Daily Devotion | Leviticus 21 | 2026 March 11

Title: Daily Devotion | Leviticus 21 | 2026 March 11

Scripture: Leviticus 21 (ESV, reference only)

Date: 2026 March 11

Speaker: Rev. John Chen

Transcribed, translated & edited by: Joseph Wang (Yufan)

Alright, dear brothers and sisters, peace to you. We thank God for His grace that brings us into a new day to study the Daily Devotion together. The passage we study today is Leviticus chapter 21. Let us pray.

Lord, we thank You that You have placed such holy statutes into our lives. Through them You show us how unclean we are and how unworthy we are. We ourselves are not perfect, but Lord, we ask that You would grant us a heart that longs for completeness, so that we may strive with all our strength to pursue the holiness that comes from You. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Now let us look at Leviticus chapter 21. This chapter speaks about the holiness of the priests. Within the people of Israel, God first set apart the whole nation to be holy. Then within Israel, He set apart a group—the tribe of Levi. And within the tribe of Levi, some were chosen to serve as priests of God.

So there is a kind of hierarchy of holiness: Israel, then the Levites, and then the priestly class. Because of this, the priests were required to keep even stricter laws of purity than the rest of the Israelites. Let us look at these one by one.

First, concerning the sons of Aaron who serve as priests. The Scripture says that a priest shall not make himself unclean for the dead among his people. In other words, priests were not to come into contact with matters related to the dead. The priest had regulations—he could not touch these unclean things.

However, there were exceptions. If the dead person was a close blood relative—such as father, mother, son, daughter, brother, or an unmarried sister—then he could make himself unclean for them. That means that generally speaking, a priest could not attend funeral ceremonies. But for close relatives—parents, children, brothers, and an unmarried sister—he could participate.

But if that sister had already been married, then he did not need to attend. So the first instruction here concerns funerals. Priests could not defile themselves because death, in God's sight, is unclean. Death is regarded by God as something impure, and therefore the priest must not be defiled by it.

If you look at this and then compare it with some Chinese religious traditions, you can see a very strong contrast. For example, Buddhist monks or Daoist priests often make a living by dealing with the dead—performing rituals for the dead, conducting ceremonies for funerals, and so on. They often earn their livelihood from matters connected with the dead.

When you compare that with the Bible, you can see the difference between true religion and false religion. True religion avoids being defiled by death, while false religion often profits from it. That is the first category of instruction—regulations concerning the dead.

The second instruction is that the priest must not become defiled by worldly practices. In other words, he must not contaminate himself with unclean things or worldly customs. There are certain things in ordinary Israelite society that might not necessarily be considered unclean in themselves, but the priest must still avoid them because they belong to worldly ways.

Then there is another instruction: they must not shave their heads bald around the edges, nor cut the corners of their beards, nor make cuts on their bodies. These things were likely associated with pagan customs.

For example, they were not allowed to shave their heads completely bald. When we Chinese people hear that, we might immediately think of Buddhist monks who shave their heads entirely. But here the instruction is that the priest must preserve the integrity of the hair and must not make cuts on the body with knives. Such practices were associated with pagan worship, and they must avoid them.

The reason is given in verse 6: they shall be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God. Because they present the offerings of the Lord, the food of their God, they must therefore be holy.

So this section gives three requirements for priests: first, they must not be defiled by the dead; second, they must not follow worldly customs; third, they must not cut their bodies. The reason is that they are the ones who present the offerings, the food of God. Because of this role, they must not become defiled.

Then verse 7 moves to another instruction—concerning the holiness of marriage. A priest must not marry a woman who has been defiled, nor a prostitute, nor a divorced woman. His marriage partner must also be holy, because he himself is holy to God.

Then verse 8 repeats again that he offers the food of God, and therefore he must be regarded as holy. For the Lord who sanctifies them is holy. So again the holiness of marriage is emphasized.

