Commentary - Leviticus 22:17-25

Bird's-eye view

In this section of Leviticus, Yahweh lays down the non-negotiable standard for acceptable sacrifices. The central, repeated command is that any animal brought to the altar, whether by an Israelite or a resident alien, must be without blemish. This is not an arbitrary aesthetic preference on God's part; it is a profound theological statement. The offering represents the worshiper, and it must reflect the perfection and holiness of the God to whom it is offered. This passage systematically defines what constitutes a blemish, from blindness to broken bones, and in doing so, it relentlessly exposes the human tendency to offer God our leftovers. Ultimately, the impossibility of fallen men bringing a truly perfect offering creates the absolute necessity for the one, perfect, unblemished Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, whose sacrifice alone is truly acceptable.

The text makes careful distinctions between different types of offerings, such as burnt offerings, peace offerings, votive offerings, and freewill offerings. These distinctions reveal that while God's standard of perfection is absolute, He also deals with His people with a measure of gracious nuance. The core principle, however, is immovable: God is not to be trifled with. He is worthy of the best, and any worship that attempts to fob Him off with second-rate, defective gifts is an insult that He will not accept.

Outline

Context In Leviticus

Leviticus 22 is situated within the larger section of the book often called the "Holiness Code" (chapters 17-26). This portion of the law moves from the regulations for the priests and the tabernacle to the practical, daily holiness required of all the people of Israel. Chapter 22 specifically addresses the holiness of the sacred offerings. The preceding verses dealt with the purity of the priests who handle these offerings, and this section now turns to the necessary purity of the offerings themselves. It forms a cohesive unit: holy priests must handle holy gifts to present to a holy God. This passage directly echoes and expands upon earlier regulations about unblemished animals (e.g., Exodus 12:5). It sets the stage for the list of holy feasts in chapter 23, reminding Israel that the quality of their worship is just as important as the timing of it.

Key Issues

God Deserves the Best

When we come to a passage like this, filled with detailed regulations about animal sacrifices, our modern temptation is to skim. We think it is part of a dusty and obsolete system, irrelevant to our sophisticated new covenant faith. But to do so is to miss the point entirely. These laws are not tedious footnotes; they are foundational principles of worship, written down for our instruction. They teach us something permanent about the character of God and the nature of man.

The central issue here is what kind of God we worship. Is He a doddering grandfather in the sky, grateful for whatever scraps of attention we deign to throw His way? Or is He the sovereign, holy, creator of the universe, worthy of all honor, glory, and praise? The God of Leviticus is the latter. He is not a beggar; He is a king. And you do not bring a sick, three-legged goat as a gift for a king. To do so is not an act of worship; it is an act of contempt. This entire passage is a detailed explanation of what it means to honor God in our giving, and by extension, in every aspect of our lives.

Verse by Verse Commentary

17-19 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and to his sons and to all the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘Any man of the house of Israel or of the sojourners in Israel who brings near his offering, whether it is any of their votive or any of their freewill offerings, which they bring near to Yahweh for a burnt offering, for you to be accepted, it must be a male without blemish from the cattle, the sheep, or the goats.

The instruction begins with the full weight of divine authority: Yahweh spoke to Moses. And the audience is comprehensive: the priests, and all the people, including the sojourners. This is not an esoteric rule for the clergy; this is a basic principle of worship for every member of the covenant community. The central issue is stated plainly: for you to be accepted. This is the goal of all worship. We do not come to God to be seen by others, or to feel good about ourselves. We come to be accepted by Him. And for that to happen, the offering must be on His terms. The standard is a male without blemish. The Hebrew word, tamim, means whole, complete, sound, or perfect. It signifies integrity. This offering was a substitute, standing in the place of the worshiper, and it had to be the very picture of health and vitality.

20 Whatever has a defect, you shall not bring it near, for it will not be accepted for you.

Here is the negative counterpart, stated with blunt finality. If it has a defect, do not even bring it near the altar. God's rejection of it is certain. Notice the reasoning: it will not be accepted for you. The defective gift renders the worshiper himself unacceptable. The offering is an extension of the man. A corrupt offering signals a corrupt heart, a heart that is trying to get by, to fulfill a religious duty on the cheap. This is the very sin Malachi would later condemn when the people were offering blind and lame animals, asking, "Is it not evil?" (Malachi 1:8).

