services where the leader does not remind those in audience of what the qualifications (being born again) are for partaking in holy communion.
It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.
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