Leviticus 22:10-16

Leviticus 22:10-16

[10] There shall no stranger  eat  of the holy thing:  a sojourner  of the priest,  or an hired servant,  shall not eat  of the holy thing.  [11] But if the priest  buy  any soul  with  his money,  he shall eat  of it, and he that is born  in his house:  they shall eat  of his meat.  [12] If the priest's  daughter  also be married unto a stranger,  she may not eat  of an offering  of the holy things.  [13] But if the priest's  daughter  be a widow,  or divorced,  and have no child,  and is returned  unto her father's  house,  as in her youth,  she shall eat  of her father's  meat:  but there shall no stranger  eat  thereof. [14] And if a man  eat  of the holy thing  unwittingly,  then he shall put  the fifth  part thereof unto it, and shall give  it unto the priest  with the holy thing.  [15] And they shall not profane  the holy things  of the children  of Israel,  which they offer  unto the LORD;  [16] Or suffer them to bear  the iniquity  of trespass,  when they eat  their holy things:  for I the LORD  do sanctify  them.

What does Leviticus 22:10-16 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

Another list of seven laws guarded the offerings. No non-priest could eat the sacrifices the priests ate except those who had become members of a priest"s household. The principle appears at the beginning and at the end of the list ( Leviticus 22:10; Leviticus 22:13 b) with a brief statement regarding restitution for accidentally eating an offering following ( Leviticus 22:14-16). All these regulations guarded the holiness of God by treating the people and things most closely associated with Him as special.
"Those whom God has called to be spiritual leaders must reflect the holiness of the LORD in all they do and exemplify the faith in the eyes of the congregation." [1]