Thursday, February 19, 2009

Welcome To Partake

Leviticus 21:22 KJV
He shall eat the bread of his God, both of the most holy, and of the holy.
The text of Leviticus 21:16-24 could be taken as offensive to some people. God draws a line and demands that those who serve in His ministry have no blemishes. Very few of these blemishes are things that are the fault of the individual. He can't help that he is blind or lame or has a flat nose. Still God says he cannot offer the offerings of the Lord. He has a blemish and God is unyielding concerning this. He may not serve.

However, God does make this provision; he is still welcome to "eat the bread of his God, both of the most holy and of the holy." He is disqualified from public service, but he is not shunned from partaking of the very best of the things of the Lord.

The New Testament counterpart is 1 Timothy 3:1-7.
God places some expectations upon those who would serve as bishops (pastors) in His churches (and expectations upon those who would be deacons in those same churches. Those expectations seem rigid in our modern day and many churches are beginning to relax their standards for ministers and servants in their churches. It is a mistake. God has not given us the right to reduce His expectations and those who ignore or otherwise excuse themselves from compliance to them are contributing to the Laodicean doctrine of the last days and should be labeled as heretics (practicing doctrine that is repugnant to the faith.)

But those who are so disqualified should not feel either offended or left out. God has not excluded them from His family nor has He driven them from His table.
They are as blessed as anyone might be.
They are merely disqualified from the public service. And
They would bring glory to the Lord rather than reproach if they would humble themselves and submit to His place and rejoice in partaking of most holy things!

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