Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Prayer Meeting Lesson Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/pm/pm20080423.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Leviticus: Fellowship With A Holy God
Part III: Acceptable Living Before A Holy God, Leviticus 11:1-27:34
L. Heeding God's Call In The Offerings Of His Servants To Revere Him
(Leviticus 22:17-33)
  1. Introduction
    1. One of the reoccurring themes in Scripture is the need for the believer to revere his Lord: as Noah built the ark out of reverence for God (Hebrews 11:7), we today are to serve Him with "reverence and awe, for our 'God is a consuming fire.'" (Hebrews 12:28b-29 in citing Deuteronomy 4:24 NIV)
    2. This need is emphasized in Leviticus 22:17-33 relative to the subject of the worship offerings of God's people, and it teaches us how we are to revere the Lord as we worship Him (as follows):
  2. Heeding God's Call In The Offerings Of His Servants To Revere Him, Leviticus 22:17-33.
    1. The Leviticus 22:17-25 restrictions about offering unblemished animals for sacrifice recalled the need for God's people to respect His righteous demands that could be met ONLY in His sinless Son's death:
      1. God reminded Israel, or aliens residing in Israel's midst, to offer their burnt and peace offerings using animals without physical defect, Leviticus 22:17-22, 24-25 ESV.
      2. These restrictions are similar to those that the priests themselves had to meet before offering the sacrifices, cf. Leviticus 21:18-20, cf. Bible Knowledge Commentary, Old Testament, p. 204-205.
      3. [The sole exception to a sacrificial animal being without blemish was the freewill offering given only as a gift and not in connection to a vow, or given as a burnt or as a peace offering, Lev. 22:23a. However, in the sacrifices where CHRIST was in any way typified in His sinless perfection (such as in the cases of the burnt, peace or offerings related to vows ), no blemish was to be permitted!]
      4. Both the sacrificial animals and the priests typify Christ, God's High Priest Who effectively offered his own blood on the cross for our sins (cf. Hebrews 9:24-26), so these qualifications for both priests and sacrificial animals call us to RESPECT the work Christ on the cross in our WORSHIP!
    2. The Leviticus 22:26-28 sacrifice of the firstborn recalled the need for God's people to respect His POWER of redemption in their worship:
      1. Leviticus 22:26-28 directed Israel to bring the firstborn of every cow, sheep or goat as an offering unto the Lord. This command originated in Exodus 13:11-16 where it recalled God's powerful redem ption of Israel from Egypt by the great, last, tenth plague at the first Passover, the time when the firstborn of man and beast in Egypt was slain while God preserved Israel's firstborn, cf. especially Exodus 13:16b.
      2. Hence, this calls us to RESPECT the POWER of God's redeeming work in behalf of His own!
    3. The Leviticus 22:26-28 regulations called God's people to respect Him as CREATOR of life in worship:
      1. God's people were to wait until the eighth day after birth before sacrificing either a newborn animal or its mother, and never to offer both on the same day, Leviticus 22:26-28.
      2. The fact that these regulations respected the natural order of procreation, which order had been established by God, the Creator, shows Israel was to respect God as the Sovereign Creator of life!
    4. The Leviticus 22:29-30 regulation regarding eating the thanksgiving offering the day it had been offered recalled the need for God's people to respect His demands for holiness in living: there was to be no corruption allowed in the thanksgiving offerings for the Lord, for His holiness was to be respected!
    5. In summary, Leviticus 22:31-33 noted Israel was to observe these commands regarding their sacrifices so as not to profane God's Name, and hence His reputation, but to respect Him as the holy, powerful, saving God that He was before everyone in the nation!
Lesson: Israel's WORSHIP offerings typifying Christ's sinlessness, God's redemptive power, His authority as Creator and His full separation from sin teach His people must REVERE His sinlessness, redemptive power, authority as Creator and holiness in their WORSHIP as a testimony before all.

Application: When we WORSHIP the Lord, may we REVERE God for Christ's sinless perfection at the cross, God's infinite redemptive power, His authority as Creator and His total separation from sin that is to be followed by us in our daily lives as a TESTIMONY before ALL onlookers! (cf. 1 Peter 1:15-16)