This is the second section. Then the third section speaks about discipline within the priest’s household. There were special rules for the family of a priest. If the daughter of a priest profaned herself by prostitution, she profaned her father, and she was to be burned with fire.

When we compare this with earlier laws given for ordinary Israelites, the punishment seems much stricter. The daughter of a priest was held to a higher standard. If she committed sexual immorality, she brought shame upon herself and upon her father.

Because as the daughter of a priest, she was taught the law of God every day. If after all that teaching she still violated the law in this way, then the punishment was severe—burning with fire.

Here you can see that the degree of holiness required keeps increasing. The higher the level of holiness and the greater the grace given by God, the greater the responsibility—and therefore the heavier the punishment when one sins. This principle runs throughout the book of Leviticus.

Then from verse 10 to verse 15, the text speaks about the high priest. Remember the hierarchy we mentioned earlier: Israelites, Levites, priests—and then the high priest. The requirements for the high priest are even stricter.

The high priest is the one upon whose head the anointing oil has been poured, who has been consecrated to serve, and who wears the holy garments. He must not let his hair hang loose, and he must not tear his clothes.

And here is another important rule: he must not approach any dead body. He must not even defile himself for his father or his mother.

Earlier we said that an ordinary priest could attend the funeral of close relatives—parents, children, brothers, or an unmarried sister. But the high priest is different. Because of the office he holds, he may not go near a dead body at all—not even for the funeral of his parents.

So here again we see that death, in God's eyes, is something unclean. Death is defiling. God is the living God. God is the holy God. Therefore those who serve the living and holy God must not associate themselves with death.

When you read Leviticus carefully, you will gradually notice that anything connected with death—dead bodies, carcasses, animals that have died—must be kept separate. Anything that bears the mark of death is something God commands His people to avoid.

This reveals something about God's character. God hates death. He does not delight in it. When we go back to Genesis, we see what God's original intention was. God's intention was that human beings would live holy lives and possess eternal life.

Death is hated by God because death is connected with sin. Death was never normal. Death is the curse of God upon sin. That is something we must understand clearly.

So in daily life we must be very careful not to become involved with things related to death—such as fortune-telling, spirit-medium practices, or contacting the dead. These things are connected with death, and we must never touch them. God hates such things.

The high priest also must not leave the sanctuary during his time of service, and his marriage also had special requirements. He could marry only a virgin from among his own people. A widow, a divorced woman, or a woman who had been defiled—none of these could become his wife.

Then there is another statement that says he must not profane his offspring among his people. What exactly does that mean? Does it mean he must not shame his children or treat them harshly? The text is not completely clear.

But if we compare it with verse 9, which speaks about sexual immorality bringing shame upon oneself and one's parents, then it may also mean that the high priest himself must not commit sexual immorality, because that would bring shame upon himself and upon his children.

Then beginning in verse 16, the Lord tells Moses to speak to Aaron about who may come near to offer the food of God. Anyone with a physical defect could not serve at the altar—someone who was blind, lame, disfigured, with limbs too long, with a broken hand or foot, a hunchback, a dwarf, someone with eye disease, skin disease, or damaged reproductive organs.

These people were not allowed to approach the altar to offer sacrifices.

But verse 22 shows God's mercy. Such a person could still eat the food of God, whether it was most holy or holy food. In other words, those priests who had defects could still partake of the offerings, but they were not allowed to offer sacrifices at the altar.

The reason given is that a defect would profane the sanctuary. The Lord says, “I am the one who sanctifies them.”

Some people may feel uncomfortable when reading this passage. It might seem as if God is discriminating against people with disabilities. After all, Christianity teaches love for those who are weak or disabled.

But we must understand that this is speaking about a specific historical situation—the time of Moses and the regulations for serving in the sanctuary. The rule had to be followed literally for those who served at the altar.

At the same time, this does not mean that God despised or rejected those with disabilities. We know from history that some societies—like the Spartans—would abandon disabled infants and let them die. That is completely evil.

