“‘Keep all my decrees and laws and follow them, so that the land where I am bringing you to live may not vomit you out. You must not live according to the customs of the nations I am going to drive out before you. Because they did all these things, I abhorred them. But I said to you, “You will possess their land; I will give it to you as an inheritance, a land flowing with milk and honey.” I am the Lord your God, who has set you apart from the nations.
“‘You must therefore make a distinction between clean and unclean animals and between unclean and clean birds. Do not defile yourselves by any animal or bird or anything that moves along the ground—those that I have set apart as unclean for you. You are to be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own.
Leviticus 20:22-26
Scripture Notes
One of the intractable tendencies of believers and non-believers alike is to disregard or dismiss the Old Testament. We consider the laws to be ancient and the violence done with God’s consent to be uncomfortable to comprehend. But we should not disregard the old and always be looking at what is new. The Law was given not to be burdensome but to set God’s people apart. After Christ died on the cross, anyone who has accepted the gift of salvation joins in this holy designation.
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.
Matthew 5:17-18
With holiness and distinction comes moral responsibility. The Israelites were brought into the promised land and told to follow the Law and to be bound to God. There is also a standard and separation for God’s people. The wicked were committing child sacrifices and engaging in religious prostitution. We may not have that same issue today, but we know that there are things the Lord abhors.
There are six things the Lord hates,
seven that are detestable to him:
haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,
a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,
a false witness who pours out lies
and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.Proverbs 6:16-19
Believers are called to live a life distinct from everyone else’s and to be set apart. This does not mean isolation. Far from it. We are to share one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2), worship together (Hebrews 10:24-25), and support one another (Romans 12:4-5). We are to live in the world, but not be conformed to the world’s moral standards. The reason for the list of clean and unclean was not solely technical dietary rules. It was a physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual form of self-discipline that outwardly reflected an internal change. People should be able to recognize a believer by their identity and purpose in Christ. If not, reflection, realignment, and reconnection are not only necessary but vital.
You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Ephesians 4:22-24
MEMORY VERse
Rodolphe Bresdin. Holy Family with Deer, 1871. The Cleveland Museum of Art
Related Verses
More verses about being holy and set apart:
Prayer Invitation
Application Questions
- Can you tell when someone is following the Lord with all their heart, has their priorities in the right place, and recognizes God as first in their life? Can people say that about you?
- What modern “traditions” or “national customs” have seeped into your day-to-day life and become overly sacred? What can you do to put God at the forefront rather than customs?
- When you view yourself as God’s own possession, do you use your energy, time, finances, and body differently?
- Have you been viewing holiness as restrictive? How can you see being set apart and sanctification as a quest for wholeness rather than as a limitation?
- As the Israelites had to discern between what was clean and unclean, how are you actively distinguishing between what nourishes your spirit and what impairs and degrades it spiritually?
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