Restrictions against the Unclean
“Then the LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron and his sons to treat with respect the sacred offerings that the Israelites have consecrated to Me, so that they do not profane My holy name. I am the LORD.
Say to them: ‘For the generations to come, if any of your descendants in a state of uncleanness approaches the sacred offerings that the Israelites consecrate to the LORD, that person must be cut off from My presence. I am the LORD.
If a descendant of Aaron has a skin disease or a discharge, he may not eat the sacred offerings until he is clean. Whoever touches anything defiled by a corpse or by a man who has an emission of semen, or whoever touches a crawling creature or a person that makes him unclean, whatever the uncleanness may be— the man who touches any of these will remain unclean until evening. He must not eat from the sacred offerings unless he has bathed himself with water.
When the sun has set, he will become clean, and then he may eat from the sacred offerings, for they are his food. He must not eat anything found dead or torn by wild animals, which would make him unclean. I am the LORD. The priests must keep My charge, lest they bear the guilt and die because they profane it. I am the LORD who sanctifies them. No one outside a priest’s family may eat the sacred offering, nor may the guest of a priest or his hired hand eat it. But if a priest buys a slave with his own money, or if a slave is born in his household, that slave may eat his food.
If the priest’s daughter is married to a man other than a priest, she is not to eat of the sacred contributions. But if a priest’s daughter with no children becomes widowed or divorced and returns to her father’s house, she may share her father’s food as in her youth. But no outsider may share it.
If anyone eats a sacred offering in error, he must add a fifth to its value and give the sacred offering to the priest. The priests must not profane the sacred offerings the Israelites present to the LORD by allowing the people to eat the sacred offerings and thus to bear the punishment for guilt. For I am the LORD who sanctifies them.’”
Worthy Offerings
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Speak to Aaron and his sons and all the Israelites and tell them, ‘Any man of the house of Israel or any foreign resident who presents a gift for a burnt offering to the LORD, whether to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering, must offer an unblemished male from the cattle, sheep, or goats in order for it to be accepted on your behalf. You must not present anything with a defect, because it will not be accepted on your behalf.
When a man presents a peace offering to the LORD from the herd or flock to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering, it must be without blemish or defect to be acceptable. You are not to present to the LORD any animal that is blind, injured, or maimed, or anything with a running sore, festering rash, or scab; you must not put any of these on the altar as an offering made by fire to the LORD.
You may present as a freewill offering an ox or sheep that has a deformed or stunted limb, but it is not acceptable in fulfillment of a vow. You are not to present to the LORD an animal whose testicles are bruised, crushed, torn, or cut; you are not to sacrifice them in your land. Neither you nor a foreigner shall present food to your God from any such animal. They will not be accepted on your behalf, because they are deformed and flawed.’”
Then the LORD said to Moses, “When an ox, a sheep, or a goat is born, it must remain with its mother for seven days. From the eighth day on, it will be acceptable as an offering made by fire to the LORD. But you must not slaughter an ox or a sheep on the same day as its young.
When you sacrifice a thank offering to the LORD, offer it so that it may be acceptable on your behalf. It must be eaten that same day. Do not leave any of it until morning. I am the LORD. You are to keep My commandments and practice them. I am the LORD. You must not profane My holy name. I must be acknowledged as holy among the Israelites. I am the LORD who sanctifies you, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God. I am the LORD.”
God is now laying down His law regarding offerings. At first, we might wonder why God is being so picky? But God is trying to teach His people that everything in life is sacred, especially His offerings, and that they are to handle those offerings carefully. Even in a priest’s household, offerings may only be eaten by those who are ritually clean. Eating meat from an animal found dead or torn by wild animals is forbidden. God warns that presumptuous priests who violate His laws will bear their own guilt and will die.
Those within a priest’s family plus slaves whom he has bought or who have been born within the household may eat meat from offerings. A widowed daughter who has returned to her priestly father’s house may eat the offering meat as well, but only if she is now part of the household.
Animals for offerings should be perfect. Although animals for free will offerings may have blemishes, that is the only exception. Later as things deteriorate spiritually, God will rebuke the Israelites for bringing defective animals for sacrifices. Animals eight days old and upwards may be sacrificed; however, the parent and the offspring are not to be sacrificed in the same day. Thank offerings and peace offerings are to be eaten the same day, leaving nothing to rot. “If anyone eats a sacred offering in error, he must add a fifth to its value and give the sacred offering to the priest. The priests must not profane the sacred offerings the Israelites present to the LORD by allowing the people to eat the sacred offerings and thus to bear the punishment for guilt. For I am the LORD who sanctifies them.’”
Once more, God is trying to protect the sanctity of His offerings, so that people will not abuse them or take them for granted.
APPLICATION: Today, we no longer need to make offerings or search for perfect lambs, sheep, goats, rams, or oxen. WHY? Because when Jesus Christ came and lived as a sinless perfect man and then died as an innocent victim, he became the ultimate perfect sacrifice for our sins. What the blood of lower animals could not accomplish, Jesus accomplished in himself.
No matter how good we believe ourselves to be, we all sin. 1 John 1:8-9 says, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, He is faithful to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Only the blood of a sinless man shed on our behalf is sufficient to remove the stain of our sins. But praise God, Jesus has done for us what we could never do!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, we’re stuck! We are caught by our own sins and cannot free ourselves. Thank You for sending Jesus Christ to die for our sins so that we might live righteously if we will only confess our sins and allow You to change us. Please change us into Your image. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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