Leviticus 19:1-18
Monday, 18 December 2023
".. say to them: Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.” - Leviticus 19:2
God’s Word clearly deals with every area of our life. We have in our reading, what the LORD spoke to Moses, (V.1) on the laws regarding the moral, religious and social responsibilities of God’s people. When we see it today, the era has changed, generations have gone by; the context has altered-but principles contained in those laws are still applicable to us. God’s Word “…is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.” (Ps.119:89).
God chose Abraham and his generation and made a covenant with them and blessed them; further, God tells the people of Israel- "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob." (Exodus 3:6). They valued this prestigious, precious position- For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession. (Deut.7:6) Moses says in Deut. 4:37: “And because He loved your fathers, therefore He chose their descendants after them…” In our text, after each law, it is stated that “I am the LORD.” This statement is repeated fifteen times in this chapter reminding them that it is the LORD GOD who gave them everything. As children of God, let us remind ourselves of the same and conduct our lives accordingly.
Our key verse speaks of being holy. The word “holy” means consecrated for God or set apart for a specific purpose. Through the Scriptures we understand that God was separating a group of people to whom He gave the Law; God showed His marvellous ways through them and He worked among them. Besides, God was showing the nations His plans and purposes for humankind through His chosen people. Today every child of God is given the responsibility to represent Him: “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (1Peter 2:9). Through Jesus Christ, we have received a privileged position - adoption to sonship to call, "Abba, Father." (Rom.8:15). How marvellous!—but never forget the One who gave us all things and so glorify Him.
The essence or the connecting part of all these Laws was –Love. If these Laws are adhered to ritually or under compulsion, it never pleases God. Trying to be holy by compulsion or trying to make it happen with strict laws is a practised by many—it is only an outward expression; it doesn’t last. Here the call for being holy is not just for hours or days; it’s for an entire lifetime—in public and in private. If our giving reverence to the Lord, stems out of fear or being afraid of any punishment— it doesn’t please God. From our text, we can understand that all the laws need to be followed because of our love for God 1 John 4: 8 says: “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”
In our personal life too, we tend to remember those who express unadulterated genuine love— it still leaves the fragrance of good memories in our lives. We would love to spend time and be around those who show pure love from God. Without this love we can’t share the pure gospel; we can’t reach out to people, we can’t serve, we can’t be a testimony to others. May our “set-apart” lives be a fragrance of God’s love to others through our words, actions and our entire life! In this way, many will find the loving Lord our God!
To meditate:- “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.” (1 John 4:9)