Day 4
Read Leviticus 19:1-2, Leviticus 19:17-18, Leviticus 19:19, Leviticus 19:27 and Leviticus 20:13.
The next section of Leviticus, chapters 18-20, talk about how the Israelites can remain pure and live as God wants them to live. God speaks through Moses in verse 2 of chapter 19 and this sums up the purpose of these few chapters.
Leviticus 19:2
“Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: ‘Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.
God tells them that because He is holy, or set apart/different, as they represent Him to the surrounding world, they need to be different. Then God details for them exactly what this looks like and how they can do this. This is possibly one of the most misunderstood sections of scripture and so it is important that we put it in the context of Leviticus we’ve talked about so far. There are moral laws which deal with the purity of our hearts, Jesus upheld these moral laws and exemplified them even further. There are also ceremonial laws or ritual laws which served as reminders to the Israelites that because God was so set apart, they needed to take special care of not just their heart, but the things they came in contact with and the way they treated their body so that they would not become unclean and therefore unfit to be in the presence of God. Jesus did not uphold this part of the law when He came.
Matthew 15:11
“What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.”
Jesus is telling His disciples that things from the outside (foods we eat or things we come in contact with) don’t defile us, but it is what comes out of us. Other places in scripture, God makes it clear that what comes out of your mouth flows from your heart. So, in short, God is saying that exterior things don’t defile you, a sinful heart defiles you.
Because of this, it’s important when we come to a section like Leviticus 18-20 that is filled with both moral and ceremonial laws that we read it with Jesus’ perspective in mind. When God gives people laws about how to treat one another or what relationships are outside of His design for us, this is moral law and is upheld. When God tells people what food they cannot eat, that they should not have two types of fabric woven together and that they shouldn’t cut their sideburns, we understand that these things don’t defile us. They simply served as a reminder and teacher to the Israelites about who their God was and how they should represent Him.
Here’s the heart of it for us today, while we don’t have ceremonial laws in place, God still cares that we are holy because we are representing a holy God. Can people around you tell that there is something different or set apart about you? Do they recognize that the way you give to the needy, care for the overlooked, stay away from evil and wicked things and pursue truth and purity points to the God that you serve?
Questions to consider.
When you think of holiness, something being perfect and “set a part”, what things to do you think about?
Even though the ceremonial laws do not apply to us anymore, the moral laws do. What are the “right and wrongs” that you struggle obeying from God?
Pray that God will give you His strength and victory over these sins and temptations. He has given us His Spirit to help us follow Him fully, and run from these worldly struggles.
The next section of Leviticus, chapters 18-20, talk about how the Israelites can remain pure and live as God wants them to live. God speaks through Moses in verse 2 of chapter 19 and this sums up the purpose of these few chapters.
Leviticus 19:2
“Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: ‘Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.
God tells them that because He is holy, or set apart/different, as they represent Him to the surrounding world, they need to be different. Then God details for them exactly what this looks like and how they can do this. This is possibly one of the most misunderstood sections of scripture and so it is important that we put it in the context of Leviticus we’ve talked about so far. There are moral laws which deal with the purity of our hearts, Jesus upheld these moral laws and exemplified them even further. There are also ceremonial laws or ritual laws which served as reminders to the Israelites that because God was so set apart, they needed to take special care of not just their heart, but the things they came in contact with and the way they treated their body so that they would not become unclean and therefore unfit to be in the presence of God. Jesus did not uphold this part of the law when He came.
Matthew 15:11
“What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.”
Jesus is telling His disciples that things from the outside (foods we eat or things we come in contact with) don’t defile us, but it is what comes out of us. Other places in scripture, God makes it clear that what comes out of your mouth flows from your heart. So, in short, God is saying that exterior things don’t defile you, a sinful heart defiles you.
Because of this, it’s important when we come to a section like Leviticus 18-20 that is filled with both moral and ceremonial laws that we read it with Jesus’ perspective in mind. When God gives people laws about how to treat one another or what relationships are outside of His design for us, this is moral law and is upheld. When God tells people what food they cannot eat, that they should not have two types of fabric woven together and that they shouldn’t cut their sideburns, we understand that these things don’t defile us. They simply served as a reminder and teacher to the Israelites about who their God was and how they should represent Him.
Here’s the heart of it for us today, while we don’t have ceremonial laws in place, God still cares that we are holy because we are representing a holy God. Can people around you tell that there is something different or set apart about you? Do they recognize that the way you give to the needy, care for the overlooked, stay away from evil and wicked things and pursue truth and purity points to the God that you serve?
Questions to consider.
When you think of holiness, something being perfect and “set a part”, what things to do you think about?
Even though the ceremonial laws do not apply to us anymore, the moral laws do. What are the “right and wrongs” that you struggle obeying from God?
Pray that God will give you His strength and victory over these sins and temptations. He has given us His Spirit to help us follow Him fully, and run from these worldly struggles.