Hi, this is Joni Eareckson Tada and welcome to Joni and Friends.
I recall the good old days (or I should say the bad old days) when I was struggling to understand God’s hang‑up about my disability. You heard me right: I thought God back then had a problem with my paralysis. I thought it embarrassed him. I thought he wished it had never happened. I thought he didn’t like me anymore or think I was good enough to rate a body that really worked.
That was my attitude, and it did not help matters when I stumbled across Leviticus 21:16‑24. It says there, “No man who has any defect may come near [to offer sacrifices to God]: no man who is blind or lame, disfigured or deformed; no man with a crippled foot or hand.”
I slammed my Bible shut. I knew it, I knew it. God did have a problem with my handicap. Right there, it said so right in Leviticus 21. For a while my anger against God was fueled by that verse. It seemed that my wheelchair offended him in the same way it offended maître d’s in restaurants.
Over the years, though, my attitude softened, and God broke that rebellious spirit of mine, that anger. It was around that time that I discovered the true meaning behind Leviticus 21. You see, those verses are a list of strict dos and don’ts for men entering the priesthood of Aaron. Such a priest had to be pure with no physical defects.
Why? Well, because the priest was a symbol, he was a physical symbol of a future spiritual reality, the Lord Jesus Himself. The priests of Aaron were a type, a foreshadowing of the coming Messiah. God was looking for a physically perfect man (not to mention an honest and upright man) to serve as a priest, the one who would represent the spiritually perfect man, the Lord Jesus.
That’s the simple reason why Old Testament priests could not be lame, blind, or handicapped in any way. A violation of the Old Testament types would defile the New Testament fulfillment of our perfect Lord as our High Priest.
But you know what? Leviticus 21 can speak to us today, whether we’re disabled or not. As part of a royal priesthood, God welcomes you and me into his presence, and he accepts us no matter how disfigured or deformed we are. God loves us, warts and all.
The warning is still there from Leviticus 21.When we come before him in worship, we need to make certain that we have been washed in the blood of Jesus and that our hearts are clean. We don’t want to harbor any disfigurements or deformities; we want to lay them all before the Lord, all the defects, all the blemishes in our soul.
God loves disabled people, whether they are handicapped on the outside like me, or maybe handicapped like you on the inside. He specializes in making you whole and inviting you to be part of his royal eternal priesthood.
I just want you to know that I treasure these few minutes we have together. And I’d like to hear from you. I’d like to hear your story, hear what you’re learning from God’s Word. Write me today, would you, at P.O. Box 3333, Agoura Hills, CA 91376?
Used by permission of
JONI AND FRIENDS
P.O. Box 3333
Agoura Hills, CA 93176
© Joni and Friends