Leviticus 22: Holy Food

"Tell Aaron and his sons to deal respectfully with the holy offerings of the Israelites that they have consecrated to Me, so they do not profane My holy name; I am the Lord."

Leviticus 22:2

In this chapter, the Lord prohibits priests from eating offered sacrificial food if they are unclean for any reason.  If a priest has any uncleanliness in body or spirit, he is not allowed to even touch this holy food.  Nor are non-priests allowed to eat from the altar.

When we, as Christians, meet at the table for Communion, we have somewhat similar requirements.  It is standard practice for us to make spiritual amends with both God and our fellow men before partaking of this meal.  We also generally say that non-Christians are not allowed to share the body and blood with us.  These restrictions are based on biblical passages, and make a lot more sense when compared with Leviticus 22.

As Christians, we have become priests in the temple which is our body.  We offer Jesus as a sacrifice for ourselves and for the sins of all the world.  As priests, we are allowed to eat from the altar, as long as we have made ourselves clean.  We've tossed aside the laws concerning cleanliness of certain foods - because of the blanket laid down before Peter - so the only cleanliness we concern ourselves with here is the spiritual need for repentance and connection to God.

Question of the Day:

Do you keep yourself spiritually clean, so that you may partake of the ritual of sacrificing Jesus on the altar of your heart, and eating His body and blood for sustenance?

Prayer of the Day:

Forgive me for I have sinned.  I am not worthy to touch Your offering.  Wash me clean with Your Spirit so that I may come to the table and share Communion with my Lord.  Amen.