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Bible Commentaries
Leviticus 17

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Verses 1-16

Intro:
1. We have our next section in Leviticus ch.’s 17-20 we have a legal code again stressing “holiness”.
  1. All along the Lord was looking for not only an obedience to the law, but for them to have a holy character! {Which are not necessarily the same thing!}
  2. These chapters deal with 4 special areas that needed to be respected & kept holy: the sanctity of Blood(life)[17]; the sanctity of Sex [18]; the sanctity of the Law[19]; the sanctity of Judgment[20]
2. Q: What about all the other religions? - What about others who are sincere to their religion?
  1. We’ll se this chapter answering this very clearly, there is only One Place & One Price!
    1. There is only 1 Price that God would except(Blood), & only 1 Place where God would accept it(the door of the tabernacle).
  2. Yes Christianity is exclusive, it divides, it is narrow, just like…the phone company!
    1. They expect me to dial an exact number to reach the person I’m calling…they’re so narrow minded! – I can’t just dial the number I want to, or I can’t be even 1 number off…they are so narrow minded!
ONE PLACE! (1-9)
1. There was only 1 Place in which all worship was to be observed.
2. Only to His Altar! (3-5, 6,8,9)
  1. Bring it to the door! (4,5,9)
    1. (i.e.) No where else was acceptable!
    2. No Jew was ever allowed a sacrifice in the fields or at his tent.
    3. There was 1 Tabernacle, 1 Alter, & 1 sanctioned Priesthood.
    4. The reason why THE PLACE mattered so much, was because Who was at the THE PLACE that mattered!…this was Holy ground!
  2. This prohibited the Jews from slaughtering their animals carelessly.
    1. Prov.12:10 “A righteous man regards the life of his animal,”
  3. He was to make each animal a peace offering.
  4. Domestic animals were costly so they didn’t eat them all the time.
  5. This teaches the need of associating sacredness w/even their common food & observing “holiness in eating.”
    1. Here the Lord dignified ordinary meals.
  6. Application: When we thank God at our meals we should not only acknowledge His goodness but also be sanctifying the meal & making eating it a spiritual experience.
    1. Q: Do you pray for your meals?
    2. Q: Do you thank Him for every meal?
    3. Q: How can you alter your prayers a little bit? (Pray afterwards also/Russia)
    4. Q: How can you sanctify your every meal?
    5. Q: Would you consider your meals a spiritual experience now?
    6. Q: How can we make it more of a spiritual experience? (ask?)
    7. Q: Is it right to ask the lord to “make nourishing to our bodies”…a coffee & donut?
    8. Q: Can we really ask the Lord to bless junk food?
3. Only to the Lord! (7)
4. (7) demons – (Heb. sa’iyr) “he-goats, hairy ones, goat-gods; it was a form of Egyptian idolatry.”
  1. It was originally used of “goats”; shaggy goats, whose appearance gave origin to the heathen idea of satyrs.
    1. Satyr(say-ter) . Greek Mythology. A woodland creature depicted as having the pointed ears, legs, and short horns of a goat and a fondness for unrestrained revelry. (Hercules’ little friend Newton/ ½ man–½ horse)
    2. So, the term most likely refers to these satyr-like demons who were believed to haunt the open fields and uninhabitable places.
  2. Jeroboam was into this (2 Chron.11:14,15) “The Levites even abandoned their pasturelands and property, and came to Judah and Jerusalem because Jeroboam and his sons had rejected them as priests of the LORD. And he appointed his own priests for the high places and for the goat(sa’iyr) and calf idols he had made.”
5. The Place is only the Cross!
  1. Col.1:19,20 “For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.”
ONE PRICE! (10-16)
1. In the old days doctors used to “take out blood” to try to make people well(bloodletting) – Today they give blood transfusions.
  1. The prohibition was more than hygienic(as modern science now proves) it was religious, suggesting the sacredness of the means of sacrifice.
2. (10) Eat blood - still today many cultures eat blood.
  1. Was still warned against in the NT instructions to the Gentiles.
3. (11) The life of the flesh is in the blood –
  1. This goes back to Gen.9:1-4 (see)
  2. The life is in the blood both physically & spiritually.
  3. Physically:
    1. What an amazing creation God has made in us! (Thanks to Chris Yelley)
