Leviticus 22:1-16 - The LORD Makes us Holy

Leviticus 22:1-16

1 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to Aaron and his sons, that they separate themselves from the holy things of the children of Israel, and that they do not profane My holy name by what they dedicate to Me: I am the LORD. 3 Say to them: ‘Whoever of all your descendants throughout your generations, who goes near the holy things which the children of Israel dedicate to the LORD, while he has uncleanness upon him, that person shall be cut off from My presence: I am the LORD.

4 ‘Whatever man of the descendants of Aaron, who is a leper or has a discharge, shall not eat the holy offerings until he is clean. And whoever touches anything made unclean by a corpse, or a man who has had an emission of semen, 5 or whoever touches any creeping thing by which he would be made unclean, or any person by whom he would become unclean, whatever his uncleanness may be— 6 the person who has touched any such thing shall be unclean until evening, and shall not eat the holy offerings unless he washes his body with water. 7 And when the sun goes down he shall be clean; and afterward he may eat the holy offerings, because it is his food. 8 Whatever dies naturally or is torn by beasts he shall not eat, to defile himself with it: I am the LORD.

9 ‘They shall therefore keep My ordinance, lest they bear sin for it and die thereby, if they profane it: I the LORD sanctify them.

10 No outsider shall eat the holy offering; one who dwells with the priest, or a hired servant, shall not eat the holy thing. 11 But if the priest buys a person with his money, he may eat it; and one who is born in his house may eat his food. 12 If the priest’s daughter is married to an outsider, she may not eat of the holy offerings. 13 But if the priest’s daughter is a widow or divorced, and has no child, and has returned to her father’s house as in her youth, she may eat her father’s food; but no outsider shall eat it.

14 ‘And if a man eats the holy offering unintentionally, then he shall restore a holy offering to the priest, and add one-fifth to it. 15 They shall not profane the holy offerings of the children of Israel, which they offer to the LORD, 16 or allow them to bear the guilt of trespass when they eat their holy offerings; for I the LORD sanctify them.’”

The multitude of laws given to acceptably worship and sacrifice to the LORD are continued to be laid out here, but in the end it is clearly stated that it is the LORD who sanctifies, who reckons us holy in His sight.  This imputed righteousness is the core message of the gospel of grace in Christ Jesus, that while we are expected to live holy lives, we cannot ever be perfect in holiness (Romans 3:20, 23) apart from God’s work to make us righteous in His estimation by counting it as if it was true (Romans 6:7-8, 10) by being accepted into the righteousness (Romans 3:25-26) of Christ alone.  We are therefore called to flee sin and exercise our to righteousness and holiness in body and soul by choosing to put off sinful attitudes and actions while relying on the enabling power of His Spirit in us to do the work we aim ourselves to do in willing obedience.  The people of God in this passage were prohibited from these sins such as approaching the holy worship while continuing in sinful ways.  We are also commanded to turn from such willful wickedness that we may worship in a clear conscience of confessed sin that we strive to mortify in ourselves.  It is through confession (1 John 1:9) of sin and our subsequent forgiveness under the atoning work of Jesus Christ that we can serve in worship (Romans 12:1-2) through this transformation of our ongoing sanctification.  We are to keep His word and not profane His Name by our continued sin therefore, as it is repeated twice here, “I the LORD sanctify them.”  This is seen further in Ephesians 5:26, 1 Thessalonians 5:23, and Hebrews 13:12 that we might grasp His work of ongoing grace in our walk with Him as Jesus makes us holy or sanctified in Christ and His righteous work.  The Lord makes us holy.  May we then offer ourselves as living sacrifices of willing obedience to put off sinful attitudes and put on Christ (Romans 13:14) in this journey of sanctifying worship with our bodies and souls.  Amen.