Introduction
‘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, except for a close relative, such as his mother or father, his son or daughter, his brother, or an unmarried sister who is dependent on him since she has no husband for her he may make himself unclean. He must not make himself unclean for people related to him by marriage and so defile himself. ‘Priests must not shave their heads or shave off the edges of their beards or cut their bodies. They must be holy to their God and must not profane the name of their God. Because they present the food offerings to the LORD, the food of their God, they are to be holy. ‘They must not marry women defiled by prostitution or divorced from their husbands, because priests are holy to their God. 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. ‘If a priest’s daughter defiles herself by becoming a prostitute, she disgraces her father; she must be burned in the fire.’ Leviticus 21:1-9
LAWS OF THE PRIESTS
The following two chapters deal with laws concerning the priests. It was the priest’s responsibility to stand between God and His people, which meant they were to be holy. They were to be segregated from the world and the Israelites in order to serve God, His people and carry out their priestly duties within the tabernacle. Except for the death of any relative, they were to keep themselves from contact with the dead, Leviticus 21:1-3.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following.
‘These prohibitions given to the people at large (compare the margin reference.) had a special fitness for the Hebrew priests. They were the instruments of the divine will for averting death, all their sacrifices were a type of the death of Christ, which swallowed up death in victory, 1 Corinthians 15:54-57, and it would therefore have been unsuitable that they should have the same freedom as other people to become mourners.’
He mustn’t make himself unclean for people related to him by marriage and so, defile himself, Leviticus 21:4.
Lofthouse, in his commentary, says the following.
‘A married sister would ordinarily be mourned by her husband – this is probably the meaning of the original text of Leviticus 21:4. If his sister were a widow, the priest might act in the place of her husband.’
Priests weren’t permitted to shave their heads or shave off the edges of their beards or cut their bodies, Leviticus 21:5 / Leviticus 19:27-28.
Clarke, in his commentary, says the following.
‘It is supposed that these things were particularly prohibited, because used superstitiously by the Egyptian priests, who, according to Herodotus, shaved the whole body every third day, that there might be no uncleanness about them when they ministered in their temples.’
They must be holy to God and mustn’t profane the name of their God, Leviticus 21:6. Because they present the food offerings to the LORD, the food of their God, Leviticus 3:11 / Leviticus 3:16 / Leviticus 22:11, they are to be holy, Leviticus 21:6.
Also notice the priest’s wife was also to be holy, the priests weren’t allowed to marry a prostitute or someone who was divorced, Leviticus 21:7-8 / Ezekiel 44:22. An immoral Israelite was punished, but a member of a priest’s family who committed an immoral act was burnt with fire, Leviticus 21:9.
Clements, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Leviticus 21:9 refers to the Canaanite practice of cultic prostitution in which a religious purpose (pagan) was thought to be served by such immorality.’
‘The high priest, the one among his brothers who has had the anointing oil poured on his head and who has been ordained to wear the priestly garments, must not let his hair become unkempt or tear his clothes. He must not enter a place where there is a dead body. He must not make himself unclean, even for his father or mother, nor leave the sanctuary of his God or desecrate it, because he has been dedicated by the anointing oil of his God. I am the LORD. ‘The woman he marries must be a virgin. He must not marry a widow, a divorced woman, or a woman defiled by prostitution, but only a virgin from his own people, so that he will not defile his offspring among his people. I am the LORD, who makes him holy.’ Leviticus 21:10-15
The laws concerning the high priests were a lot stricter than the ordinary persists. The high priest who has had the anointing oil poured on his head, Exodus 30:22-33 / Leviticus 8:12, and who has been ordained to wear the priestly garments, mustn’t let his hair become unkempt, Leviticus 10:6, or tear his clothes, Leviticus 21:10.
He mustn’t enter a place where there is a dead body and he mustn’t make himself unclean, even for his father or mother, Leviticus 21:11. The ordinary Israelite could touch his parent’s corpse at the funeral but the priest couldn’t, the ordinary Israelite could marry whomever he chose but the priest couldn’t.
He isn’t permitted leave the sanctuary or desecrate it, because he has been dedicated by the anointing oil, Leviticus 21:12. When God says the high priests weren’t allowed to leave the sanctuary, this doesn’t mean he could never leave the sanctuary, it means that he wasn’t permitted to leave the sanctuary when he was in mourning. The high priest wasn’t allowed to cover his head or tear his clothes when he was mourning.
The priest must marry a virgin, Leviticus 21:13, and he is not permitted to marry a widow, a divorced woman, or a woman defiled by prostitution, but only a virgin from his own people, Leviticus 21:14, The reason for this is to prevent him from defiling his offspring, it is God who makes him holy, Leviticus 21:15.
Coffman, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Since all Israelites were required to marry within the chosen race, the meaning of ‘his own people’ actually applied to his kinship, the Levitical tribe of Israel.’
The high priest symbolises the highest purity within Israel and so was only permitted to marry an Israelite’s daughter who was a virgin, that is someone who has never been married before, Luke 1:27 / Luke 1:34 / Matthew 1:23.
‘The LORD said to Moses, ‘Say to Aaron: ‘For the generations to come none of your descendants who has a defect may come near to offer the food of his God. No man who has any defect may come near: no man who is blind or lame, disfigured or deformed; no man with a crippled foot or hand, or who is a hunchback or a dwarf, or who has any eye defect, or who has festering or running sores or damaged testicles. No descendant of Aaron the priest who has any defect is to come near to present the food offerings to the LORD. He has a defect; he must not come near to offer the food of his God. He may eat the most holy food of his God, as well as the holy food; yet because of his defect, he must not go near the curtain or approach the altar and so desecrate my sanctuary. I am the LORD, who makes them holy.’ So, Moses told this to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites.’ Leviticus 21:16-24
Not only were the animals which were to be sacrificed to be without defect, Leviticus 1:3 / Leviticus 3:1, but the priests were also to be without any defect, Leviticus 21:16-17. This law was probably just for the high priests as the text mentions, coming ‘near to offer the food of his God’, Leviticus 21:17.
No man who has any defect may come near and no man who is blind or lame, disfigured or deformed and no man with a crippled foot or hand, or who is a hunchback or a dwarf, or who has any eye defect, or who has festering or running sores or damaged testicles, Leviticus 21:18-20. No descendant of Aaron who has any defect is to come near to present the food offerings to the LORD, because he has a defect and so, he must not come near to offer the food of his God, Leviticus 21:21.
It’s clear that God only wanted the purest and the perfect to be representatives before Him, this is also seen in the priests who were unclean and weren’t permitted to touch anything which was holy, Leviticus 22:1-9.
He may eat the most holy food of his God, as well as the holy food, Leviticus 21:22, but he mustn’t go near the curtain or approach the altar, and so desecrate God’s sanctuary, Leviticus 21:23. It was God and God alone who was able to make His priests holy, Leviticus 21:23, it was God who set them apart to minister to the religious and spiritual needs of His people. Moses told this to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites, Leviticus 21:24.
The priests had a great privilege, they were permitted to serve in the tabernacle and to partake of the holy things, however, with that increased privilege came increased responsibility. There is a principle here, for every liberty, there is a corresponding responsibility, for every privilege, there is a corresponding duty.
This has an application today when we realise that all believers are priests, 1 Peter 2:9. We have the privilege of entering into the Holy Place, Hebrews 10:19-22, but with that great privilege comes great responsibility, it is the responsibility to be holy, Ephesians 5:27.