Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Rules Governing Who is Allowed to Perform Sacrifices

Today I read Leviticus 22 where the Lord sets forth the laws concerning which priests may be allowed to offer sacrifices for the people.  No surprise, but only priests who have no blemishes and are clean according to the Law of Moses may offer sacrifices for the people.  When you think that the priest is acting in the stead of Jesus Christ, it is not surprising that the Lord makes such a stipulation.  What did make me chuckle is the verse about not being able to touch anything that creeps.  In other words they could not touch any bugs and still be considered clean. 

Heavenly Father also reiterates to Moses in this chapter that all sacrifices must be physically perfect.  He even lists blemishes that one might normally overlook, such as a scab, that would disqualify an animal from being used as a sacrifice.  Obviously we know the reason for such strict rules now, but I have to wonder what the Israelites of the day thought about it.  Did they even wonder why it had to be a firstborn male without any physical blemish?  We are not told but I suspect some did.  It makes me wonder if some of them searched the scriptures to learn more and try and be more spiritual.  I know that the Nephites did, because Jacob states that they do and actually condemns them for it because the reason they were searching the scriptures was for a way to justify their whoredoms.  Obviously such reasons for searching the scriptures are wrong, but searching the scriptures to better understand God and His plans?  I believe that makes Heavenly Father very happy when we do that.  Until tomorrow.

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