Leviticus 22:17-33 (CLICK HERE FOR BIBLE VERSES)
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is Leviticus 22:17-33. With a humble heart, see what sticks out to you in this passage. Is there a verse, a phrase, or a lesson you think the Holy Spirit may be highlighting for you in this passage? After you’ve thought about the passage yourself a bit, read the GAME sharing below. Let’s go!
Leviticus 22:17-25 (NIV)
17 The LORD said to Moses,
18 “Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites and say to them: ‘If any of you–either an Israelite or an alien living in Israel–presents a gift for a burnt offering to the LORD, either to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering,
19 you must present a male without defect from the cattle, sheep or goats in order that it may be accepted on your behalf.
20 Do not bring anything with a defect, because it will not be accepted on your behalf.
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.
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 an offering made to the LORD by fire.
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.
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,
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.'”
On verses 17-25: Once again we see that God’s holiness requires that almost all sacrifices need to be without defects in order to be acceptable in God’s sight. This reminds me that:
– When we serve God, let’s give God our very best, not the leftovers but the first portion.
– While we were unable to give God a perfect offering because we ourselves are not perfect, God would send His perfect Son Jesus to be the perfect atoning sacrifice for us.
Leviticus 22:26-30 (NIV)
26 The LORD said to Moses,
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 an offering made to the LORD by fire.
28 Do not slaughter a cow or a sheep and its young on the same day.
29 “When you sacrifice a thank offering to the LORD, sacrifice it in such a way that it will be accepted on your behalf.
30 It must be eaten that same day; leave none of it till morning. I am the LORD.
On verses 26-30: Notice in verses 29-30 God tells the Israelites that when they sacrifice an animal as a thank offering to God, they must eat that sacrifice completely that same day and “leave none of it till morning” (v30). Why? Here are a couple lessons I learned on this passage from a pastor in my life:
1. When food is left over, it spoils. By eating all the thanksgiving food right away and completely, we keep it from spoiling. In the same way, when we don’t give thanks to God right away and completely, our thanksgiving “spoils”. That is, over time we will be tempted to explain away God’s hand on our lives, giving the credit to ourselves, attributing it to our own efforts or to luck or to coincidence, or simply forgetting altogether that anything good happened. Don’t let your thanksgiving spoil. Don’t Ziplock it and save it for another day. Instead offer your thanks to God right away and completely.
2. Here’s another lesson behind God requiring the Israelites to eat the whole thanksgiving sacrifice right away and completely: It’s because thanksgiving is food for your soul. Instead of filling ourselves up on the junk food of complaining, God wants us to be full on thanksgiving.
What can you give thanks for today?
Don’t wait to feel blessed before you give thanks. Choose an attitude of gratitude and give thanks continually for as many things as you can think of. As you recognize the fact that you are blessed, the feeling of being blessed will follow. That’s why thanksgiving is always the best medicine for depression and hopelessness. And that’s also why the Bible tells us to give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18)!
Just like the Israelites ate the thanksgiving offering right away and completely, let’s eat the food of thanksgiving right away and completely. As you consume such thanksgiving, may thanksgiving consume you.
Leviticus 22:31-33 (NIV)
31 “Keep my commands and follow them. I am the LORD.
32 Do not profane my holy name. I must be acknowledged as holy by the Israelites. I am the LORD, who makes you holy
33 and who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the LORD.”
On verses 31-33: God is love, but God is also holy, so holy that no sin can stand in His presence. The cross where Jesus died is the intersection where perfect forgiveness and perfect holiness meet. At the cross the demands of God’s holiness were perfectly met when Jesus, a lamb without defect, was sacrificed for our sins. At the same time, at the cross we see the greatest, most enduring evidence of God’s love for us, that God would rather die than spend eternity without us. As Romans 5:8 says: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Heavenly Father, thank You that when I give thanks to You, it fills me up too – with joy, peace and hope. Thank You for every blessing I get to enjoy today. Most of all, thank You for the cross, which is the intersection where Your perfect love and perfect holiness meet, and where I get to meet with You. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
copyright © 2022 Justin Lim. All rights reserved.
