Reflections from April 1, 2011

God continues with His instructions to Israel and gives the top advice to the priests in Leviticus 21:6,
"They shall be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God,"

God deserved, expected and demanded that those who came before Him were of the utmost integrity and purity. There was to be nothing that could possibly interfere with how the priests represented the nation of Israel before God.

The same held true for the items that were offered for sacrifices; they were to be holy and pure, and from the best of the best, no seconds or rejects. To do any less would be to profane the Lord, and of this He strictly forbid by saying in Leviticus 22: 31-32,
"Therefore you shall keep My commandments, and perform them: I am the Lord. You shall not profane My holy name, but I will be hallowed among the children of Israel. I am the Lord who sanctifies you."

Leviticus 23 gives the instructions for the various Feasts of the Lord:
The Sabbath
Passover
Feast of Unleavened Bread
The Feasts of Firstfruits
The Feast of Weeks
The Feast of Trumpets
The Day of Atonement
The Feast of Tabernacles

Matthew Henry offers the following thoughts on these feasts in his commentary from BlueletterBible.com:

God appointed these feasts (v. 37, 38), besides the sabbaths and your free-will offerings. This teaches us, (1.) That calls to extraordinary services will not excuse us from our constant stated performances. Within the days of the feast of tabernacles there must fall at least one sabbath, which must be as strictly observed as any other. (2.) That God’s institutions leave room for free-will offerings. Not that we may invent what he never instituted, but we may repeat what he has instituted, ordinarily, the oftener the better. God is well pleased with a willing people.

2. Moses declared them to the children of Israel, v. 44. He let them know what God appointed, and neither more nor less. Thus Paul delivered to the churches what he had received from the Lord. We have reason to be thankful that the feasts of the Lord, declared unto us, are not so numerous, nor the observance of them so burdensome and costly, as theirs then were, but more spiritual and significant, and surer sweeter earnests of the everlasting feast, at the last in-gathering, which we hope to be celebrating to eternity.

Blessings to all