Morning Light – Leviticus 21

[Leviticus 21] Qualifications of Leaders. In this chapter, Moses is instructed regarding the qualifications for leadership before God. You are called to be a leader. Everyone in the body of Christ leads and influences those around them. You are called, and whom God calls He qualifies. God wants you to be a strong, powerful, mature, and spiritually effective influence on the lives of those around you. He provides the transforming grace and empowerment to see that happen as we give Him the cooperation needed by surrendering our lives and our character to His discipling hand.

[Lev 21:1-24 KJV] 1 And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto the priests the sons of Aaron, and say unto them, There shall none be defiled for the dead among his people: 2 But for his kin, that is near unto him, [that is], for his mother, and for his father, and for his son, and for his daughter, and for his brother, 3 And for his sister a virgin, that is nigh unto him, which hath had no husband; for her may he be defiled. 4 [But] he shall not defile himself, [being] a chief man among his people, to profane himself. 5 They shall not make baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corner of their beard, nor make any cuttings in their flesh. 6 They shall be holy unto their God, and not profane the name of their God: for the offerings of the LORD made by fire, [and] the bread of their God, they do offer: therefore they shall be holy. 7 They shall not take a wife [that is] a whore, or profane; neither shall they take a woman put away from her husband: for he [is] holy unto his God. 8 Thou shalt sanctify him therefore; for he offereth the bread of thy God: he shall be holy unto thee: for I the LORD, which sanctify you, [am] holy. 9 And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the whore, she profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with fire. 10 And [he that is] the high priest among his brethren, upon whose head the anointing oil was poured, and that is consecrated to put on the garments, shall not uncover his head, nor rend his clothes; 11 Neither shall he go in to any dead body, nor defile himself for his father, or for his mother; 12 Neither shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his God; for the crown of the anointing oil of his God [is] upon him: I [am] the LORD. 13 And he shall take a wife in her virginity. 14 A widow, or a divorced woman, or profane, [or] an harlot, these shall he not take: but he shall take a virgin of his own people to wife. 15 Neither shall he profane his seed among his people: for I the LORD do sanctify him. 16 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 17 Speak unto Aaron, saying, Whosoever [he be] of thy seed in their generations that hath [any] blemish, let him not approach to offer the bread of his God. 18 For whatsoever man [he be] that hath a blemish, he shall not approach: a blind man, or a lame, or he that hath a flat nose, or any thing superfluous, 19 Or a man that is brokenfooted, or brokenhanded, 20 Or crookbackt, or a dwarf, or that hath a blemish in his eye, or be scurvy, or scabbed, or hath his stones broken; 21 No man that hath a blemish of the seed of Aaron the priest shall come nigh to offer the offerings of the LORD made by fire: he hath a blemish; he shall not come nigh to offer the bread of his God. 22 He shall eat the bread of his God, [both] of the most holy, and of the holy. 23 Only he shall not go in unto the vail, nor come nigh unto the altar, because he hath a blemish; that he profane not my sanctuaries: for I the LORD do sanctify them. 24 And Moses told [it] unto Aaron, and to his sons, and unto all the children of Israel.

In previous chapters, we saw the choosing of Aaron and his tribe for the priesthood. Moses was instructed regarding the ceremonial dress and the accouterments of service such as the jeweled breastplate, the miter they were to wear, and the Urim and the Thummim, otherwise known as the lights and perfections by which decisions were made by casting the stones to determine outcomes. Now in chapter twenty-one, we see further requirements and restrictions upon those that would serve as priests. Remember that Aaron and his sons represented and were a type of Jesus, our high priest:

[Heb 4:14 KJV] 14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast [our] profession.

As these scriptures instruct regarding Levitical priesthood, they also speak of OUR place as well in the economy of God, for we are also priests and members of a royal priesthood.

[Rev 1:6 KJV] 6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him [be] glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

[Rev 5:10 KJV] 10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

[1Pe 2:9 KJV] 9 But ye [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

You are a king, and you are a priest. When you read passages such as this, you need to understand that these verses tell us about who Jesus is to us and how we fit into God’s purposes regarding our own personal ministry purpose. In vs. 1-6, above, we see that the priests were not allowed to mourn for the dead after the manner of the general population. What does that speak to us? First of all, it speaks to us of the recognition of a better resurrection.

[Mar 12:27 KJV] 27 He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err.

This is not to say we do not grieve over the loss of a loved one; however, there is a difference between a believer and an unbeliever’s view of death and the afterlife. Maria Wood-worth Etter spoke of unbeliever’s death as “taking a leap in the dark.” However, for the believer, we mourn not the end of life but our own temporary loss of fellowship with the deceased that will one day be restored in eternity. We recognize that natural death is simply a continuation of a better resurrection and that one day we will be reunited with our loved one. Today’s religious culture focuses almost entirely on the here and now with little emphasis on eternal values. Paul made this statement:

[1Co 15:19 KJV] 19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.

