The virtue of holiness is not one that is very desirable in our world. In fact, some would use it only as an insult: (“You think you’re so holy!”) Yet God says it is to be the goal of his people to be holy as he is holy. The word actually means “different” or “separate.” God’s perfect righteousness is certainly different from the values of our world, in which life is cheap, sin is a forgotten concept and people demand the freedom to do whatever makes them happy, even if it breaks God’s law.
In the passage for today, God established many ways in which his people were to be different from the nations they were displacing. They were to uphold his standards in a way that demonstrated his goodness and purity to a watching world. How different are we as believers from the unbelieving people around us? Can they tell we are different? One of the best reasons to spend time in the Word of God each day is to better understand his nature, his values and his thoughts so that we can pray to be like him in his holiness.
Yet, God knew that neither they nor we could be perfect in keeping these laws. That is why he established the sacrifices decreed in this passage. Leviticus 22 makes it clear that only a perfect sacrifice could be given to the Lord. That’s why only Jesus, in his perfect holiness, could take our place on the cross. Hebrews 10:14 says that his sacrifice made us as believers perfect in God’s eyes, even as God is at work to make us holy in our daily lives through his Holy Spirit. The question is, do we really want to be holy like him?
Give thanks for the perfect sacrifice of Christ in your place, and then ask God to purify your heart and help you make choices each day that mirror his holiness.
Jim Jensen, Prophetstown, Ill.
Extended Scripture: Leviticus 20–23
