“You shall not offer anything that has a blemish, for it will not be acceptable for you.”
-Leviticus 22:20
We’ve seen this already in Leviticus the necessity of bringing and offering that did not have a blemish, that was the best, that was pure and holy. And there were various reasons behind that. What I am drawn to in this particular verse though, is not just that the offering shall not have a blemish, but the word God uses after that when he says, “It will not be acceptable for you.”
And basically, Leviticus 22:20 is emphasizing something that we see all throughout Leviticus, but is worth mentioning at this point. God is prescribing what is acceptable before Him, all throughout this book. What’s acceptable, and God defines, God determines what’s an acceptable offering, and what’s not an acceptable offering.
God defines what is and what is not acceptable. May we hear God’s Word and obey it.
Leviticus 22:20 Reminds Us of Our Responsibility
Men doesn’t determine that, you and I, men and women do not determine what is an acceptable offering before God. God determines that, that’s why He’s given us this whole book of Leviticus, really in a sense, that’s why He’s given us the whole bible. Because we don’t come up with what we think is acceptable, pleasing, honoring to God. That’s not our job. God has shown us, He’s give us in His word that which is acceptable, that which is pleasing and honoring to him. And it’s our responsibility to do that which He has said.
That what He has defined. That what He has determined is acceptable. This is why we must be in the word, daily. Why we must in Psalm 1 kind of sense meditate on His word day and night in a Deuteronomy four, and five, and six kind of sense, where you put His word everywhere. Talk about it all the time, because God has told us how we are to live, God has told us how we are to worship Him, God has told us how we to interact with each other in marriage, and family, and the community around us. God has told us how to operate as a church, like He’s not been silent to all these things.
Focusing on What God Finds Acceptable
We don’t come up with ideas and plans for any of these things on our own, we don’t say, “Here’s what I think is best for family,” and do that and think that’s gonna honor God. We don’t say, “Here’s the best way I think we should do church. So let’s do that,” and think that’s gonna honor God. No, God has said, “Here’s my design for marriage, here’s my design for family, here’s my design for the church, here’s my design for this, and that,” and all kinds of facets in our lives. He determines these things, not us, which means our responsibility is to hear from Him, and to do that which he has defined as acceptable.
To do that which He has defined as good. So see that which is acceptable is good. Good for us, and glorifying to Him. So, this is a humbling reality. You and I don’t come up with the game plan in our lives, in our families and church. We don’t come up with the game plan at all. We already have the game plan in God’s word. It’s our responsibility to hear it, and obey it. According to that which God defines as acceptable.
A Prayer Based on Leviticus 22:20
“So help us, we pray our God. We pray that you would deliver us from our pride. From thinking that we define what’s good. That we define what’s right, that we define what’s best. This is really at the core of all of our sin in our lives. The rebellion of our hearts is our efforts to say, no, we think this way is better. We think doing this is good for us, and we fail to submit to what You define as acceptable. To what You define as good for us, and pleasing, and glorifying to You.
So we humble ourselves before You now oh God, and Your word we pray. Make us a people of Your word. I pray this for everybody who’s listening to this right now God. Make us people who listen to Your word, and we hear it. Who abide in Your word and in John 15 got away. Who meditate on Your word, day and night, Psalm one.
God, Help Us to Obey
So that we know what You have said is acceptable, and right, and good for us. God, why would we not be in your word, why would we not wanna know that which is good for us, and glorifying to You. So help us, help us to hear and obey. Help us to do it God, please, please, please. Overcome our sinful rebellion by Your grace. Help us to turn from ourselves, save us from our pride and ourselves on a moment by moment, day by day basis, from doing things our way instead of Your way. God help us not to come with our own plans, and in thinking doing that we will glorify You.
God help us to align with Your plans, Your truth, Your word, and know that in doing those things, we will glorify You. We want our lives to be acceptable before You, pleasing before You, because we know that will be really good for us. So, we humble ourselves before You. Today we pray, You’d help us to live in a way You have defined as good and acceptable before You. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
