Be Holy!
I (Mike) have been reading through Leviticus for my devotions. Usually the books of Leviticus and Numbers are not my favorite ones to read because they mainly contain a bunch of laws and lists of people, and I often end up skimming through a large portion of the books (I can see many of you smiling because you know you do the same thing). However, this time I am looking at them a little differently.
When I came to Leviticus 19, I noticed that God began his conversation with Moses by saying; "Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy" (vs. 2). He then continued with a series of laws and regulations He wanted Israel to follow periodically stating; "I am the Lord (your God)." This phrase is used 15 times in this short chapter so you get the impression that this is something God really wants us to comprehend.
Now usually when we talk about laws or rules, I think we have a tendency to react the same way teenagers react to their parent's rules. "This isn't fair. It doesn't make sense. You're just trying to spoil my fun. Why should I do that?" etc. etc. And teens really hate it (at least I did) when they question the rules and all they hear from their parents is; "Because I'm your dad (mom), and I said so!" We, like these teenagers, don't often see the reason for the rules and regulations God places upon us, and when we read verses where He says; "I am the Lord, your God", it is possible that we can hear our parent's voice saying; "Because I said so!"
However, I don't believe that this is the message that God is making to His people. I don't believe that He is simply making demands upon us, and then saying; "Because I said so!" I believe that, instead of being restrictions upon Israel, these laws are a means by which God can reveal Himself to the world. I believe God is saying that He has chosen Israel to be His instrument to reveal His character to the world, and in order to do that, they need to accurately reflect that character through their lifestyle.
When He gives them instruction on how to treat the poor (Lev. 19: 9-10), He is saying that they should do that because He is the Lord, their God who is LOVE and this is how He would treat them. When He tells them not to steal, defraud their neighbor, mistreat their hired servants, or pervert justice (verses 11-18), He is saying, do this because I am the Lord your God who is JUST and this is what I would do. When He gives them directions regarding the types of foods to eat, religious ceremonies, and avoiding sinful lifestyles that the other nations followed (verses 20-37), He was saying, follow this way of living because I am the Lord your God who is HOLY and this is who I am. So, by keeping the commands and laws that God had established, Israel was making themselves distinct from other nations and other religions, and showing them just who God really is. It was a way to draw the people of the other nations to Him.
Today, the church has the same task that God had given to Israel. We are to demonstrate the nature, character and power of God through our life. In the Old Testament the only way this could be accomplished was by keeping a strict code of external rules through human effort. However, we know that this is impossible to do. In the New Testament and for the church today, we have the Holy Spirit living within us to enable us to do what we cannot do in our own power (Rom. 8:1-4). The laws of God that we see written in the Old Testament are now written in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, so they are not just a list of "do's and dont's" but are actually part of our nature. We do them because it is now who we are, and by living holy and distinct lifestyles we are showing the world who God is, and hopefully drawing them to Him.
I guess the point that I am making is that from now on, whenever I read the laws and regulations that God places in the Bible, I will no longer see them as a legalistic restriction upon my life, but as a tool of evangelism to demonstrate His character to the world.
When I came to Leviticus 19, I noticed that God began his conversation with Moses by saying; "Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy" (vs. 2). He then continued with a series of laws and regulations He wanted Israel to follow periodically stating; "I am the Lord (your God)." This phrase is used 15 times in this short chapter so you get the impression that this is something God really wants us to comprehend.
Now usually when we talk about laws or rules, I think we have a tendency to react the same way teenagers react to their parent's rules. "This isn't fair. It doesn't make sense. You're just trying to spoil my fun. Why should I do that?" etc. etc. And teens really hate it (at least I did) when they question the rules and all they hear from their parents is; "Because I'm your dad (mom), and I said so!" We, like these teenagers, don't often see the reason for the rules and regulations God places upon us, and when we read verses where He says; "I am the Lord, your God", it is possible that we can hear our parent's voice saying; "Because I said so!"
However, I don't believe that this is the message that God is making to His people. I don't believe that He is simply making demands upon us, and then saying; "Because I said so!" I believe that, instead of being restrictions upon Israel, these laws are a means by which God can reveal Himself to the world. I believe God is saying that He has chosen Israel to be His instrument to reveal His character to the world, and in order to do that, they need to accurately reflect that character through their lifestyle.
When He gives them instruction on how to treat the poor (Lev. 19: 9-10), He is saying that they should do that because He is the Lord, their God who is LOVE and this is how He would treat them. When He tells them not to steal, defraud their neighbor, mistreat their hired servants, or pervert justice (verses 11-18), He is saying, do this because I am the Lord your God who is JUST and this is what I would do. When He gives them directions regarding the types of foods to eat, religious ceremonies, and avoiding sinful lifestyles that the other nations followed (verses 20-37), He was saying, follow this way of living because I am the Lord your God who is HOLY and this is who I am. So, by keeping the commands and laws that God had established, Israel was making themselves distinct from other nations and other religions, and showing them just who God really is. It was a way to draw the people of the other nations to Him.
Today, the church has the same task that God had given to Israel. We are to demonstrate the nature, character and power of God through our life. In the Old Testament the only way this could be accomplished was by keeping a strict code of external rules through human effort. However, we know that this is impossible to do. In the New Testament and for the church today, we have the Holy Spirit living within us to enable us to do what we cannot do in our own power (Rom. 8:1-4). The laws of God that we see written in the Old Testament are now written in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, so they are not just a list of "do's and dont's" but are actually part of our nature. We do them because it is now who we are, and by living holy and distinct lifestyles we are showing the world who God is, and hopefully drawing them to Him.
I guess the point that I am making is that from now on, whenever I read the laws and regulations that God places in the Bible, I will no longer see them as a legalistic restriction upon my life, but as a tool of evangelism to demonstrate His character to the world.
posted by Mike and Nancy Juntunen @ 1:08 PM
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