Leviticus 22 covers the rules for priests who handle the holy things, the qualities required of animals offered to God, and the instruction to keep God’s commandments with care. These questions are written for a small group, a Sunday class, or personal study. Each question names specific verses so you can read the text together before discussing it.
Leviticus 22 at a Glance
The chapter opens with a warning to Aaron and his sons about approaching the holy gifts while unclean, and it explains when a priest may eat from the offerings. It then widens to the wider community, which must bring animals without defect when they come to worship. The chapter closes with the timing for offerings of thanksgiving and a final call to keep God’s commandments because he is the one who makes his people holy.
Read the chapter in two movements: first the priestly boundaries in verses 1 to 16, then the standards for every offering in verses 17 to 33. Seeing this shape helps the group notice how the rules move from the few who serve at the altar to everyone who brings a gift.
Observation Questions
Start here so the group stays close to the words on the page before anyone offers an interpretation. Read each question aloud, let the group look at the passage, and ask someone to point to the verse that answers it.
Q: In verses 2 and 3, what danger does the Lord name for priests who approach the holy things while unclean?
2 “Tell Aaron and his sons to separate themselves from the holy things of the children of Israel, which they make holy to me, and that they not profane my holy name. I am the LORD. 3 “Tell them, ‘If anyone of all your offspring throughout your generations approaches the holy things, which the children of Israel make holy to the LORD, having his uncleanness on him, that soul shall be cut off from before me. I am the LORD.
Leviticus 22:2-3 (WEB)
The text says that the person who approaches the holy things in a state of uncleanness will be cut off from the Lord’s presence. Ask the group to notice the repeated phrase “I am the LORD,” which ties the warning to God’s own authority. The answer is plain, and it gives the discussion a clear starting point before moving to why such strict limits existed.
Q: According to verses 4 to 7, what must happen before a priest who was unclean may eat from the holy portion?
4 “‘Whoever of the offspring of Aaron is a leper or has an issue; he shall not eat of the holy things, until he is clean. Whoever touches anything that is unclean by the dead, or a man whose offspring goes from him; 5 or whoever touches any creeping thing, whereby he may be made unclean, or a man of whom he may take uncleanness, whatever uncleanness he has; 6 the person that touches any such shall be unclean until the evening, and shall not eat of the holy things, unless he bathes his body in water. 7 When the sun is down, he shall be clean; and afterward he shall eat of the holy things, because it is his bread.
Leviticus 22:4-7 (WEB)
The priest must bathe his body in water, and then wait until the sun goes down. Only after that may he eat, because the food is his bread. Invite the group to name each step in order, so everyone sees that the requirement involves both washing and a waiting period.
Q: In verses 18 to 21, what kind of animal does the Lord say must be offered by anyone who brings a sacrifice?
18 “Speak to Aaron, and to his sons, and to all the children of Israel, and say to them, ‘Whoever is of the house of Israel, or of the foreigners in Israel, who offers his offering, whether it is any of their vows, or any of their freewill offerings, which they offer to the LORD for a burnt offering; 19 that you may be accepted, you shall offer a male without defect, of the bulls, of the sheep, or of the goats. 20 But whatever has a defect, that you shall not offer; for it shall not be acceptable for you. 21 Whoever offers a sacrifice of peace offerings to the LORD to accomplish a vow, or for a freewill offering, of the herd or of the flock, it shall be perfect to be accepted. It shall have no defect.
Leviticus 22:18-21 (WEB)
The animal must be a male without defect, and the text says that whatever has a defect shall not be offered. Let the group read verse 20 twice and say what they notice about the word “acceptable.” This question helps people see that the standard applies to everyone, not only to priests.
Q: What does verse 27 say about when a newborn animal may be accepted as an offering?
“When a bull, or a sheep, or a goat, is born, then it shall remain seven days with its mother; and from the eighth day and thenceforth it shall be accepted for the offering of an offering made by fire to the LORD.
Leviticus 22:27 (WEB)
The animal must remain seven days with its mother, and from the eighth day onward it may be offered. Ask the group why the text gives this detail, and whether they see any care for the animal’s life in the instruction. The answer is simple, which makes it a good warm-up for the deeper questions.
Interpretation Questions
These questions ask what the passage means. Give the group a few minutes of silence after each one, then ask people to explain their reasoning from the text before sharing outside ideas.
Q: Why does the Lord repeat “I am the LORD” so often in this chapter, and what might that repetition be teaching?
31 “Therefore you shall keep my commandments, and do them. I am the LORD. 32 You shall not profane my holy name, but I will be made holy among the children of Israel. I am the LORD who makes you holy, 33 who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. I am the LORD.”
Leviticus 22:31-33 (WEB)
The repetition stresses that the commands rest on God’s own character and authority, not on custom or preference. In verse 33 he reminds the people that he brought them out of Egypt, so the holiness rules are tied to his saving act. Ask the group to connect the reminder to the rules, and to say what it changes about how the laws feel.
Q: What is the difference between a freewill offering and a vow offering, as this chapter describes them?
