And the Lord spake unto Moses ,.... At the same time; for having said many things concerning the holiness of priests, whose business it was to offer sacrifices, he adds various things concerning the nature, condition, and circumstances of the sacrifices they were to offer: saying , as follows. read more
Verse 17 Leviticus 22:17.And the Lord spake. He now more clearly teaches and more copiously inculcates what he has frequently adverted to heretofore, that it is sinful to offer to God a maimed, or weak, or otherwise imperfect animal. Now this external soundness admonished the ancient people that God is served amiss when He is served by halves, since He abominates a double heart. (292) (Proverbs 11:20.) At the same time, in this symbol was shewn forth the perfect purity of that victim by which... read more
Holiness of priests and sacrifices. While much that appertained only to a temporary dispensation, still great principles included in the formal regulations, as— I. RELIGION SANCTIFIES , preserves, and perfects the whole humanity of man. 1 . It preserves the true order—God first, the creature subject to the Creator. 2 . It utilizes the central power of human nature, the moral and spiritual The mind is the man, and the mind is not mere intellect, but moral consciousness and... read more
Priestly disqualifications. cf. Matthew 25:31-46 . We saw that inherited infirmity, such as is mentioned in Matthew 25:18-21 of last chapter, while it excludes from office, does not exclude from sustenance. We now come across a disqualification sufficient to exclude from both office and support, and this is contracted defilement. Any priest venturing before God with uncleanness upon him will be cut off from his presence. We are taught hereby— I. THAT IT IS CONTRACTED , ... read more
Just as the priests who offer to the Lord are to be ceremonially and morally holy, so the animals offered to him are to be physically perfect, in order Whatsoever hath a blemish, that shall ye not offer. The list of blemishes and malformations which exclude from the altar is given; they are such as deform the animal, and make it less valuable: blind, or broken, or maimed, or having a wen, or scurvy, or scabbed, ye shall not offer these unto the Lord, nor any animal that is bruised, or... read more
The perfection demanded in the sacrificial victims contains a typical, a symbolical, and a moral lesson. I. THEY MUST BE PERFECT , THAT THEY MAY BE TYPES OF CHRIST . The perfect Victim must not be represented by anything imperfect. There are but few points in which the perfection of Christ, both absolute and in relation to the work which as the appointed Victim he was to fulfil, could be foreshadowed by the animals offered in sacrifice, but this was one—that they... read more
Characteristics of acceptable service. The very fact that all the points here referred to have been fully brought out before lends strong emphasis to them as matters of vital importance in the estimation of God. If our worship and service are to be acceptable, there must be— I. SPONTANEITY OF SPIRIT . "Ye shall offer at your own will" ( Leviticus 22:19 ); "when ye will offer … offer it at your own will" ( Leviticus 22:29 ). There is a wilfulness in worship which is blamable... read more
Laws of the oblations. These naturally follow those concerning the priests, which form the subject of the earlier portion of this chapter. They may be considered— I. WITH RESPECT TO THE SACRIFICES . 1 . These must be the animals prescribed. 2 . They must be individuals without blemish. 3 . Blemished creatures may be given as free-will offerings. II. WITH RESPECT TO THEIR OFFERING . 1 . They may not be offered till after the eighth day. ... read more
Leviticus 22:17-18. The Lord spake unto Moses The following laws relate to the qualifications required in any offering made either by the Israelites or proselytes. For such proselytes as had renounced idolatry, and were proselytes of the gate, termed, Leviticus 22:18, strangers in Israel Though not circumcised, and obliged to keep the whole law of Moses, were yet permitted, in testimony of their worshipping the true God, to offer free- will-offerings at the Jewish altar, as well as... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Leviticus 22:17-33
Here are four laws concerning sacrifices:? I. Whatever was offered in sacrifice to God should be without blemish, otherwise it should not be accepted. This had often been mentioned in the particular institutions of the several sorts of offerings. Now here they are told what was to be accounted a blemish which rendered a beast unfit for sacrifice: if it was blind, or lame, had a wen, or the mange (Lev. 22:22),?if it was bruised, or crushed, or broken, or cut (Lev. 22:24), that is, as the Jewish... read more