Leviticus 22:21, commentary and pictures

Whosoever brought a peace offering to fulfill a vow or a freewill offering of cattle or sheep had to bring an animal that was perfect and without any blemish in order for it to be accepted. Each animal was examined with close scrutiny, and even the smallest defect, impurity or taint of disease caused its rejection, for the maimed, halt and blind were forbidden on the altar and only what was sound, whole, clean, valuable and the best of its kind was fit, pointing to Christ. This requires His followers to give God their most precious gifts and wholehearted service, offering freely and gratefully out of all He has bestowed, not a lame, grudging or stinted gift. The same standard calls for the whole person to be presented as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to Him, by preserving every physical and mental power in the best condition and bringing appetite and habits of eating, drinking and dressing into harmony with health. A diseased and decaying body corrupted by indulgence and hurtful lust is offensive to a pure and holy God and cannot be sanctified, for the body is His temple and must be kept free from sin and pollution, consecrated to holiness and cared for in the best health for His service.

The Unblemished Sacrifice

The rule applies to a peace offering brought to accomplish a vow, and equally to a freewill offering in beeves or sheep, which must be perfect in order to be accepted, with no blemish therein. It belongs with the requirement in Leviticus 22:19-22 that peace and freewill offerings be unblemished, sound, whole and valuable, and that defective or diseased animals are not fit offerings. Whether given to fulfill a vow or given freely, the offering had to be without blemish and of the best quality to be accepted.

Every offering was examined with careful scrutiny to see if any blemish was upon it or if it was tainted with disease. Even the least defect, impurity, or taint of disease was sufficient reason for the priests to reject it. The maimed, the halt, and the blind were forbidden to be laid on the altar, for only a sound, whole, and valuable animal was fit. An animal offered to God had to be free from disease or blemish, and if examined and found to have any defect it was to be refused.

The offering was not to be a stinted portion but the best of its kind from the flock or field, clean and valuable rather than poor or grudging. It must be sound and valuable, whole and without blemish. Those clean, valuable animals symbolized Christ.

Giving God Our Best

The demand for a perfect, unblemished animal teaches that the followers of Christ are to give God their most precious gifts and wholehearted service, withholding nothing bestowed on them that can honor Him. A freewill offering was to be given freely and wholeheartedly as an expression of gratitude, not as a lame, grudging, or stinted gift, but as the best of the flock or field rather than a stinted portion. The same standard applies to preparing a place of worship, for God's people are to share together in providing a suitable house for Him. They are to offer their best rather than giving as little as possible or treating the cost as wasted, bringing to His house the same wisdom and effort they use for their own homes, as an expression of gratitude and not a lame or grudging gift.

Withholding a suitable share brings loss of God's blessing, including curses upon harvests and flocks and affliction in families. By contrast the offering freely given is connected with His blessing upon families and possessions. God is no better pleased with the poorest offerings today, and He does not accept half-hearted, selfish work at all. He claims every power He has lent for active exercise that it may receive strength and culture, and He requires the best.

To offer weak and feeble intellect, ill-trained movements, and faculties clogged and weakened by disuse so as to be unable to do good service cannot please Him. Those connected with His work to benefit humanity must honor Him with the best they are capable of doing, as well-trained, picked workers judiciously exercising every faculty. They are to rejoice in the vigorous use of all powers and constantly seek perfection in the most perfect service.

The Body as Living Sacrifice

Just as the peace offering to fulfill a vow or the freewill offering in beeves or sheep had to be perfect and without blemish to be accepted, so the whole person is to be offered to God as a living sacrifice that is holy and acceptable to Him. The ancient rule required the animal to be sound, whole, valuable and without defect, with even the least blemish, impurity or taint of disease sufficient cause for the priests to reject it after careful scrutiny. What was presented had to be fit and worthy, free from sin and pollution and consecrated to holiness.

Like the unblemished animal, every power is to be preserved in the best possible condition for His service, since practices that weaken physical or mental strength make a person less fit to serve the Creator. Appetite and habits of life must therefore be brought into conformity with natural law, for physical habits that damage health weaken the faculties offered in God's service. Eating, drinking and dressing are to preserve physical, mental and moral health rather than corrupt the body offered in His service.

A diseased, decaying offering defiled by indulgence of appetite and hurtful lust is not fitting, but is offensive to a pure and holy God. A body filled with disease and corruption cannot be acceptable, and indulgence that defiles it makes sanctification of body and spirit impossible. The body is God's temple and must be cared for and kept in the best condition of health so that it can serve God and fulfill its duties.