Leviticus 22:6–7: “The [Priest] who has touched any [unclean] thing shall be unclean until evening, and shall not eat the holy offerings unless he washes his body with water. And when the sun goes down he shall be clean; and afterward he may eat the holy offerings, because it is his food.”

January 5th, 2023 by Pastor Ed in devotional

Priests were to be a go-between, an advocate, a mediator, someone who arbitrated between the people and God. When they came in contact with something or someone unclean, they had to wash themselves with water. In the New Testament Peter says that when we accept Christ, we become a part of a new and holy priesthood, and as priests we have direct access to God the Son.
 So when we read in the Old Testament that the priest was to “wash his body with water,” we are reminded that we also need to be washed when our lives come into contact with sin. “Wash me!” was the prayer of King David. “Wash!” was the message of John the Baptist. “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me,” said the towel-draped Jesus to His disciples. Without our being washed clean, we would die from the contamination of sin.

But what water are we to be washed with? Jesus said in John 15:3: “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.” Paul echoed this in Ephesians 5:25: “Just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the Word.” God’s word is the water we are washed by. And when we come to it daily, the grime of living in a fallen world gets washed away.

Did you notice in this text that it says when the “sun goes down he shall be clean?” This is an important truth we need to apply to our relationship with the Lord today. We should stop beating ourselves up for yesterday’s sin. We are commanded to confess and repent of sin. But then we are to get on with the business of walking with the Lord this day.

“LORD, Thank You that You have made us clean. Help us to serve You with Your power and grace.”

=============================================================

Leviticus 22 KJV

¹ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, ² Speak unto Aaron and to his sons, that they separate themselves from the holy things of the children of Israel, and that they profane not my holy name in those things which they hallow unto me: I am the LORD. ³ Say unto them, Whosoever he be of all your seed among your generations, that goeth unto the holy things, which the children of Israel hallow unto the LORD, having his uncleanness upon him, that soul shall be cut off from my presence: I amthe LORD. ⁴ What man soever of the seed of Aaron is a leper, or hath a running issue; he shall not eat of the holy things, until he be clean. And whoso toucheth any thing that is unclean by the dead, or a man whose seed goeth from him;  ⁵ Or whosoever toucheth any creeping thing, whereby he may be made unclean, or a man of whom he may take uncleanness, whatsoever uncleanness he hath; ⁶ The soul which hath touched any such shall be unclean until even, and shall not eat of the holy things, unless he wash his flesh with water. ⁷ And when the sun is down, he shall be clean, and shall afterward eat of the holy things; because it is his food. ⁸ That which dieth of itself, or is torn with beasts , he shall not eat to defile himself therewith: I am the LORD. ⁹ They shall therefore keep mine ordinance, lest they bear sin for it, and die therefore, if they profane it: I the LORD do sanctify them. ¹⁰ There shall no stranger eat of the holy thing: a sojourner of the priest, or an hired servant, shall not eat of the holy thing. ¹¹ But if the priest buy any soul with his money, he shall eat of it, and he that is born in his house: they shall eat of his meat. ¹² If the priest’s daughter also be married unto a stranger, she may not eat of an offering of the holy things.  ¹³ But if the priest’s daughter be a widow, or divorced, and have no child, and is returned unto her father’s house, as in her youth, she shall eat of her father’s meat: but there shall no stranger eat thereof. ¹⁴ And if a man eat of the holy thing unwittingly, then he shall put the fifth partthereof unto it, and shall give it unto the priest with the holy thing. ¹⁵ And they shall not profane the holy things of the children of Israel, which they offer unto the LORD; ¹⁶ Or suffer them to bear the iniquity of trespass, when they eat their holy things: for I the LORD do sanctify them.  ¹⁷ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, ¹⁸ Speak unto Aaron, and to his sons, and unto all the children of Israel, and say unto them, Whatsoever he be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers in Israel, that will offer his oblation for all his vows, and for all his freewill offerings, which they will offer unto the LORD for a burnt offering; ¹⁹ Ye shall offer at your own will a male without blemish, of the beeves, of the sheep, or of the goats. ²⁰ But whatsoever hath a blemish, that shall ye not offer: for it shall not be acceptable for you. ²¹ And whosoever offereth a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the LORD to accomplish his vow, or a freewill offering in beeves or sheep, it shall be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no blemish therein.  ²² Blind, or broken, or maimed, or having a wen, or scurvy, or scabbed, ye shall not offer these unto the LORD, nor make an offering by fire of them upon the altar unto the LORD. ²³ Either a bullock or a lamb that hath any thing superfluous or lacking in his parts, that mayest thou offer for a freewill offering; but for a vow it shall not be accepted. ²⁴ Ye shall not offer unto the LORD that which is bruised, or crushed, or broken, or cut; neither shall ye make any offering thereof in your land. ²⁵ Neither from a stranger’s hand shall ye offer the bread of your God of any of these; because their corruption is in them, and blemishes be in them: they shall not be accepted for you. ²⁶ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, ²⁷ When a bullock, or a sheep, or a goat, is brought forth, then it shall be seven days under the dam; and from the eighth day and thenceforth it shall be accepted for an offering made by fire unto the LORD. ²⁸ And whether it be cow or ewe, ye shall not kill it and her young both in one day.  ²⁹ And when ye will offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving unto the LORD, offer it at your own will. ³⁰ On the same day it shall be eaten up; ye shall leave none of it until the morrow: I am the LORD. ³¹ Therefore shall ye keep my commandments, and do them: I am the LORD. ³² Neither shall ye profane my holy name; but I will be hallowed among the children of Israel: I am the LORD which hallow you, ³³ That brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the LORD.