February 7, 2024
Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.
Reading along with us in Leviticus? Here’s today’s reading:
Leviticus 21 (NIV)
Rules for Priests
1 The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them: ‘A priest must not make himself ceremonially unclean for any of his people who die, 2 except for a close relative, such as his mother or father, his son or daughter, his brother, 3 or an unmarried sister who is dependent on him since she has no husband—for her he may make himself unclean.……Continue Reading
Leviticus 20
LEVITACUS 21
Leviticus chapters 21-25
Rules for the priest and high priest are given here. They are called to a higher standard because they represent the people before God and offer their sacrifices to Him. As God calls them to be holy as He is holy, it is interesting how He mentions various aspects of the priesthood that make them holy too. So if they are to be holy in what they wear and the roles they perform, they are to be holy in the way they conduct themselves in their personal lives as well.
Leviticus 21
The priests are held to a higher standard.
This was somewhat carried over to church leadership as tell, although I think the Catholic Church takes it further than scripture and in effect sets up their priests for a fall.
1 Timothy 3
”This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work.“
I Timothy 3:1 NKJV
In Timothy and in Leviticus the priests are able to have a wife, although there are limitations on which wife they may take. Where did this “no wife” doctrine come from?
As representatives of the people before God, it would make sense that the standard of both appearance and behavior would be higher for a priest. God is very specific again in this chapter with those rules and expectations.