Read Leviticus 21
Background: Having discussed the way of holiness for His people, God turns to a fuller description of the standards required for the priests. We have already seen that the priests were not sinlessly perfect, as they had to offer sacrifices for themselves before they could offer them for the people. We have also seen that they were capable of messing worship up, either by not doing what God had instructed or doing things He had not told them to do. In this chapter we find the higher standard they were to live by as servants in God's Tabernacle. First, they had standards to meet before they could become a priest. It was not just because they were descendants of Aaron. They had more limitations as to who they could marry. They also had higher standards when it came to touching the bodies of the deceased, how they dressed, and even how they cut their hair. Even higher standards were in place for the High Priest in each of these areas. He was not even free to go wherever he wanted to go. There was one reason:
Key Verse: 8 You shall sanctify him, for he offers the bread of your God. He shall be holy to you, for I, the Lord, who sanctify you, am holy.
God's people were to "sanctify Him," hold him to a higher standard because of what he did. The priest still was not perfect or even "a better person." He was in God's house as God's representative, entrusted with the call to keep His house holy.
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