Leviticus 21,22 Purity for the Priesthood

 

Intro: Lev. 21 & 22 Deals w/ the Rules & Regulations of Priestly Ministry as well as the things that can DISQUALIFY one from service

A)Maybe thinking – Great what does that have to do w/ me living here in NC in the yr. 2000

 

B)  Understand – this key in reading the O.T. this is a Principle for Bible Interpretation

1)    The O.T. deals w/ the physical & the material – and is a picture or an illustration of that which is written in the N.T. – the spiritual & Eternal

 

C) Example: OT talks about real battles – swords & Shields

1)   N.T. - …..Not against flesh & blood……..

         Sword of the Spirit – the Word / Shield of Faith

 

D) So what  God is declaring here is a very important principle of ministry seen in the Priesthood

     1) Peter declares we are a Royal & Holy Priesthood -

 

Now The sons of Aaron were in the priesthood because of BIRTH... Not      because of merit

 A)Because they were born into the family of Aaron they could serve in      the priesthood

 

B) And By virtue of being born again, you are in the priesthood of God

     1) NOT by anything you have done or have not done

 

You are part of the ROYAL and HOLY priesthood of God because          you have been BORN into the family of God

A)Priest Role – Rep – God before People / And people before God

 

B) But you might say I am not interested in being a Priest or Priestess

    I am just trying to get along !!! Be happy / enjoy life

 

C) Here is the thing we must understand – We all desire Life / Love / Fulfillment – meaning   Joy

 

D) All those things that we desire so much & long for are Found in God He is the figure Head –

1) all those things flow from Him  are Found in His perfect Will for your life

 

Eph. 2:10 0For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

 

So By virtue of being born again, You are part of the Priestly Ministry  because you have been BORN into the family of God

A)NOTHING can effect that relationship/ Just like Aaron & Amy are Salvato's no matter what they do / Good or bad... Deserving or undeserving       

B) The fact is, they have my name... NOTHING is gong to change

   1) YOU who have been born again have the name of the Lord upon           your life

 

Lev. 21:22   He shall eat the bread of his God, both of the most                            holy, and of the holy.

             

C) You get to enjoy the blessings and provisions of God

 

But there were things that could disqualify the priest from Service for God Still sons... BUT they can NOT be servants

A)And that is what these two Chapters deal w/ / The Priest were to be Holy & these are things that would cause them to be Defiled

 

B) In v. 1-15 the things that the Priest were to avoid –

1)   Touching the dead  / Shaving their heads / Marrying a Harlot

 

C) Principle for us in each one of these things – Touching the dead relates to the Dead things of the Old life

1)   Things that can give an appearance of being alive but are dead

The world loves to project an aliveness – Beer commercials / Bar Scene

A)But it is dead – appearance of life

 

B) Any priest who shaved his head and his beard and who cut his body was acting like the heathen & profaning God’s name & defiling God’s altar.

 

C) Then there was a prohibition against forming close alliances, marriages, with that which represents the flesh.

1) As for marriage, the priests were forbidden to marry prostitutes and divorcees.

 

D)In the pagan religions, there were temple prostitutes serving with the priests, but prostitution was forbidden in Israel

1)   The only way to be sure the priestly line was kept pure was for him to  

     marry a virgin.

 

MARK SHAF/ GINNY / ROB V.

 

Now there is a spiritual Principle of this in Ministry

A)In Philosophy – not marrying the World – many times take a worldly philosophy & give it a Christian twist – Marketing

 

B) Now these were all things that caused a Priest to become defiled & Disqualified from service - 

1) Now in v. 16-24 the Lord mentions Defects that would disqualify a person from serving as a Priest – Read focus on tonight

 

C) Now there are no doubt some who would read this and think this is terribly unfair – God would forbid them from Priestly service

1)    Practical issues – Blind man couldn’t do this / lame man couldn’t offer sacrifices or carry the offering –

 

 

 

But there were Also Spiritual Issues of why  God required that every priest be free from defects and blemishes.

A)There were two reasons for this requirement.

 

B)First of all, the sacrifices that the people brought to the Lord had to be perfect;

1)   So it was only right that those who offered the sacrifices at the altar also be without defect.

 

C) Second, the priests exemplified that great High Priest who was to come, and there is no defect in Him.

