Blemish מוּם

We are in chapter twenty-one of Leviticus with our word for today. מוּם spot, blemish, injury. It is used 21 times in the Old Testament, 5 times in our chapter. Our word is used in the sense of injury. Proverbs 9:7 Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse, and he who reproves a wicked man incurs מוּמֽוֹ injury. Leviticus 24:19-20 If anyone מ֖וּם injures his neighbor, as he has done it shall be done to him, fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; whatever מוּם֙injury he has given a person shall be given to him. We also see our word used to describe perfection in the sense of not having any injury or blemish. Song of Solomon 4:7 You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no וּמ֖וּם flaw in you. 2 Samuel 14:25 Now in all Israel there was no one so much to be praised for his handsome appearance as Absalom. From the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was no מֽוּם blemish in him. Daniel 1:3-4  Then the king commanded Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch, to bring some of the people of Israel, both of the royal family and of the nobility, youths without מְאוּם blemish, of good appearance and skillful in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding learning, and competent to stand in the king's palace, and to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans. This is how our word is used 5 times in our chapter today. Leviticus 21:16-23 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron, saying, None of your offspring throughout their generations who has a מ֔וּם blemish may approach to offer the bread of his God. For no one who has a מ֖וּם blemish shall draw near, a man blind or lame, or one who has a mutilated face or a limb too long, or a man who has an injured foot or an injured hand, or a hunchback or a dwarf or a man with a defect in his sight or an itching disease or scabs or crushed testicles. No man of the offspring of Aaron the priest who has a מ֣וּם blemish shall come near to offer the Lord's food offerings; since he has a מ֗וּם blemish, he shall not come near to offer the bread of his God. He may eat the bread of his God, both of the most holy and of the holy things, but he shall not go through the veil or approach the altar, because he has a מ֣וּם blemish, that he may not profane my sanctuaries, for I am the Lord who sanctifies them.” It is interesting that the priest himself had to be without injury or blemish because we also find this same thing when it comes to the sacrifice itself. Our word is used in the context of an animal to be offered in sacrifice. Leviticus 22:20-21 You shall not offer anything that has a מ֖וּם blemish, for it will not be acceptable for you. And when anyone offers a sacrifice of peace offerings to the Lord to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering from the herd or from the flock, to be accepted it must be perfect; there shall be no מ֖וּם blemish in it. Deuteronomy 15:21 But if it has any מ֗וּם blemish, if it is lame or blind or has any serious מ֣וּם blemish whatever, you shall not sacrifice it to the Lord your God. Deuteronomy 17:1 You shall not sacrifice to the Lord your God an ox or a sheep in which is a מ֔וּם blemish, any defect whatever, for that is an abomination to the Lord your God. Not only will God not accept such a sacrifice but did you catch the wording here? God calls this an abomination to Him to do such a thing. Wow! That is one of the strongest words available. This seems extreme to us because we are used to sin whereas God can not look at it. This reminds us and reemphasizes for us how great God’s love and mercy on us is. He allowed his only son who was perfect in that he never sinned while on this earth where he was tempted like we are. He became sin for us. I’ll close with these great reminders. 2 Corinthians 5:18-19, 21 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them … For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. Ephesians 5:25-27 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.