    2. Approx. 5 quarts pumping through our veins; running through 100,000 miles of blood vessels, every 30 seconds(enough to travel around the earth…3/4 times); touching every cell; 1st bringing the nutrients & oxygen every cell craves for; then carrying away all waste products on it’s loop; Your heart pumping 1.5 gallons of blood every minute of your life! The brain uses your blood to continually monitor body temperature. Your blood pressure is necessary for the effective pushing of nutrients & oxygen out of the blood & into the cells.
  4. Spiritually:
    1. See below:
  5. Here is the importance of the precious blood of Christ:
    1. His blood justifies us, redeems us, washes us, sanctifies us, brings us near, & cleanses us!
    2. Justifies – Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. Rom.5:9
    3. Redeems – In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. Eph.1:7
    4. Washes – and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, Rev.1:5
    5. Sanctifies – Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate. Heb.13:12
    6. Brings us Near – But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. Eph.2:13
    7. Cleanses - “the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” 1 Jn.1:7.
      1. Jesus blood both cleanses our body of sin(as the bodies blood cleanses the body of waste) & as the blood feeds the body its essential nutrients(so Jesus, the Word of God feeds us spiritually)
  6. When a sacrifice was offered & its blood was shed, it meant the giving of a life of another. The innocent victim died in the place of the guilty sinner.
    1. The only price for sin that God will accept is blood, for the blood is the life of the creature.
    2. Of course the animals shed their blood involuntarily, but Jesus gave His life willingly for the sins of the world.
  7. The bible is a book of blood! - From Genesis to Revelation! (where God slew animals to clothe Adam & Eve to where John called him “The Lamb that was slain!”)
    1. Some liberal theologians who reject the doctrine of the blood call this the “Slaughterhouse Religion”!
    2. A ministry that has not the blood is no ministry at all. Do not go to hear those preachers. - Because a ministry that has no blood has no life!
    3. “The bloody sacrifice of Calvary is the only hope of sinners.” (Spurgeon)
  8. It is not the Christ the Example; nor Christ the Teacher who saves us; but Christ the Lamb of God, crucified for the sins of the world, who saves us!
  9. Here is Gods gift of life!
    1. God’s basic gift to man is the gift of life!
    2. Gen.2:7 “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”
    3. 1 Cor.15:45 “And so it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.” (phys/sp)
    4. So, the bible reveals a deep, basic reverence for life.
    5. Even down to an animals carcass: Whether for 1] Food. or 2] As a means for receiving forgiveness at the alter.
    6. “But man is to respect the blood that is in the animal’s carcass, for it is the very vehicle of the life that has to be poured out.” (William Barclay)
4. (13a) The Jews were not to bring sacrifices of game, because this cost them nothing!
  1. 1 Sam.24:24 “Then the king said to Araunah, "No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God with that which costs me nothing.”
5. (13b) The blood had to be drained but then covered with dust(dirt) giving it a decent burial as it were.
6. (16) 1 Price(Jesus blood only) – 1 Place(only at the cross)
  1. So, how much more is God concerned with the Price & the Place in which to come to him, in the NT?
  2. To depend on any other sacrifice, at any other place is to be rejected by God!
7. Look at the contrast the NT gives to blood:
  1. Jn.6:53,54 “Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. "Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”
  2. Mt.26:27,28 “Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. "For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”
  3. We appropriate the atonement for salvation!
8. At the end of Jesus ministry he went to enter in to the garden & it says where he passed… When Jesus had spoken these words, He went out with His disciples over the Brook Kidron, where there was a garden, which He and His disciples entered.(Jn.18:1)
9. A drain ran from the temple altar down to the Kidron ravine to take away the blood of sacrifice. Since it was the Passover, more than 200,000 lambs would be slain in the next day. When Jesus and His band crossed the Kidron, it was red with the blood of the lambs prepared for sacrifice.
10. It is truly nothing else, “Nothing but the Blood of Jesus”!
  1. Q: Is there any sin His blood can’t clean?
  2. Q: How Red is your guilt? How scarlet is your stain?

