Leviticus 22:10-16 – Don’t overlook detail in honouring God

Leviticus 22:10-16 give one final instruction to the priest concerning holy living. In these verses, God gave instructions on who in the priest’s family could eat of the portion of food reserved for the priest. Since the food was consecrated and given to sustain the priest and his family members, this must be observed.  

Who in the priest's family may eat of the food? God began in verse 10 by saying that no layman or a hired hand or anyone lodging with the priest could partake of the portion of food reserved for the priest.  But anyone belonging to the priest, even a slave he had bought, members born in his household and divorced or widowed daughter without a child could eat of the food apportioned to the priest. But a daughter of his who was married to a layman could not eat of it. Verses 14-15 give details about what to do when one partook of the food reserved for the priest unintentionally. He had to repay to the priest the portion of food he had eaten plus a fifth more. No one should take what had been set apart for the priest.  

Why did God even care to give instructions for such seemingly insignificant matters? As far as living for the Lord and seeking to live a life that will wholly honor Him, nothing is insignificant. What these verses show us is that we have a God who cares about little details. There can be a tendency in our relationship with God to disregard some sin as inconsequential. We need to know that there should never be sins that we regard as small or negligible. Any sin no matter how minor or trivial they may seem in our eyes is repulsive to the Lord. A passage like this reminds us to be circumspect and to live our life not overlooking little details that may disrupt our fellowship with Him. Let’s be mindful that big door swings on small hinges so that we will be careful not to offend God in what is seemingly a petty matter.