Leviticus 22
Share
This resource is exclusive for PLUS Members
Upgrade now and receive:
- Ad-Free Experience: Enjoy uninterrupted access.
- Exclusive Commentaries: Dive deeper with in-depth insights.
- Advanced Study Tools: Powerful search and comparison features.
- Premium Guides & Articles: Unlock for a more comprehensive study.
God is perfect; therefore His servants need to strive for perfection in all they do (Matthew 5:48). Though we can never be completely perfect in this life, with the help of the Holy Spirit we will be able to lead lives that please God and bring honor to His name.
26–28 Newly born animals were to remain with their mother for seven days (verse 27); this would relieve the buildup of milk (see Exodus 22:30).
It was forbidden to kill an animal and its young on the same day (verse 28). The mother animal was often not sacrificed, because it could have more young and was thus more valuable alive than dead.
29–30 See Leviticus 7:11–18 and comment.
31–33 Again the Lord says to the Israelites that they must keep His commands. His commands are based on His character, His holiness. God in His grace brought Israel out of Egypt—He redeemed them—and now by His grace He makes them holy. How could the Israelites not desire to keep the commands of sucha holy and gracious God?
We don’t have to offer perfect animals today; Christ has made that unnecessary by the offering of Himself. We don’t divide believers into priests and non-priests as was done in Old Testament times; today all Christians are priests, all Christians have equal access to the Most Holy Place (Hebrews 10:19–22). Today we don’t have to remain ceremonially clean or keep ourselves separate from unbelievers; Christ has broken down the barrier between people (Ephesians 2:11–22), and He has sent us out into the world to reconcile men and women to Himself (2 Corinthians 5:18–20). No one is excluded from Christ’s gracious invitation; indeed, He issues a special call to the poor, the prisoner, the oppressed, the blind, deaf, lame and crippled (Luke 4:1819; 7:22; 14:12–14). These, then, are some of the differences between our life in Christ today and life under the laws of Leviticus.
Today we don’t offer sacrifices on a literal altar, but we do offer spiritual sacrifices on a “spiritual altar.” We offer our bodies (Romans 12:1); we offer our praise (Hebrews 13:15); we offer our good works (Hebrews 13:16). And all these sacrifices are acceptable to God because Jesus Christ has anointed us with the Holy Spirit to be His “priests” (1 Peter 2:5).