RULES FOR PRIESTS
Leviticus 21:1-24 / Keywords 21:8
Regard them as holy, because they offer up
the food of your God. Consider them holy, because I the LORD am holy--I who
make you holy.
1.
The priests must be clean and regarded as holy, because God is holy (8). They
must not make themselves unclean by touching any dead body except their parents
and siblings. God gave this law because Death is the consequence of sin (1-4).
They must not shave their heads or the edges of a beard or cut their bodies as
expressions of mourning like Gentiles (5-6). They must not marry women defiled
by prostitution or divorced (7-8). If a priest’s daughter commits sexual immorality, she
must be burned in the fire (9). We must be clean and holy as holy priesthood
(1Pe 2:5).
2.
The high priest must be clean as well. He must not make himself unclean by
touching any dead body, even his parents, and he must not leave the sanctuary
of his God for mourning because he has been dedicated by the anointing oil of
his God (10~12). Also, he must marry only a virgin from his own people so that
he will not defile his offspring. God makes him holy (15).
3.
A priest who has any defect must not be a priest (16~21). But he may eat the
most holy food of his God as well as the holy food (22). God is holy and God
makes priests holy as they obey him. Holiness comes through God’s words
rather than human standards or human culture.
Prayer Father, help our spiritual leaders
by Jesus’ grace and Holy Spirit to follow
God’s decrees.
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