Courtney Gilmore Both the sacrifice & the priest had to be considered clean & without defect in order to be acceptable. The clean & the unclean, the holy & the unholy, the perfect & the imperfect were not to associate or be joined in any way.
Only the most perfect life could pay the price for the imperfect one, so the sacrifice could have no imperfections. The priests represented God to the people. Men with physical defects gave the picture of imperfection, so they could not serve in that way. Also, the imperfect could not offer what was perfect or it would have been tainted. Both the offering & the offerer had to give the appearance of perfection. “You shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” Matthew 5:48
Both the sacrifice & the people that ate it had to belong to God. Animals raised by foreigners were not suitable offerings & common people couldn’t eat the food that was offered to the Lord. “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!” 1 John 3:1
Also, what was unclean could not take in what was holy. So, if the priests became unclean for any reason, they couldn’t eat it until evening after they performed a ceremonial bath. The water had no ability to wash away the corruption of the dead body or the leprosy, but it was a demonstration of them washing away their uncleanness. The priests had to be pure & so did their wives. They could not join themselves with any kind of impurity if they wanted to be associated with God’s purity. “Marriage is honorable among all and the bed undefiled.” Hebrews 13:4
The priests couldn’t outwardly mourn like everyone else because they were representing the God that deserves honor from us all. “Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, You are very great. You are clothed with honor and majesty.” Psalm 104:1
The sacrificial ceremony was a display of the holy, perfect, pure, righteous, honorable, redeeming, & sanctifying God.
We too need to present ourselves in this way so that we can be closer to God. “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened that it cannot save, nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God & your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.” Isaiah 59:1-2
As His representatives, we need to reveal His character to the world. “Be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.” 1 Timothy 4:12
That means that we need to:
Say the things that He would say & do things the way He would do them “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” Colossians 3:17
Love like He loves “Be imitators of God as dear children. Walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.” Ephesians 5:1-2
Look clean from a sinful lifestyle “Everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” 1 John 3:3
Demonstrate our faith in Him during hard times “Always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you.” 1 Peter 3:15
Do not be discouraged thinking that you will never measure up. We cannot do this in our own power. It is a product of His Spirit living in us. The more we spend time with Him & the more we know Him, the more we will look like Him.
“Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh… If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law… The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” Galatians 5:16-22
Excerpt from Episode 80 “Pure, Holy, & Honorable” on Podcast and YouTube