Here in Leviticus, however, those priests with defects could still eat the holy food. They were not rejected by God. They simply could not perform the sacrificial service.

What this passage mainly expresses is that God uses outward completeness to symbolize His will. The priest who offers sacrifices must represent completeness and wholeness.

If we miss that point, we will misunderstand Leviticus chapter 21. The issue is not mainly that a defective animal or person has less value. The deeper meaning is that God desires completeness.

The first half of chapter 21 speaks about the holiness of the priests—their separation from death, their holiness in marriage, their purity in life. All of these point to the idea of purity and completeness. That was God's intention for Israel.

Finally, verse 24 says that Moses spoke these instructions to Aaron, to Aaron's sons, and to all the people of Israel. Everything was made clear: priests have special laws, and they have special standards of conduct.

Now when we read Leviticus chapter 21 today, what does it mean for us? What relationship does it have with us?

Actually, it has a great deal to do with us. First of all, we ourselves are priests. The New Testament tells us that we are a kingdom of priests, a holy nation, God's own people.

As 1 Peter 2:9 says: “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

So we are priests. And in Peter’s teaching, this is actually even more serious and even more weighty, because we are not merely priests. We are priests with royal dignity. A royal priesthood means a priesthood that also carries a kingly office. So we have the office of priest, and we also have a kingly office.

At the same time, we also have a prophetic office, because the text says that you are to proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. So there is also a prophetic function in us. This is what Peter teaches us.

Now today we are not expounding 1 Peter. We are looking at Leviticus. So this passage is meaningful for us. As God's children, we must keep the holiness of marriage, and we must keep holiness in life. We must not be defiled by the dead. We must not be defiled by uncleanness. Our marriage must remain holy. And what is the purpose? Because the One whom we worship is the one true God.

Of course, when we face such regulations, the first thing we feel is the knowledge of sin, because we often fail to do these things. Our lives are filled with all kinds of weakness, and we have no way in ourselves to follow perfectly.

But Jesus Christ, that true High Priest, fulfilled the requirement of Leviticus chapter 21. He is the only One without defect. He is the only One who was never defiled by death. He is the only One who accomplished all these things as the Mediator.

That is what Leviticus chapter 21 ultimately points to—to Jesus Christ. Because in the face of such severe law, we must admit that we stand condemned, and we know that we have sinned. Therefore, we must cling tightly to Christ. In Christ Jesus, we thank Him that He accomplished for us the work that the priest ought to have accomplished.

We are priests, but we cannot do it. The Great High Priest has done it. We thank the Lord. We thank God that He has done it for us. We thank Jesus that He shed His precious blood for us and was nailed to the cross for us.

This is the first response Leviticus chapter 21 gives us: thanks be to the Lord, because He has at last had mercy on us.

But Leviticus chapter 21 also tells us that after we have received the mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ and after we have trusted in Him, we must respond to such faith with our conduct. That is, we must pursue completeness in life.

I think the meaning of chapter 21 is very clear here. We must not play tricks. We must not say, “Anyway, I cannot do it, but Jesus did it. I cannot do it, but Jesus did it.” There is still one more sentence that must be said after that: you must strive to do it. You must labor hard so that your life may become complete. This is something we are called to do.

And our completeness does not lie in our appearance, and it does not lie in whether our body has physical disability. It means that our life must not have disability.

How should we understand that? A life with disability means this: when we hear the word of God, yet we refuse to do it—is that not paralysis? We are like the lame. If we refuse to listen to God's word and treat it as though it were nothing, are we not deaf? If we refuse to look at God's word and refuse to see God's works, are we not blind?

Are these not disabilities? These are exactly the places where we need to repent. And then there is the hunchback—the one who cannot walk quickly. There is the lame person, the one too lazy to walk. There is the disfigured nose, and then we are also unable to smell the fragrance of Jesus Christ.