return to 'Top of Page'

Verses 1-16

Intro:
1. We have our next section in Leviticus ch.’s 17-20 we have a legal code again stressing “holiness”.
  1. All along the Lord was looking for not only an obedience to the law, but for them to have a holy character! {Which are not necessarily the same thing!}
  2. These chapters deal with 4 special areas that needed to be respected & kept holy: the sanctity of Blood(life)[17]; the sanctity of Sex [18]; the sanctity of the Law[19]; the sanctity of Judgment[20]
2. Q: What about all the other religions? - What about others who are sincere to their religion?
  1. We’ll se this chapter answering this very clearly, there is only One Place & One Price!
    1. There is only 1 Price that God would except(Blood), & only 1 Place where God would accept it(the door of the tabernacle).
  2. Yes Christianity is exclusive, it divides, it is narrow, just like…the phone company!
    1. They expect me to dial an exact number to reach the person I’m calling…they’re so narrow minded! – I can’t just dial the number I want to, or I can’t be even 1 number off…they are so narrow minded!
ONE PLACE! (1-9)
1. There was only 1 Place in which all worship was to be observed.
2. Only to His Altar! (3-5, 6,8,9)
  1. Bring it to the door! (4,5,9)
    1. (i.e.) No where else was acceptable!
    2. No Jew was ever allowed a sacrifice in the fields or at his tent.
    3. There was 1 Tabernacle, 1 Alter, & 1 sanctioned Priesthood.
    4. The reason why THE PLACE mattered so much, was because Who was at the THE PLACE that mattered!…this was Holy ground!
  2. This prohibited the Jews from slaughtering their animals carelessly.
    1. Prov.12:10 “A righteous man regards the life of his animal,”
  3. He was to make each animal a peace offering.
  4. Domestic animals were costly so they didn’t eat them all the time.
  5. This teaches the need of associating sacredness w/even their common food & observing “holiness in eating.”
    1. Here the Lord dignified ordinary meals.
  6. Application: When we thank God at our meals we should not only acknowledge His goodness but also be sanctifying the meal & making eating it a spiritual experience.
    1. Q: Do you pray for your meals?
    2. Q: Do you thank Him for every meal?
    3. Q: How can you alter your prayers a little bit? (Pray afterwards also/Russia)
    4. Q: How can you sanctify your every meal?
    5. Q: Would you consider your meals a spiritual experience now?
    6. Q: How can we make it more of a spiritual experience? (ask?)
    7. Q: Is it right to ask the lord to “make nourishing to our bodies”…a coffee & donut?
    8. Q: Can we really ask the Lord to bless junk food?
3. Only to the Lord! (7)
4. (7) demons – (Heb. sa’iyr) “he-goats, hairy ones, goat-gods; it was a form of Egyptian idolatry.”
  1. It was originally used of “goats”; shaggy goats, whose appearance gave origin to the heathen idea of satyrs.
    1. Satyr(say-ter) . Greek Mythology. A woodland creature depicted as having the pointed ears, legs, and short horns of a goat and a fondness for unrestrained revelry. (Hercules’ little friend Newton/ ½ man–½ horse)
    2. So, the term most likely refers to these satyr-like demons who were believed to haunt the open fields and uninhabitable places.
  2. Jeroboam was into this (2 Chron.11:14,15) “The Levites even abandoned their pasturelands and property, and came to Judah and Jerusalem because Jeroboam and his sons had rejected them as priests of the LORD. And he appointed his own priests for the high places and for the goat(sa’iyr) and calf idols he had made.”
5. The Place is only the Cross!
  1. Col.1:19,20 “For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.”
ONE PRICE! (10-16)
1. In the old days doctors used to “take out blood” to try to make people well(bloodletting) – Today they give blood transfusions.
  1. The prohibition was more than hygienic(as modern science now proves) it was religious, suggesting the sacredness of the means of sacrifice.
2. (10) Eat blood - still today many cultures eat blood.
  1. Was still warned against in the NT instructions to the Gentiles.
3. (11) The life of the flesh is in the blood –
  1. This goes back to Gen.9:1-4 (see)
  2. The life is in the blood both physically & spiritually.
  3. Physically:
    1. What an amazing creation God has made in us! (Thanks to Chris Yelley)
    2. Approx. 5 quarts pumping through our veins; running through 100,000 miles of blood vessels, every 30 seconds(enough to travel around the earth…3/4 times); touching every cell; 1st bringing the nutrients & oxygen every cell craves for; then carrying away all waste products on it’s loop; Your heart pumping 1.5 gallons of blood every minute of your life! The brain uses your blood to continually monitor body temperature. Your blood pressure is necessary for the effective pushing of nutrients & oxygen out of the blood & into the cells.
