Evening Bible Study Leviticus 22:18-33 Lev 22:18 Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites and say to them: If any of you--whether an Israelite or a foreigner residing in Israel--presents a gift for a burnt offering to the LORD, either to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering, Lev 22:19 you must present a male without defect from the cattle, sheep or goats in order that it may be accepted on your behalf. Lev 22:20 Do not bring anything with a defect, because it will not be accepted on your behalf. Lev 22:21 When anyone brings from the herd or flock a fellowship offering to the LORD to fulfill a special vow or as a freewill offering, it must be without defect or blemish to be acceptable. Lev 22:22 Do not offer to the LORD the blind, the injured or the maimed, or anything with warts or festering or running sores. Do not place any of these on the altar as a food offering presented to the LORD. Lev 22:23 You may, however, present as a freewill offering an ox or a sheep that is deformed or stunted, but it will not be accepted in fulfillment of a vow. Lev 22:24 You must not offer to the LORD an animal whose testicles are bruised, crushed, torn or cut. You must not do this in your own land, Lev 22:25 and you must not accept such animals from the hand of a foreigner and offer them as the food of your God. They will not be accepted on your behalf, because they are deformed and have defects. Lev 22:26 The LORD said to Moses, Lev 22:27 When a calf, a lamb or a goat is born, it is to remain with its mother for seven days. From the eighth day on, it will be acceptable as a food offering presented to the LORD. Lev 22:28 Do not slaughter a cow or a sheep and its young on the same day. Lev 22:29 When you sacrifice a thank offering to the LORD, sacrifice it in such a way that it will be accepted on your behalf. Lev 22:30 It must be eaten that same day; leave none of it till morning. I am the LORD. Lev 22:31 Keep my commands and follow them. I am the LORD. Lev 22:32 Do not profane my holy name, for I must be acknowledged as holy by the Israelites. I am the LORD, who made you holy Lev 22:33 and who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the LORD. The Holy Bible, New International Version Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society The NIV and New International Version trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by International Bible Society. Use of either trademark requires the permission of International Bible Society. Nelsons New Illustrated Bible Commentary General Editor Earl D. Radmacher, Th.D. Old Testament Editor Ronald B. Allen, Th.D. New Testament Editor H. Wayne House, Th.D., J.D. Copyright © 1999 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Leviticus 22:18 strangers: Resident aliens in Israel were permitted to worship God with the Israelites. If a resident alien accepted the Israelites God as his God, he was accepted at Gods sanctuary under the same conditions as any Israelite was. eviticus 22:19-21 without blemish … no defect in it: This standard was addressed later by the prophet Malachi when some in his day were bringing defective animals to sacrifice on Gods altar (Mal_1:7-14). We are not to offer God less than our best. Give God Your Best When it came to sacrifices, offerings, and the payment of vows, God required that the Israelites bring their best animals and goods to Him. Nothing with a defect was allowed (Lev_22:20-23). This was because God is a holy, perfect God. He was worthy of the best that His people had to offer. In the end, all that they had belonged to Him anyway (compare Deu_8:18; 1Ch_29:14-15). Leviticus 22:22-23 The prohibitions on sacrificial animals with bodily defects parallel many of the prohibitions on priests with bodily defects serving before the altar of God (Lev_21:17-23). Leviticus 22:23 An exception was made for a freewill offering, since it was not required and was not made in fulfillment of a vow. Leviticus 22:24-25 cut: Castrated animals were not acceptable for sacrifice. from a foreigners hand: Israels sacrificial animals were to be raised by Israelites who worshiped God, not by foreigners who worshiped a multitude of pagan gods. This also removed the temptation for an Israelite to buy an inferior animal from a foreigner in an attempt to save money and avoid sacrificing an animal from his own flock or herd. Leviticus 22:26-27 The eighth day parallels the time of circumcision for the human male baby. This regulation probably was chiefly kindhearted. The mother, though an animal, was not to be deprived of her newborn in the first days after its birth, when both her maternal instincts and her milk supply were at their highest. Leviticus 22:28-30 This also may have had a humanitarian aim, to avoid taking the life of a mother and her offspring on the same day. Economic care also may be reflected here; a man with a small flock who offered two animals on the same day was being perhaps foolish and wasteful, besides zealous. We do God no favors if we give all our substance to His worship place and then depend on charity for our own existence from that time on. Leviticus 22:31-33 All of these elements had been expressed before, but not all together. Gods person, His name, His present action in sanctifying His people, and His past action in rescuing them from slavery in Egypt all were given as the basis of Israels worship.
Posted on: Sat, 08 Mar 2014 04:16:28 +0000
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