The priests must be clean and regarded as holy, because God is holy (8). They must not make themselves unclean by touching any dead body except their parents and siblings. God gave this law because Death is the consequence of sin (1-4). They must not shave their heads or the edges of a beard or cut their bodies as expressions of mourning like Gentiles (5-6). They must not marry women defiled by prostitution or divorced (7-8). If a priest's daughter commits sexual immorality, she must be burned in the fire (9). We must be clean and holy as holy priesthood (1Pe 2:5).

The high priest must be clean as well. He must not make himself unclean by touching any dead body, even his parents, and he must not leave the sanctuary of his God for mourning because he has been dedicated by the anointing oil of his God (10~12). Also, he must marry only a virgin from his own people so that he will not defile his offspring. God makes him holy (15).

A priest who has any defect must not be a priest (16~21). But he may eat the most holy food of his God as well as the holy food (22). God is holy and God makes priests holy as they obey him. Holiness comes through God's words rather than human standards or human culture.


Application: Father, help our spiritual leaders by Jesus' grace and Holy Spirit to follow God's decrees.
One Word: Priests must follow God's rules