“And when anyone offers a sacrifice of peace offerings to the Lord to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering from the herd or from the flock, to be accepted it must be perfect; there shall be no blemish in it. Animals blind or disabled or mutilated or having a discharge or an itch or scabs you shall not offer to the Lord or give them to the Lord as a food offering on the altar.” Leviticus 22:21-22
We know the Old Testament gives us examples that serve as illustrations of truths in the New Testament. The law in the Old Testament and grace in the New Testament both are founded in the two great commandments – love the Lord with all our heart, soul,
mind and strength and love or neighbors as ourselves. We can learn much about God and the way we are to approach Him by studying His laws and commandments He gave to Israel.
One such lesson is clearly seen in Leviticus 22. In this chapter the
Lord is discussing bringing the peace offering to Him. Here He
describes the animal sacrifice that is to be used.
First, we are told all the animals are to be without blemish. The word
“blemish” means without any spot or defect. Figuratively it refers to
any moral blemish. God tells us any sacrifice brought to Him must
be presented without one spot or one defect.
Second, the Lord gives further explanation to make sure we understand how we are to approach Him. He says a sacrifice may not be blind. This refers to the defect of blindness, not being able to
see. This is a serious but very obvious defect – everyone could tell if an animal is blind or not.
Third, the Lord says the animal is not to be disabled. It is broken or fractured in some way. This might be less obvious. For example God says not to bring an animal if one leg is longer than the others. Certain defects may not b seen except by God and the one offering the sacrifice.
Fourth, the animal is not to be mutilated or maimed in any way. This includes cutting or scarring. This type of defects could might be hidden under the animal’s wool or fur.
Fifth, the animal is not to have a discharge. Again this might be hidden for a period of time. It might be covered up and not noticed.
Sixth, the animal is not to have an itch or scratching. Irritants on the skin would cause an animal to itch to relieve the annoyances that are troubling it.
Seventh, the animal is not to have any scabs on its bodies. These would be places that while healing was occurring but there are still active flaws. Again scabs might be easily hidden and unnoticed by others.
What can we learn? Our God is a holy God. To offer sacrifices to Him that are flawed or with blemish shows great disrespect. With animals the Lord shows us great open sores are unacceptable but so are small hidden defects. A blemish is a blemish to God. Think about this today. We go to God in prayer, with our tithes and with our service.
Before we do we are to examine ourselves for any blemish, great or small, that would make our approach and sacrifice of praise unacceptable to Him. We are told this in the New Testament especially around the Lord’s Table. “But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.”
God still requires, even in the age of grace, that we approach Him without blemish or spot. His holiness has not changed.