There are those with skin diseases and sores. Our bodies are covered with all kinds of defilement, all kinds of uncleanness. These are the things for which we must come before God and repent. Then there is the one with damaged reproductive organs—that is, we have no ability to evangelize, no power to bring the gospel to others. These also are manifestations of bodily defect.

So what are we to do with these conditions? We must be healed in Jesus Christ. Does not the New Testament say this? Jesus came so that the lame might walk, the blind might see, and the deaf might hear.

And what does that mean? Does it not precisely refer to us—the ones who are lame regarding the true way of God, the ones who are blind, the ones who are barren, the ones who cannot smell the fragrance of Christ, the ones whose hands and feet are weak—so that we may receive new life?

So when you understand Jesus' miracles from this angle, it becomes clear. You will say, “Oh, what did Jesus come to do?” Jesus came to make His people complete. Are you disabled? Does disability mean that you cannot offer sacrifice? Very well, then I will heal your disability. Then you must rise and walk. You must rise and smell the fragrance of Jesus Christ. You must rise and look upon the word of God.

So from this perspective we can understand the purpose of the miracles the Lord Jesus performed: it was so that those priests who were spiritually lame and spiritually blind might be enabled to serve the altar of God well.

Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have this duty and this responsibility. We cannot be lazy. We cannot play tricks. We cannot evade our moral responsibility. We cannot refuse to use our will to carry out the instruction that has now been given to us.

Sometimes people think that if you use your will, then perhaps you are acting in the flesh, perhaps you are using the old self. That idea is mistaken. Obeying the law also requires the use of the will. Every day we need it. Even your listening to the Daily Devotion each day and then writing your response to it—this also requires willpower. Every act of service you do requires willpower. So do not be lazy. Be courageous and press forward.

In Leviticus chapter 21, through the holiness of Jesus Christ, God calls us and stirs us up to do what? To live a holy life. To live a complete life.

That is why Leviticus is very important for us. Here, through these outwardly severe regulations, God tells us what His requirement for us really is. We must not say, “Since Jesus Christ has done it, then fine, I will just take it slowly.”

No. We must run with all our strength every single day. Every day we must seek growth in life. Every day our spiritual life must be changed. Every day we must make progress. If we live one day, then we must make progress for one day. On whatever day you do not make progress, on that day you fall short of the glory of God.

This is the kind of mindset with which we run this heavenly race. It is not that we say, “It doesn't matter. After all, there is Sunday worship every week. If I miss this week, then I miss it. I will go have fun first,” or, “I will go work overtime first, and then I will come later.” It cannot be like that.

Every day there must be pursuit, because the standard of completeness is so strict. Look at the regulations for the priests: this cannot be done, that cannot be done. What is God telling you through all this? He is telling you to reject death, to reject worldliness, and to draw near to eternal life.

Our longing for eternal life must be something we practice every single day. And whether or not there is such a longing for eternal life within us reveals the degree to which the new life in us is active. The less active the new life is within us, the less we long for eternal life.

Has Scripture been written? “Oh, I have heard it, and that is enough.” No. Every sermon, every Daily Devotion, should become an encouragement in your life, something that stirs up the fire within you.

A person who longs for eternal life will surely expect every day to cast off uncleanness with all his strength. He will hope with all his might to cast off filth and impurity. No one likes to stay in a toilet. No one likes to stay in filth. We say, “I want holiness.” This is the kind of heart we should have.

You see that many of our brothers and sisters like cleanliness very much. When they see something dirty, they want to sweep it, they want to mop it. This is right, is it not? Should that not be the normal response of a normal person?

Then let me ask: when we face the dirt and filth of our own spiritual life, should we not also have this same heart that loves cleanliness, just as when we see a dirty floor or a dirty house?

May God have mercy on us and lead us, so that in this life we may live a clean life, making progress day by day. Our sharing today is simply this much. Thank you, everyone.