Heb. nephesh; lit., soul, living being.

For vv. 23-25, see notes in Lev. 17:10-14.

The children of Israel could enjoy the rich produce of the good land in two ways. The common, private way was to enjoy it as a common portion at any time, in any place, and with anyone (v. 15). The special, corporate way was to enjoy the top portion, the firstfruits and the firstlings, with all the Israelites at the appointed feasts and in the unique place chosen by God (see note Deut. 12:5¹). Likewise, the enjoyment of Christ by the New Testament believers is of two aspects — the common, private aspect of enjoying Christ at any time and at any place, and the special, corporate aspect of enjoying the top portion of Christ in the meetings of the proper church life on the unique ground of oneness, the place chosen by God.

See note Lev. 17:10^1a.

The children of Israel were not allowed to worship God and enjoy the offerings they presented to God in the place of their choice (vv. 8, 13, 17). They were to worship God in the place of His choice, the place where His name, His habitation, and His altar were (vv. 5-6), by bringing their tithes, offerings, and sacrifices to Him there (vv. 5, 11, 14, 18, 21, 26-27; 14:22-23; 15:19-20). To fulfill these requirements was to have a unique center of worship, as Jerusalem would be later (2 Chron. 6:5-6; John 4:20), for the keeping of the oneness among God’s people, thus avoiding the division caused by man’s preferences (cf. 1 Kings 12:26-33 and notes).

The revelation in the New Testament concerning the worship of God corresponds to the revelation in this chapter in at least four ways: First, the people of God should always be one; there should be no divisions among them (Psa. 133; John 17:11, 21-23; 1 Cor. 1:10; Eph. 4:3). Second, the unique name into which God’s people should gather is the name of the Lord Jesus Christ (Matt. 18:20; 1 Cor. 1:12 and notes), the reality of which name is the Spirit (1 Cor. 12:3). To be designated by any other name is to be denominated, divided; this is spiritual fornication (see note Rev. 3:8³). Third, in the New Testament God’s habitation, His dwelling place, is particularly located in our spirit, i.e., in our mingled spirit, our human spirit regenerated and indwelt by the divine Spirit (John 3:6b; Rom. 8:16; 2 Tim. 4:22; Eph. 2:22). In our meeting for the worship of God, we must exercise our spirit and do everything in our spirit (John 4:24; 1 Cor. 14:15). Fourth, in our worship of God we must have the genuine application of the cross of Christ, signified by the altar, by rejecting the flesh, the self, and the natural life and worshipping God with Christ and Christ alone (Matt. 16:24; Gal. 2:20). Hence, the meeting of God’s people for the worship of God should be in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, in the mingled spirit as the place of God’s habitation, in the place where the cross is, and with the enjoyment of Christ as the reality of the tithes, the offerings, and the sacrifices (see note John 4:24⁴). This is the oneness of God’s people, and this is the proper ground for the worship of God.

Before the children of Israel could have the full enjoyment of the riches of the good land, they had to utterly destroy the heathen places of worship, the idols, and the names of the idols (vv. 2-3). Thus, the good land was to be thoroughly cleared of all the heathen centers of worship. The children of Israel were not to worship God in the same way that the nations worshipped their gods (v. 4).