Do – Prohibited Practices for the Priests 21: 1-15

Prohibited Practices for the Priests
21: 1-15

Prohibited practices for the priests DIG: Who was a priest allowed to mourn for and why? Why wasn’t a priest allowed to attend the burial of his wife? In what sense are the Levitical sacrifices “God’s bread?” Why did the priests need to have no blemishes to offer sacrifices?

REFLECT: Do you celebrate God’s appointed times? Why? Why not? Do you feel that the prohibited practices for the priests were excessive? Why or why not? What standards do you have for your spiritual leaders? What does it mean to sanctify the Name of God?

Parashah 31: Emor (Say) 21:1 to 24:23
(See my commentary on Deuteronomy, to see link click Af – Parashah)

The Key People are Moshe, the sons of Aaron, and Aaron.

The Scene is the Tabernacle in the wilderness of Sinai.

The Main Events include ADONAI giving Moshe mitzvot for priests to stay holy, with special mitzvot for the high priest; guidelines for treating the sacred offerings with respect, including what may be eaten by whom and which animals were acceptable as sacrifices; descriptions of the appointed feasts to proclaim as sacred assemblies, including Shabbat, Pesach and Hag ha’Matzah, Resheet, Shavu’ot, Rosh ha’Shanah, Yom Kippur, and Shukkot; instructions for the priests to tend the lamps and bake bread to set before the LORD; and the story of a blasphemer stoned as Ha’Shem commanded; guidelines for restitution – life for life.

We now come to a parashah that is filled to the brim with teachings about the Person and ministry of the Messiah. The main feature of this parashah is the revelation of God’s calendar, or God’s appointed times for His people. ADONAI instructed Isra’el to set aside certain days and years that would serve as special times of worship, celebration, and rest. In Leviticus 23:2 God said to Moshe, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them, “These are the LORD’s sacred assemblies, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies.” The Hebrew word translated sacred assemblies is from the word mo’ed. This word actually means appointed times (to see link click Dw – God’s Appointed Times). It can be likened to YHVH telling Isra’el to get out her personal and national planning calendars and write in certain appointments for Ha’Shem. He already has her in His calendar and He, therefore, instructed Isra’el to give time to Him accordingly. For, on those particular days ADONAI desires to meet with His people in very special ways.³⁷³

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank You so much that You desire a relationship of love with me. You are the Almighty King of Kings, yet You also walk in chesed, steadfast love, with me! We so love to walk, talk and to listen to You. A smile comes to my face and my heart skips a beat when I think of having an eternal relationship with my loving Father. Your steadfast love frames all that You do and say. When there are rules that I don’t understand, I remember that You, in Your infinite kindness, love me and want the best for me. Yeshua says: I have come that they might have life, and have it abundantly (John 10:10c)!

Trials are often used by you to purify my soul. When I am in the midst of trials that I don’t understand, just like David when he was being pursued by Sha’ul, I remember the eternal reality of your steadfast love which satisfies me like a wonderful meal. Since Your loving kindness is better than life, my lips will praise You . . . My soul is satisfied as with fat and oil, so my mouth praises You with joyful lips (Psalms 63:3,5).

Never have You forgotten Your child, but with your eye carefully checking the heat of the fire that I feel myself in, You are seeking to purify me like gold purified in the fire. These trials are so that the true metal of your faith (far more valuable than gold, which perishes though refined by fire) may come to light in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Messiah Yeshua. (1 Peter 1:7). These trials and rules are momentary, but the joy that comes from trusting and obeying You will last forever. For I consider the sufferings of this present time not worthy to be compared with the coming glory to be revealed to us (Romans 8:18). You are a joy to obey! In Your holy name and power of Your Son’s resurrection. Amen

The appointed times all point to the ministry of Yeshua Messiah. Pesach points to His death, Hag ha’Matzah points to the sinlessness of His sacrifice, Resheet points to His resurrection, Shavu’ot points to the birth of His Church, Rosh ha’Shanah points to the rapture, Yom Kippur points to the Great Tribulation, and Shukkot points to the Messianic Kingdom.

The priests and the dead (21:1-6): More than a double standard for leadership, standards of holiness increase as those around YHVH move closer to Him. Being sanctified (being made holy for the purposes of God) means becoming kosher, or acceptable, to draw near to the LORD. In the case of the priests, failure to observe priestly commands seen in these verses could defile the Tabernacle. The priests could only mourn the loss of close family members. ADONAI said to Moshe, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron; tell them: ‘No priest is to make himself ritually unclean for any of his people who dies, dies, except for his close family members – defined as his mother, father, son, daughter and brother or an unmarried sister’ (21:1-3).” These same six relatives are mentioned in Ezeki’el 44:25. Anything dead is laden with the power of death, and for that reason it does, in a special way, render that person ritually unclean, incapable of dealing with the holy, the power of life itself.³⁷⁴ The priest, in the role of husband, was not even permitted to attend the burial of his wife, who is related to him through marriage. The six relatives at whose death a priest could mourn (being near the dead body) rendered him impure. But other than this one exception, he could not make himself unclean, because he was a leader among his people; doing so would defile him (21:4). The mitzvot regarding contact with a corpse by the Israelites is addressed in Numbers 19:10-22. Touching a dead body rendered one unclean for seven days (Numbers 19:11).