Our lives are to be lived out with eternity in view. We have accountability as do all men, with consequences reaching into the endless millennia for how we conduct ourselves in the hear and now. Ministers and leaders decry the shallow character of the average Christian, but the fault lies first in the pulpit that has failed in Christian teaching to emphasize the realities of eternity, and as the old-timers were wont to say, “heaven to gain and a hell to shun…”

In verse 7, the mandates regarding a priest’s marriage partner are specified. A priest was not allowed to take a prostitute or profane person as a spouse. Think of this in terms of the bride of Christ. Jesus is our high priest, and the scriptures speak of Him as a bridegroom betrothed to the church as Paul affirms:

[Eph 5:27 KJV] 27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

Jesus, as our high priest, will not consummate a marriage with a sinful intemperate corporate bride. There is much speculation regarding the return of Christ but rarely is this one condition of His coming ever mentioned. The church and Christian culture are far from spotless and without defect in her character. If indeed we are living in the last days, we will see at some point a reformation in the general character of the true church from a corrupt, politicized monstrosity to a pure, spotless bride. Many refute this saying simply, “God knows who is pure and who is not…” However, Paul suggests that this pure and spotless bride will be very prominently on display before Jesus comes – that He will come IN US in purity before He comes for us in the Parousia or what some call the Rapture:

[2Th 1:10 KJV] 10 When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed ) in that day.

In our chapter, we also see strict requirements upon the priesthood during such time as the holy anointing oil was upon them as they served in the Tabernacle. There were times that calamity would befall a priest when the holy oil was upon him while serving in the Tabernacle. This happened with Aaron when his sons were struck down before the Holy of Holies. While the oil was on Aaron, he was not allowed to react when his sons Nadab and Abihu were struck dead for offering strange fire before the Lord. This also speaks to us of Christ. The term “Christ” means the “smeared one” or one on whom the oil of anointing had been applied. The oil is a type of the Holy Spirit. These verses speak to us of natural relationships contrasted with spiritual relationships. Jesus spoke of this often:

[Mat 12:46-50 KJV] 46 While he yet talked to the people, behold, [his] mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him. 47 Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee. 48 But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? 49 And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! 50 For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.

In the modern church, it is often said that the church is built on the family, but the words of Jesus contradict that. Families are called to serve God, but our fidelities are to God’s broader purpose. Many times “seeking the kingdom” will run at cross purposes to the agenda, desires, and opinions of natural family members.

In vs. 16-21, we see that the priests were required to be without blemish. God wants you to be spotless. There are ten verses in the New Testament that directly call upon believers to be blameless before the Lord. This calls upon us to have our character and integrity at the forefront of our minds living our lives in the context and awareness of accountability.

[2Pe 3:14 KJV] 14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.

Our accountability is not to man but God. Man will always let you off the hook, whereas a weak conscious will accuse and blame you regarding things that God couldn’t care less about. As a pastor, I have often taken the people to God in prayer and, in frustration, complained, “God, they aren’t doing this or that or being good church members! Doesn’t that bother you?” He would answer – “No, that doesn’t bother Me in the least…” The religious leaders of Jesus’ day despised Him for His relationship with God and liberty in His personal life. Yet He lived according to the strictest accountability, whose example we are to follow:

[Jhn 5:19 KJV] 19 Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.

There are listed here eight defects that disqualified a Levite from the priesthood. They speak to us of things by which we disqualify ourselves from God’s purposes.

Blindness: We often see leaders that turn a blind eye to things that are obnoxious and obvious to other. A blind leader is a grievance to those they lead.

Flat Nosed: This speaks of being unable to discern. This area causes pastors and leaders to keep God’s people unable to mature and move forward in God. It is common for pastors to reject anything or anyone unfamiliar to them. They resist change and alienate those attempting to move on in God because they have no discernment and little desire to look beyond the priority of just keeping things quiet and peaceful and maintaining the religious status quo.

Lame: A leader can teach others how to live and what their lives should look like, but they have to be able to walk out what they teach. 1 John 1:3 tells us that a leader is limited to only telling what they have seen and heard. A leader that refuses or is unable to demonstrate what they hold others accountable to is disqualified from leading God’s people.

Broken Handed: Leaders must be willing to get their hands dirty. There is a limit to delegation. It is inappropriate for a leader to sit back, expecting others to do things that they themselves are capable of doing. It is true in the book of Acts that the apostles gave themselves to the word of God and prayer – but the deacons were not called for until the church was over 13,000 strong! Leaders must have the humility to put their hand to the task and work alongside the people of God.

Crooked Back: How many times have you seen leaders cower and refused to stand up and defend the people they serve? A leader cannot have a crooked back. You have to have some backbone. There are times you have to stand up and face down the religious agendas and manipulative and controlling people. It is never pleasurable, but a leader without a spine is not qualified to lead.

A Dwarf: Many pastors limit themselves and the people to small visions and small plans. A pastor or a leader must be a person spiritual stature and maturity in the things of God. This implies that growth is ongoing. Be willing to have a leader who is in training. Don’t expect them to come out in one whole package without ever a need to grow and change. Many leaders are not wrong; they are merely growing, and the people of God should desire and embrace a leader willing to grow.

Scurvy: Scurvy is a condition caused by a lack of variety in the diet. If all you eat spiritually is one subject, you will develop the spiritual equivalent of scurvy. There are themes in a person’s calling and ministry, but you cannot shut yourself off from the whole of God’s counsel. One protection against this is reading of the word and expository verses topical teaching.

Impotent (Broken Stones): God wants you to be a reproducer. A leader without the means of reproducing himself or herself spiritually is disqualified from leadership. Many leaders are too insecure to allow this. Rather than raising up leaders and pastors under them, they beam their teachings out by satellite to outlying locations because they refuse to reproduce themselves and want to keep everyone dependent on them. You need to put yourself under a pastor who is raising up leaders under them and be willing to receive ministry from these interns as well as the leader themselves.