Most of the regulations we find in our passage today have been mentioned previously but here they have all been compressed together into one section. The Lord reminds the people what types of sacrifices will be considered unacceptable to Him.
"The Lord said to Moses, 'Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites and say to them: 'If any of you---whether an Israelite or a foreigner residing in Israel---presents a gift for a burnt offering to the Lord, either to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering, you must present a male without defect from the cattle, sheep or goats in order that it may be accepted on your behalf.'" (Leviticus 22:17-19) I assume the "foreigner residing in Israel" is a person of another nation or tribe who has converted to the God of Israel. Someone who still clings to a pagan religion would not need to be given instructions for bringing offerings to the one true God.
Only the best is to be brought to the Lord to fulfill a vow or make a freewill offering. For example, a man who raises cattle might be tempted to offer to the Lord a bull that isn't of much use to him. That way the farmer wouldn't be diminishing the value of his herd. But a person who does this is disrespecting the Lord by bringing Him something that isn't a sacrifice. So the people are forbidden to bring an animal that has any sort of disability or illness. "Do not bring anything with a defect, because it will not be accepted on your behalf. When anyone brings from the herd or flock a fellowship offering to the Lord to fulfill a special vow or as a freewill offering, it must be without defect or blemish to be acceptable. Do not offer to the Lord the blind, the injured or the maimed, or anything with warts or festering or running sores. Do not place any of these on the altar as a food offering presented to the Lord." (Leviticus 22:21-22)
An exception to the rule above is that an ox or sheep whose growth is stunted or who has a bit of a deformity that's not a disability can be presented as a freewill offering but not as fulfillment of a vow. "You may, however, present as a freewill offering an ox or a sheep that is deformed or stunted, but it will not be accepted in fulfillment of a vow." (Leviticus 22:23) A freewill offering is one that a person voluntarily decides to bring for various reasons. With the exception of when a person brings a freewill offering to the Lord when they have fulfilled a vow to the Lord, an ox or sheep with dwarfism can be accepted. An ox or sheep whose proportions aren't symmetrical can be accepted as well, such as having one leg shorter than the others or one eye or ear smaller than the other.
Animals that have been purposely neutered or accidentally injured in the genitals are not acceptable. "You must not offer to the Lord an animal whose testicles are bruised, crushed, torn or cut. You must not do this in your own land, and you must not accept such animals from the hand of a foreigner and offer them as the food of your God. They will not be accepted on your behalf, because they are deformed and have defects." (Leviticus 22:24-25) I am not sure of the reason for this particular prohibition except that such an animal is not in its original condition.
"The Lord said to Moses, 'When a calf, a lamb or a goat is born, it is to remain with its mother seven days. From the eighth day on, it will be accepted as a food offering presented to the Lord. Do not slaughter a cow or a sheep and its young on the same day." (Leviticus 22:26-28) It is believed that any animal presented for sacrifice is required to have lived through at least one Sabbath as a method of sanctifying it. Therefore it must be at least eight days old. The killing of a young animal and its parent on the same day is thought to be a prohibition against the cruelty of a mother watching her offspring die or the offspring watching its mother die.
"When you sacrifice a thank offering to the Lord, sacrifice it in such a way that it will be accepted on your behalf. It must be eaten that same day; leave none of it til morning. I am the Lord." (Leviticus 22:29-20) When we studied the types of offerings earlier in the Old Testament, we learned that there were rules for how long food could be kept after it was offered. In some cases it had to be eaten the same day, in other cases it could be eaten for two days, and in other cases it could be eaten for three days. Anything left over past the prescribed amount of days had to be burned.
"Keep My commands and follow them. I am the Lord. Do not profane My holy name, for I must be acknowledged as holy by the Israelites. I am the Lord, who made you holy and who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the Lord." (Leviticus 22:31-33) We can profane the Lord in other ways than blaspheming against Him with words. Our actions often speak louder than words ever can, so it's important that we honor the Lord in every way: by word and thought and deed. In verse 32 we find the Lord stating that He must be "acknowledged as holy by the Israelites". If the Israelites don't live in a way that honors the Lord who calls them His own, how will people of other cultures be drawn to the faith? If God's own people don't respect Him, how can they expect anyone else to respect Him? The same can be said for those of us who are Christians. If we don't honor our Savior, whom we represent in this dark and fallen world, how can we expect others to honor Him? If we who are Christians don't lift up Christ in every way possible, we can hardly expect anyone to take us seriously when we profess to belong to Him. And that means people won't come to the precious Redeemer---who loves them more than He loved His own life---for salvation.
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