Priests are not to make bald spots on their heads, shave the edges of their beards or cut their flesh (21:5). A similar prohibition is stated in Ezeki’el 44:20. Deuteronomy 14:1 prohibits all Israelites from doing this, but it is understandable that this code should emphasize this prohibition with respect to the priests. Like cutting, shaving the hair or pulling it out were rites of mourning in ancient Canaan that Israelite religious leaders sought to prevent.³⁷⁵ Holy behaviors like these may sound discriminatory to western ears. But what is kosher to God does not carry good or bad connotations in the Semitic world. As in constructing a puzzle, each piece of the puzzle fits together and helps to complete the whole!³⁷⁶

There is a fascinating teaching contained in this section which deserves some attention. Four times in Chapter 21 (verses 6, 8, 17 and 21) we are informed the reason why the priests were to remain ritually clean, having no blemish, physical handicap, or any bodily imperfection. Since the animal which was offered was required to be free from imperfections, the priest who offered it on behalf of the sinner, had, therefore, to be just as free from imperfections. They were to be holy for their God and not defile the name of their God. For they are the ones who present ADONAI with offerings made by fire, the bread of their God; therefore, they must be holy (21:6). Sacrificial offerings are often called lehem, translated bread or food, and, at least in a symbolic sense, are considered bread for YHVH. The priests needed to observe strict codes of purity for they were the mediators between the worshiper and ADONAI.³⁷⁷ It seems that what gave God great joy was the fact that He was obeyed by worshipful people who offered the prescribed sacrifices just as He had said (see Ah – The Offerings from the People’s Perspective). This is what pleased Ha’Shem and the offering became a sweet aroma to Him. In other words, God’s bread was mankind’s seeking to draw near to Him.³⁷⁸

The priests and women (21:7-9): The Torah explains that the priest must exercise a higher standard in the choice of a bride. A priest is not to marry a woman who is a prostitute, who has been defiled or who has been divorced; because he is holy for his God (21:7). A woman defiled by prostitution has traditionally been understood as any woman who has lived a promiscuous lifestyle, whether for pay or not. The same woman was permitted to marry any other Israelite as illustrated in the book of Hosea. Conversely, it was clearly implied that the priest himself was forbidden to live promiscuously. If the exalted sanctity of the priesthood forbade him to marry a woman who lived a worldly lifestyle, how much more so was he himself forbidden from living such a lifestyle. Rather, you are to set him apart as holy, because he offers the bread of your God. Consider them holy, because I ADONAI am holy – who made them holy (21:8). From the command to sanctify the priesthood we learn the importance of giving Messiah, our spiritual High Priest, the sanctity and honor due Him. Sanctifying the Master requires reverence of His Name and Person.

The daughter of a priest who defiled herself by a promiscuous lifestyle defiled her father. It became a capital offense and she was to be put to death by fire (see 21:9 for further details). A priest who would allow a prostitute to reside under his roof, even if it was his own daughter, would not be qualified to render decisions on behalf of the covenant community. The priest was not in any way to be associated with evil practices because he was the designated vessel in the service of God. These mitzvot teach us about the very nature of YHVH and His relationship to His people. Throughout the Scriptures, God compares His people to a bride. What kind of bride are we to be? We are to be a people without a spot, wrinkle or any such thing, but holy and without defect (Ephesians 5:27b). Whenever the people of God slide into idolatry, He compares us to a prostitute and an unfaithful bride. Such a bride is unfit for the holiness of God.³⁷⁹

The high priest’s family (21:10-15): The high priest was held to an even higher (no pun intended) standard than an ordinary priest. This is the first occurrence of the term high priest in the Bible and its only occurrence in Leviticus. The one who is ranked highest among his brothers, the one on whose head the anointing oil is poured and who is consecrated to put on the garments, is not to shave his head, tear his clothes, go in to where any dead body is or make himself unclean, even when his father or mother dies (21:10-11). The high priest was not to shave his head or beard or cut his body (21:5). The practice of shaving the head, or making oneself bald, is also prohibited in Deuteronomy 14:1, and appears to be associated with pagan mourning rites (Isaiah 3:24 and 15:2; Jeremiah 47:5 and 48:37; Ezeki’el 7:18 and 27:31; Amos 8:10; Micah 1:16). He could not go anywhere near a dead body, not even when his father or mother died.

Aaron and his sons could not leave the Sanctuary (21:12a) during their seven-day ordination ceremony (see Av – The Ordination Ceremony of the Priesthood). Obviously, this couldn’t mean that he could never leave the Sanctuary at all, otherwise, it would be impossible for him to live with his family, or to have physical relations with his wife. Note also that Aaron, the high priest, did not remain in the Sanctuary all the time (Numbers 12:1-4 and 16:47). The context therefore suggests that the high priest could not leave the Sanctuary to mourn or become impure.³⁸⁰

Additionally, he could not defile the Sanctuary of his God because the consecration of the anointing oil of his God is on him; I am ADONAI (21:12b). Child sacrifice to Molech defiled the Sanctuary in 20:3 (also see 21:23). Along with verse 12 here, these three verses are the only times that the Torah describes the Sanctuary being defiled. General concerns for defilement occur in verses 7 and 9. Between them, verse 8 declares: because I ADONAI am holy – who made them holy, just as verse 15 does. Thus, the text twice relates the holiness of God to the avoidance of defilement. Just as verses 7-9 deal with sexual matters, so does verse 13. The reaffirmation of God’s holiness explains why the Sanctuary should not be defiled. The holiness of ADONAI demands that those who draw near to Him, must worship Him in holiness.³⁸¹ For God is Spirit, so those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth (John 4:24).

Unlike the other priests, the high priest could only marry a virgin daughter of Isra’el, meaning a native-born woman, neither a Gentile or proselyte. He may not marry a widow, divorcee, or a defiled woman who has lived a promiscuous lifestyle; but he must marry a virgin from among his own people and not disqualify his descendants among his people; because I am ADONAI, who makes him holy (21:13-15). Abstinence from premarital sex on the part of the wife of the high priest would certainly say something about her character, although the legitimacy of the offspring to inherit the high priesthood would certainly have been the greater concern.³⁸²