"Holy Cow"
For I, the Lord , am the one who brought you up from the land of Egypt, that I might be your God. Therefore, you must be holy because I am holy. (Leviticus 11:45 NLT)
What in the world is Leviticus all about? Why all the explanations? Why all the clean & unclean animals?
It seems like an awful lot of nonsense but is it? It is not. God is dwelling with men & this is what must happen for God to be with his people.
Leviticus teaches us a couple of truths about holiness. First, God is holy. God is so holy that there must be sacrifices made for breaking his law. They must be done his way, at his time, & with his his requirements met. God must be approached as holy & known as holy. God is to revered by his people.
Second, his people are to be holy. God expects his people to reflect his holiness. Not just for their good (although it is) but also for his glory. God takes his holiness & the holiness of his people so seriously that two of Aaron's sons are killed for burning unsanctioned incense. Seems kind of picky doesn't it? It is not about being picky, it's about being holy.
What seems like a small issue to us is a big issue to God. God takes his name seriously. God has put his reputation on the line by dwelling with these people. If he is going to be associated with them, he has some expectations. This seems weird to us not only because God takes his name seriously but also because we don't. We have lost a reverence for God. We have lost an awe of him. We have lost the wonder of God. We have lost humble obedience to God out of who he is.
We have lost the holiness of God & therefore our personal holiness with it. The degree to which a group of people take serious the holiness of God is the degree to which that people can be holy.
If we don't start having a reverence for the name & character of God, we can for sure right off any hope of us being distinct from this world.
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