21 Whoever offers a sacrifice of peace offerings to the LORD to accomplish a vow, or for a freewill offering, of the herd or of the flock, it shall be perfect to be accepted. It shall have no defect. 22 Blind, injured, maimed, having a wart, festering, or having a running sore: you shall not offer these to the LORD, nor make an offering by fire of them on the altar to the LORD. 23 Either a bull or a lamb that has any deformity or lacking in his parts, that you may offer for a freewill offering; but for a vow it shall not be accepted.
Leviticus 22:21-23 (WEB)
Verse 23 notes that a bull or lamb with a deformity may be offered as a freewill gift but is not accepted for a vow. Discuss why the text treats the two kinds of giving differently, and what seems to matter most to God in each case. Encourage the group to stay with the text and avoid building a full theory of sacrifice.
Q: Why might the chapter give special attention to a priest’s daughter who is widowed or divorced and returns to her father’s house?
12 If a priest’s daughter is married to an outsider, she shall not eat of the heave offering of the holy things. 13 But if a priest’s daughter is a widow, or divorced, and has no child, and has returned to her father’s house, as in her youth, she may eat of her father’s bread: but no stranger shall eat any of it.
Leviticus 22:12-13 (WEB)
Verses 12 and 13 describe her restored right to eat from her father’s bread under certain conditions, which shows a concern for her provision within the priestly household. Ask the group to consider what protection this law offers, and how it reflects the wider biblical care for widows and the vulnerable. Keep the answer grounded in what the verses actually permit.
Q: What does verse 32 mean when it says the Lord will be made holy among the children of Israel?
You shall not profane my holy name, but I will be made holy among the children of Israel. I am the LORD who makes you holy…
Leviticus 22:32 (WEB)
The verse links the people’s conduct to the public reputation of God’s name, so that how they live shows who he is. Invite the group to consider the phrase “I am the LORD who makes you holy” and to talk about the difference between making people holy and people reflecting God’s holiness. This question often opens a helpful conversation about grace and response.
Application Questions
Move now from the text to daily life. Encourage honest answers, and let people share at the level they feel comfortable, without pressing anyone to reveal more than they wish.
Q: Where in your own life do you need to approach God’s holy things with more care, as the priests were called to do?
3 “Tell them, ‘If anyone of all your offspring throughout your generations approaches the holy things, which the children of Israel make holy to the LORD, having his uncleanness on him, that soul shall be cut off from before me. I am the LORD. 4 “‘Whoever of the offspring of Aaron is a leper or has an issue; he shall not eat of the holy things, until he is clean. Whoever touches anything that is unclean by the dead, or a man whose offspring goes from him…
Leviticus 22:3-4 (WEB)
Ask the group to think about habits in prayer, worship, Scripture reading, or church service that may have become careless over time. The point is not guilt but attentiveness, the kind that treats worship as something that matters. Let people name one small change they could make this week.
Q: How does the requirement of offering the best to God challenge the way you give your time, money, or talents?
20 But whatever has a defect, that you shall not offer; for it shall not be acceptable for you. 21 Whoever offers a sacrifice of peace offerings to the LORD to accomplish a vow, or for a freewill offering, of the herd or of the flock, it shall be perfect to be accepted. It shall have no defect.
Leviticus 22:20-21 (WEB)
The chapter asks for offerings that are without defect, which pushes against the habit of giving only what is left over. Invite the group to consider what their gifts say about their trust in God. Keep the conversation practical, asking what a generous and unblemished offering might look like in an ordinary week.
Q: What would it look like to keep God’s commandments and do them, as verse 31 calls us to, in an ordinary week?
“Therefore you shall keep my commandments, and do them. I am the LORD.
Leviticus 22:31 (WEB)
Obedience in this verse is tied to remembering that the Lord is the one who gives the commands and sustains his people. Ask the group to name one commandment that feels hard to keep right now, and to suggest a simple, concrete way to practice it. Remind them that the chapter ends in God’s faithfulness, not in human effort alone.
Q: How can your group encourage one another to live as people set apart for God, without becoming judgmental toward others?
“Tell Aaron and his sons to separate themselves from the holy things of the children of Israel, which they make holy to me, and that they not profane my holy name. I am the LORD.
Leviticus 22:2 (WEB)
Verse 2 speaks of separating from what is holy and not profaning God’s name, which can be misread as harshness. Discuss how to hold high standards for holiness while showing patience and kindness toward people who are still growing. Ask the group to suggest specific ways to build each other up in that balance.
Key Verses to Read Aloud
Leviticus 22:27-28
27 “When a bull, or a sheep, or a goat, is born, then it shall remain seven days with its mother; and from the eighth day and thenceforth it shall be accepted for the offering of an offering made by fire to the LORD. 28 Whether it is a cow or ewe, you shall not kill it and its young both in one day.
(WEB)
These verses about the young of animals give the group a concrete picture of the care and timing involved in worship. Reading them together reminds people that the law includes attention to life and mercy. Use them to close a conversation about patience and the rhythms God builds into faithful practice.
Memory Verse for Leviticus 22
A Closing Prayer for the Group
Father, we come before you as people who are called to be set apart for your purposes. Thank you that you are the one who makes us holy, and that your commands are given with care for our good. Help us to bring you our best, to approach your presence with reverence, and to keep your word in the ordinary places of our lives. Teach us to honor your name in how we speak, serve, and give. Where we have been careless, forgive us, and remind us again that you brought us out of bondage to be your own. Amen.