21 And when a man brings a sacrifice of peace offerings near to Yahweh to fulfill a special vow or for a freewill offering, of the herd or of the flock, it must be without blemish to be accepted; there shall be no defect in it.

The principle is now extended from the burnt offering, which was wholly consumed, to the peace offering, in which the worshiper shared a meal in God's presence. One might be tempted to think that if you are going to eat part of it yourself, perhaps a lower standard would suffice. God says no. The standard of perfection, of being without blemish, remains absolute. Whether you are giving the whole thing to God or sharing a fellowship meal with Him, you do not serve your divine host, or yourself in His presence, with defective food. There shall be no defect in it. The repetition is for emphasis. God is serious about this.

22 Those that are blind or fractured or maimed or have a running sore or eczema or scabs, you shall not bring near to Yahweh nor make of them an offering by fire on the altar to Yahweh.

Lest anyone try to lawyer the definition of "blemish," God provides a graphic and visceral list of disqualifications. Blindness, broken bones, mutilations, weeping sores, skin diseases. These are not minor imperfections. These are signs of sickness, injury, and decay. They are pictures of the curse of sin in a fallen world. To bring such an animal to the altar of the God of life is a profound contradiction. It is to present death and corruption to the one who is the fountain of life and wholeness. It is an abomination.

23 Now in respect to an ox or a lamb which has an overgrown or stunted member, you may offer it for a freewill offering, but for a votive offering it will not be accepted.

Here we find a fascinating and gracious distinction. An animal with a minor congenital deformity, something disproportionate but not sick or injured, is treated differently. It is still not good enough to fulfill a vow. A vow (votive offering) is a solemn promise made to God, and it requires the absolute best, no exceptions. But for a freewill offering, a spontaneous gift of praise or thanksgiving, God in His kindness says, "This will be accepted." This shows us that God is not a petty tyrant looking for any excuse to reject us. He understands intent. But it also teaches us the high seriousness of making vows to God. If you promise, you must pay with the best you have (Psalm 50:14).

24 Also anything with its testicles bruised or crushed or torn or cut, you shall not bring near to Yahweh, and you shall not do thus in your land,

This prohibition focuses on the reproductive organs. The animal must be whole, and this includes its capacity for generating life. A castrated animal is an unfit representative to bring before the Author of life. The command is extended beyond the offering itself to a general principle: you shall not do thus in your land. This practice of castration was common among pagan nations, but it was to have no place in Israel. God's people were to be marked by wholeness and fruitfulness, not by the mutilations of the heathen.

25 nor shall you bring near any such thing from the hand of a foreigner for offering as the food of your God; for their corruption is in them, they have a defect; they shall not be accepted for you.’ ”

This verse closes the final loophole. Someone might try to excuse a blemished offering by saying, "I didn't raise it; a foreigner gave it to me." God says the source is irrelevant. If you present it at the altar, it is your offering, and it must meet God's standard. The phrase the food of your God is striking. It reinforces the personal, covenantal nature of the sacrifice. This is bread for God's table, a meal shared with Him. The reason for rejection is again stated: their corruption is in them. The physical defect is an outward sign of an inward corruption, making it unacceptable. And again, the consequence is personal: they shall not be accepted for you.

Application

The first and most glorious application of this passage is that it makes us desperate for Jesus Christ. As we read the unrelenting standard of perfection, we must come to the conclusion that we have no offering in ourselves that God will accept. Our righteousness is a sick and scabby goat. Our best efforts are the lamb with the broken leg. We are the blemished worshipers with nothing perfect to give. And so God, in His mercy, provided the offering for us. The Lord Jesus Christ is the Lamb without blemish and without spot (1 Peter 1:19). He is the one perfect sacrifice, the whole and complete offering, who alone is accepted for you. Our acceptance before God has nothing to do with the quality of our performance and everything to do with the perfection of His Son.

But this does not make the principle of unblemished offerings irrelevant. It transforms it. Because we have been accepted through the perfect offering of Christ, we are now called to offer our own lives as sacrifices. Paul urges us to "present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God" (Romans 12:1). This means we are not to offer God our leftovers. We are not to give Him the dregs of our energy, the spare moments of our time, or the pocket lint of our finances. We are to give Him our best, our firstfruits. We are to offer Him our soundest thinking, our most vibrant energies, our most deliberate affections. We do this not in order to be accepted, but because we already have been accepted in the Beloved. Worship that costs us nothing is worth nothing. God still deserves the best.