Tag: without defect

Making A Different People: A Male Lamb, Without Defect

Leviticus 22-23

Leviticus 22 19 NIV
Today in our readings, we have many opportunities open to us to discuss. I would encourage you to go back and think through the significance of each of the festivals in Leviticus 23. Many we can see celebrated by Jesus in his life (Sukkot/Booths/Tabernacles in John 7) or were key to his death (Passover). It’s an interesting connection to see how the festivals of God played a role in the life of Christ.
But, I want to direct your attention to some words repeated again and again. The sacrifices that the Jews were to give were, from 22:17-25, a male without defect. This is interesting. Why specifically this requirement. There are a number of reasons.
First, this was a costly requirement. A sacrifice of a male without defect was costly because you wanted to keep those males. Strong male goats, sheep and cows produced good babies. If an animal doesn’t have a flaw but is a physically perfect specimen, you want to make sure those genes are passed along. You don’t have to know all about genetics to know this. In the ancient world, the better the bull, the better the calf. And God was demanding that these great bulls, billies and rams be given in sacrifice to show our allegiance to him, to prove that we are willing to both give our best and trust him to provide.
Second, the words in Hebrew are interesting. “Without defect” is from the Hebrew word “tamim” (tah-meem). The word for “defect” is from the Hebrew “mum” (moom). Both of these words are interesting because they DO mean, many times, physical perfection. The Law specifies no scabs, oozing sores, broken bones, engorged or crushed parts of the animal. Tamim notes completeness and wholeness of an animal in this way; mum denotes physical imperfection. HOWEVER, both of these words also were figuratively extended to speak about the way a person acted and lived. To live a tamim life was to live a life of integrity and innocence (in Psalm 18, the psalmist calls God’s ways blameless 5 times). However, when someone lives a mum life, they are not able to look to God for help because they are morally imperfect (Zophar believes Job has a MORAL defect in Job 11:15, NASB especially).
This leads to the third reason God would command male without defect : he was preparing the way for the lamb slain from the foundation of the world. God was preparing the world for the Messiah. God chose to give the world his Son, and to redeem us from our sins “with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.”(1 Peter 1:19). When God sacrificed Jesus as the “male lamb without defect”, he was purchasing us with the most costly gift, spilling out his own blood, the blood of his one and only Son, as Paul says in Acts 20:28.
The perfect Messiah, blameless, sinless, complete, and whole, was sacrificed and died to pay for our redemption. Praise God that we stand in him redeemed.
Jake Ballard
Today’s Bible reading can be read or listened to at https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus+22-23&version=NIV
Tomorrow’s reading will be Leviticus 24-25 on our 2020 Chronological Bible Reading Plan

Leaping into Leviticus (Chapters 1-4)

Sunday, August 21, 2016

leviticus     (page of Leviticus from an early German Bible)

Well, here we are . . . ready to delve into the third of the five books of the Law – Leviticus.
Leviticus is not known for being fun or light reading.  Most of the book is a listing of laws, consequences, sacrifices and priestly roles – and some of it can seem as foreign to us today as a totally new – or ancient – language.  But, don’t give up!  Forge on and let’s see what we can glean from its pages for us today.  In yesterday’s devotional thoughts we mentioned the importance of living holy lives – particularly for the priesthood which represents the Almighty.  In the book of Leviticus Moses instructs the Israelites on what holiness would look like.

As I read the directions for the burnt, grain, fellowship and sin offerings I was reminded of a saying I heard many times from my Grandpa Clair Alcumbrack.  Grandpa was a master craftsman who took great pains to get a job done right and generously gave most pieces away.  When his work was being admired by the lucky recipient Grandpa would jokingly say it was,  “Good enough for who it’s for.”   We always knew it was just his humble way of accepting praise for a job well done.   But it got me to thinking . . . how often do I forget who I am serving and working for – and the quality He desires from me.  Would I ever be able to come anywhere close to saying that my offerings for God were “Good enough for who it’s for”?

Eight times the phrase “Without defect” is used in the first 4 chapters of Leviticus to describe the sacrifices the Israelites were to bring before God.  These animal and grain offerings are no longer required since Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice.  But, can we learn something about what God expects from His children?

Let’s all check the quality of our offerings this week.   Is it obvious – to ourselves, others, and to the Master Craftsman, by the quality of our offerings and sacrifices, that we desire to be His chosen people, a royal priesthood and a holy nation (I Peter 2:9)?  Our Almighty Father deserves the very best we have to give –  offerings “without defect”.  What are we giving Him?   What defects need to be removed from our offering in order for it to be pleasing to Him?  A bad attitude?  A timing issue?  Poor quality control?  A long list of excuses?  How will you work to come closer to giving a sacrifice that is without blemish?

 

— Marcia Railton
( Marcia is the wife of Jason Railton and mom to 3, all of whom were at FUEL.  Marcia is thankful for her Christian parents, Ray & Susan Hall, youth leaders and teachers, Bible College staff and church family who have taught the importance of loving God’s Word.  She enjoys working with Family Bible Church, Basic Youth Group and Family Camp.  Besides long walks on the beach… she enjoys crafting, quilting, camping, and caring for preschoolers in her home.)