Be Holy for I am Holy

Chapters 11-12 (our reading today) of Leviticus share many regulations for cleanness. It tells the reader what kind of animal to eat and what kind not to eat; what kind of animal to touch and what kind not to touch. To the modern perspective it may all seem a bit much and may cause one to wonder "why?". What is the purpose of all of this?

Fortunately God, through Moses, gives us the answer. In verse 44-45 it is recorded, " For I am the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. You shall not defile yourselves with any swarming thing that crawls on the ground. For I am the Lord who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.”

There it is in black and white - very clearly laid out. God is the Lord. He Himself is holy. He has redeemed the people from their bondage to become His possession (that's the meaning of redemption - we are bought out of slavery - we have a new master). Therefore, since God is our new master, since we are His possession, since He Himself is holy....therefore, we must also be holy.

From this perspective we can see the reason for all the detail about being clean. We dare not offend a holy God with our uncleanness, but.....there are so many ways we can become unclean. And we need to ask another question? Did all these regulations really make the people clean?

I think the answer to that is "yes" and "no". Following all these regulations would make one "ceremonially clean" but would have no efficacy to make one's soul clean. Even the blood of bulls and goats could not do that as the author to the book of Hebrews reminds us.

So where does that leave us? Fortunately we see a fuller picture as we read on in the New Testament. In Paul's letter to the Thessalonians, the 5th chapter, we receive some encouraging instruction. In verse 23-24 Paul says, "Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it. "

Now that is good news! What we really could not do on our own - for who could fully keep the law - God did and does. He is the God of peace. He makes our peace bringing us back to Himself through the blood of Christ's cross. He sanctifies us or makes us holy. When He says "Be holy for I am holy" He fully intends to bring to pass what He commands. He will make all of us (body, soul and spirit) blameless at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. And why can we be encouraged by this? He (God) will bring this to pass, and we know Him to be faithful. We can "bank on" this.

Praise God that He did for us, through Christ, what we could have never done on our own through following a myriad of regulations. Praise God that we have hope because the One who says, "Be Holy for I am Holy" acts to make us holy.

So holy one of God....live out in your practice today, what God has already made you in Christ! The Holy Spirit lives in you to enable you - lean on God's helper each moment of this day!