The Laws of Physical Integrity for Priests and Sacrificial Animals

Chapters 21 and 22 should be read in many respects as a pair together. The laws of this chapter are frequently punctuated by references to the lord's own holiness. Priests must be holy because the lord is holy, and he has set them apart for his service. And so in addition to enjoying special privileges in participating in holy things, they have nospecial responsibility to guard the holy things. On several occasions in scripture, the lord declares judgment upon an unfaithful priesthood which has failed in this area. Hafnai and phineas were quite happy to deprive the lord of his portion of his people's sacrifices,. obstructing the people's enjoyment of fellowship with god and the