 

 

SO WHAT are these defects & what is the spiritual application to us

Lev. 21:18   a blind man,

 

A)One who is blind speaks to us of a person who is lacking in Vision / No vision you are not going to be used successfully

1)   W/out a vision the people Perish

 

B) A person who is going to be used by the Lord is one who has Vision / they know where they are going & can take others there

1)   If you don’t Know where you are going can’t take others there

 

Hab.2:2 Write ………………….RUN W/ IT

 

C) A Leader sees what others don’t !!! – Empty Building He sees a Church

     1) He sees the potential in another – gives a Chance

 

D) Some people are Blind – they lack vision which will hinder them from being used by the Lord

 

 

 

 

next is the  lame,

a)The lame are those who can NOT walk straight

 

B) God is NOT interested on how high you can jump

He is interested in how straight you can walk when you come down

             

C) You can have all kinds of emotional experiences

      THAT does not matter

 

D) In order to be used affectively your Walk needs to match your talk

 

         

or he that haS a MARRED FACE – LIT flat nose,

A)Someone who can NOT smell- this speaks of having Discernment – being able to smell a Rat or Skunk Spiritually

 

B) There is a lot of bad stuff blowing in the Spiritual wind these days

1)   Those who would be involved in leading others need to be able to smell it

 

C) My wife – great Nose -  Smell – perfume / B.O.

     1) Also Discernment – learned to listen to her

 

         

But people can NOT smell spiritually – lack Discernment

A)They can't smell a STINK... a wolf

 

B)IF you want to be used by God you HAVE to be able to smell...      discern

 

 

Lev. 21:19   Or a man that is brokenfooted

A)Someone broken footed can NOT stand up

 

B) There are some saints that just can NOT stand up on their own 2 feet

      They have to be propped up.... helped out / held up

C) Always falling & Struggling w/ this & that

1)   People come to me – I want to be used – called to be a Pastor / last week they were confessing some horrible sin

 

D) 3 steps forward or 10 & fall -  

     1) They need to develop consistency in their walks

 

     or brokenhanded,

A)The person who can NOT reach out-  They can NOT give out

 

B) Too hung up on own things – Parable of the Good Samaritan – Priest & the Levite – too busy w/ own things to reach out

 

C) Samaritan reached out gave of self / time / resources       

 

Lev. 21:20   Or Hunchback crookbacked,

A) Problems with the spine-  No backbone... Can't make a stand

 

or a dwarf,

A) The person who has STUNTED growth- really haven’t grown spiritually grown in their knowledge of the word

 

B) Let me ask you something - Is your knowledge of the Word of God and the PRINCIPLES of the Word more this year than last?

 

C) Listen if you are not growing in your Knowledge / it will limit your use

     1) Only give out what you have

 

few More  / mention just one

or be scurvy, or scabbed,

A)The idea is something INTERNALLY WRONG that SHOWS UP in          CRUSTINESS in the outside

 

B)THAT is indicative of something wrong on the inside – running issue

    Bitterness – comes out in your dealings w/ others

An interesting list of DEFILEMENT'S or DEFECTS that would DISQUALIFY the sons of Aaron from SERVICE

A)REMEMBER - We are NOT talking about SONSHIP.... This is referring          to SERVICE

 

B) Now maybe you are listening to this thinking – I have many of those things – I am doomed I can never be used

 

Lk.4 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,

     Because He has anointed Me

     To preach the gospel to the poor;

     He has sent Me £to heal the brokenhearted,

     To proclaim liberty to the captives

     And recovery of sight to the blind,

     To set at liberty those who are oppressed;

19  To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord

 

 

Good News Jesus came to open the eyes of the Blind – Lame walk ….

 

John the B. – Doubting

Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them. 23And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.”

 

 

Jesus is into Healing restoring & using those w/ Defects

A)David w/ Meph. – Lame could walk -  crippled / we by sin – but he was able to eat – couldn’t serve

 

B) Jesus touches the lame  so we can serve – He will heal you if you let Him

 

 

 

CHAPTER 22 deals w/ the Cleansing of those contaminated – notes 2 things

A)1st v.6 The Purification comes thru washing w/ water –

 

B) Our Purification comes thru being washed in the word

1)   Porno -  Word – helps erase –

 

Romans 121I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

 

THAT is why it's important for us to BATHE daily in the Word of               God /   Personal time in the Word/Weekly time together in the Word

 

2nd – v. 6 Unclean until evening         

A)The Jewish method of reckoning time was NOT from sun-up till           sun-down

 

B) They start it OPPOSITE from ours/ It was from sun-down to sun-up

 

C) I like that because In the Jewish mind set - It starts of dark and becomes      brighter and brighter as the day progresses

   1) But in ours - It starts off bright and gets darker and darker                    as the day progresses

 

D)The man who recognizes that he is in the dark and comes to Jesus sees his life grow brighter and brighter as we approach the return of the Lord

  1) BUT - For the humanist who sees that all of the answers for                   the world lie in man, things only grow darker and darker

 

NOTE: In this we see an understanding of what Jeremiah says in             Lamentations 3:22-23 

 It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not      consumed, because his compassions fails not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

The enemy will haunt you with the past He will bring up the sins of hours/days/weeks ago

A)He will seek to bum you out with condemnation

 

B) But in Jesus Christ we have a NEW DAY

    1) Things go from DARK to LIGHT

             Your PAST is FORGIVEN

 

C) You have been washed in His blood and cleansed by His                  Word... All things become NEW

1)  We can GO for it - We can FORGET that which lies behind and

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