Leviticus 22
Regulations for the Eating of Priestly Stipends
22:1 The Lord spoke to Moses: 22:2 “Tell Aaron and his sons that they must deal respectfully with the holy offerings of the Israelites, which they consecrate to me, so that they do not profane my holy name. I am the Lord.
The priests were commanded to treat the offerings with respect. All of the offerings pointed to the Lord Jesus Christ. If the offerings were not treated with respect, they would profane the name and character of God.
22:3 Say to them, ‘Throughout your generations, if any man from all your descendants approaches the holy offerings which the Israelites consecrate to the Lord while he is impure, that person must be cut off from before me. I am the Lord.
If anyone came to the altar in an unclean state, they would lose their Jewish citizenship and be expelled from the community.
22:4 No man from the descendants of Aaron who is diseased or has a discharge may eat the holy offerings until he becomes clean. The one who touches anything made unclean by contact with a dead person, or a man who has a seminal emission,
The Levitical priests could not eat their share of the holy offerings until they were ceremonially clean.
22:5 or a man who touches a swarming thing by which he becomes unclean, or touches a person by which he becomes unclean, whatever that person’s impurity—
Any Levite who touched a swarming thing or an unclean person would be considered ceremonially unclean.
22:6 the person who touches any of these will be unclean until evening and must not eat from the holy offerings unless he has bathed his body in water. 22:7 When the sun goes down he will be clean, and afterward he may eat from the holy offerings, because they are his food.
A priest who was ceremonially unclean must bathe his body in water and not eat until evening.
22:8 He must not eat an animal that has died of natural causes or an animal torn by beasts and thus become unclean by it. I am the Lord.
Priests were not allowed to eat an animal that died of natural causes. They also could not eat an animal that was killed and torn apart by another animal. Either of these infractions would make the priest ceremonially unclean.
22:9 They must keep my charge so that they do not incur sin on account of it and therefore die because they profane it. I am the Lord who sanctifies them.
If any priest broke these commands, he would suffer death.
22:10 “ ‘No lay person may eat anything holy. Neither a priest’s lodger nor a hired laborer may eat anything holy,
The non-priests, or lay people, were not allowed to eat from the priest’s allotment.
22:11 but if a priest buys a person with his own money, that person may eat the holy offerings, and those born in the priest’s own house may eat his food.
If a priest purchased a slave, then the slave was considered to be part of the priest’s household. He may eat of the offerings. He was treated as a family member.
22:12 If a priest’s daughter marries a lay person, she may not eat the holy contribution offerings,
If the daughter of a priest married a lay person, she was disqualified from eating the offerings.
22:13 but if a priest’s daughter is a widow or divorced, and she has no children so that she returns to live in her father’s house as in her youth, she may eat from her father’s food, but no lay person may eat it.
If a priest’s daughter becomes widowed or divorced, then she could return to her father’s house and eat of the offerings.
22:14 “ ‘If a man eats a holy offering by mistake, he must add one fifth to it and give the holy offering to the priest.
If a man ate a holy offering by mistake, he must pay 20% restitution.
22:15 They must not profane the holy offerings which the Israelites contribute to the Lord, 22:16 and so cause them to incur a penalty for guilt when they eat their holy offerings, for I am the Lord who sanctifies them.’ ”
If a lay person ate the holy offerings, he would profane the offerings. He must offer a guilt offering.
Regulations for Offering Votive and Freewill Offerings
22:17 The Lord spoke to Moses: 22:18 “Speak to Aaron, his sons, and all the Israelites and tell them, ‘When any man from the house of Israel or from the foreigners in Israel presents his offering for any of the votive or freewill offerings which they present to the Lord as a burnt offering, 22:19 if it is to be acceptable for your benefit it must be a flawless male from the cattle, sheep, or goats. 22:20 You must not present anything that has a flaw, because it will not be acceptable for your benefit. 22:21 If a man presents a peace offering sacrifice to the Lord for a special votive offering or for a freewill offering from the herd or the flock, it must be flawless to be acceptable; it must have no flaw.
The priests could only accept sacrifices which were flawless. The people had to give their best to God.
22:22 “ ‘You must not present to the Lord something blind, or with a broken bone, or mutilated, or with a running sore, or with a festering eruption, or with a feverish rash. You must not give any of these as a gift on the altar to the Lord.
God only accepts the best. In later Israeli history, the Jews would offer only their blemished and lame animals to God.
22:23 As for an ox or a sheep with a limb too long or stunted, you may present it as a freewill offering, but it will not be acceptable for a votive offering. 22:24 You must not present to the Lord something with testicles that are bruised, crushed, torn, or cut off; you must not do this in your land. 22:25 Even from a foreigner you must not present the food of your God from such animals as these, for they are ruined and flawed; they will not be acceptable for your benefit.’ ”
God was teaching the people of Israel that it was to their benefit to offer their best sacrifices to God. No one can out-give God.
22:26 The Lord spoke to Moses: 22:27 “When an ox, lamb, or goat is born, it must be under the care of its mother seven days, but from the eighth day onward it will be acceptable as an offering gift to the Lord.
All of the firstborn of the flocks belonged to God. However, he would not accept the first born until they were eight days old.
22:28 You must not slaughter an ox or a sheep and its young on the same day.
Neither the mother nor her offspring of a flock were not to be slaughtered on the same day.
22:29 When you sacrifice a thanksgiving offering to the Lord, you must sacrifice it so that it is acceptable for your benefit. 22:30 On that very day it must be eaten; you must not leave any part of it over until morning. I am the Lord.
The Thanksgiving offering must be eaten on the same day of the offering.
22:31 “You must be sure to do my commandments. I am the Lord.
Those who love God will keep His commandments. The commandments are Bible doctrine. If one loves God, he will study the entire counsel of the Word of God and apply what he learns.
22:32 You must not profane my holy name, and I will be sanctified in the midst of the Israelites. I am the Lord who sanctifies you,
God’s name and character were not to be profaned. God would be glorified in the midst of Israel. In turn, Jehovah would sanctify and cleanse Israel so that she could serve Jehovah.
22:33 the one who brought you out from the land of Egypt to be your God. I am the Lord.”
Jehovah brought Israel out of Egypt to make them a holy nation. He is Jehovah, the one who keeps His promises. He will keep His promises which He made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.