  4. Spiritually:
    1. See below:
  5. Here is the importance of the precious blood of Christ:
    1. His blood justifies us, redeems us, washes us, sanctifies us, brings us near, & cleanses us!
    2. Justifies – Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. Rom.5:9
    3. Redeems – In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. Eph.1:7
    4. Washes – and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, Rev.1:5
    5. Sanctifies – Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate. Heb.13:12
    6. Brings us Near – But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. Eph.2:13
    7. Cleanses - “the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” 1 Jn.1:7.
      1. Jesus blood both cleanses our body of sin(as the bodies blood cleanses the body of waste) & as the blood feeds the body its essential nutrients(so Jesus, the Word of God feeds us spiritually)
  6. When a sacrifice was offered & its blood was shed, it meant the giving of a life of another. The innocent victim died in the place of the guilty sinner.
    1. The only price for sin that God will accept is blood, for the blood is the life of the creature.
    2. Of course the animals shed their blood involuntarily, but Jesus gave His life willingly for the sins of the world.
  7. The bible is a book of blood! - From Genesis to Revelation! (where God slew animals to clothe Adam & Eve to where John called him “The Lamb that was slain!”)
    1. Some liberal theologians who reject the doctrine of the blood call this the “Slaughterhouse Religion”!
    2. A ministry that has not the blood is no ministry at all. Do not go to hear those preachers. - Because a ministry that has no blood has no life!
    3. “The bloody sacrifice of Calvary is the only hope of sinners.” (Spurgeon)
  8. It is not the Christ the Example; nor Christ the Teacher who saves us; but Christ the Lamb of God, crucified for the sins of the world, who saves us!
  9. Here is Gods gift of life!
    1. God’s basic gift to man is the gift of life!
    2. Gen.2:7 “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”
    3. 1 Cor.15:45 “And so it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.” (phys/sp)
    4. So, the bible reveals a deep, basic reverence for life.
    5. Even down to an animals carcass: Whether for 1] Food. or 2] As a means for receiving forgiveness at the alter.
    6. “But man is to respect the blood that is in the animal’s carcass, for it is the very vehicle of the life that has to be poured out.” (William Barclay)
4. (13a) The Jews were not to bring sacrifices of game, because this cost them nothing!
  1. 1 Sam.24:24 “Then the king said to Araunah, "No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God with that which costs me nothing.”
5. (13b) The blood had to be drained but then covered with dust(dirt) giving it a decent burial as it were.
6. (16) 1 Price(Jesus blood only) – 1 Place(only at the cross)
  1. So, how much more is God concerned with the Price & the Place in which to come to him, in the NT?
  2. To depend on any other sacrifice, at any other place is to be rejected by God!
7. Look at the contrast the NT gives to blood:
  1. Jn.6:53,54 “Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. "Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”
  2. Mt.26:27,28 “Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. "For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”
  3. We appropriate the atonement for salvation!
8. At the end of Jesus ministry he went to enter in to the garden & it says where he passed… When Jesus had spoken these words, He went out with His disciples over the Brook Kidron, where there was a garden, which He and His disciples entered.(Jn.18:1)
9. A drain ran from the temple altar down to the Kidron ravine to take away the blood of sacrifice. Since it was the Passover, more than 200,000 lambs would be slain in the next day. When Jesus and His band crossed the Kidron, it was red with the blood of the lambs prepared for sacrifice.
10. It is truly nothing else, “Nothing but the Blood of Jesus”!
  1. Q: Is there any sin His blood can’t clean?
  2. Q: How Red is your guilt? How scarlet is your stain?

return to 'Top of Page'

LeviticusLev 16 LeviticusLev LeviticusLev 18

Copyright Statement
These files are the property of Brian Bell.
Text Courtesy of Calvary Chapel of Murrieta. Used by Permission.

Bibliographical Information
Bell, Brian. "Commentary on Leviticus 17". "Bell's Commentary". https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/cbb/leviticus-17.html. 2017.

Bible CommentariesLeviticus 17

Bell's Commentary on the BibleBell's Commentary

Verses 1-16

Verses 1-16

Bible Commentaries
Leviticus 17