Leviticus 19-21

February 6

Leviticus 19-21

“Be holy because I, the Lord your God and holy.” These words describe God’s intention in giving the Law. Peter wrote to the church applying these verses to the New Covenant; "But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”" (1 Peter 1:15-16, NIV) The writers of Hebrews wrote; " Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord." (Hebrews 12:14, NIV)

What is holiness? If without holiness no one will see the Lord, we probably want to know what that means. Holy means set aside for God, being fully devoted to God. Holy instruments are instruments used in the worship of God that are set aside for that purpose. Holy people are used in the worship of God and set aside for that purpose.

God brought a people out of Egypt and created a new nation. He gave them the rules and regulations concerning various aspects of life in order to reveal to the other nations what it looked like to live in a relationship with God. Some of the rules revealed God as holy and pure. Some of the rules protected the Israelites. Some of the rules are lasting rules that still apply to us today. Some of the rules were for that time and those people. Some dealt with everyday life, others dealt with ritual in worshipping God.

God is a holy God. He is perfect and set aside from anyone or anything else. He calls us to be holy as we reflect His character to a dark and dying world. He does not call us to remove ourselves from the world, but to be in the world as His instruments. Holiness is not for the super saint, holiness is God’s call for each of our lives. Be Holy. We can only be holy because God is holy. Our holiness is a reflection of God’s character. Are you reflecting God’s holiness to our world?