Ep 716 – Leviticus 19

Be holy. That’s a command and it comes from God. But, not only that, it comes with a qualification: We are to be holy as He is holy. Sound impossible? It is. But in Leviticus 19, God will tell the entire community of Israel, “You must be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.” He was to be their standard. And His rules and regulations regarding holiness were to be their guide to living holy, set-apart lives to Him. But this is about far more than religious rule-keeping and behavior modification. What God is interested in is heart change. He wanted His people to be different on the inside, not just the outside. In fact, Jesus would tell His disciples that it was not what goes into the body that defiles them, but what comes out of it – in the form of impure thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, lying and slander. These are what defile us and make us unholy. So, when God calls His people to be holy as He is holy, He is talking about far more than keeping a list of dos and don’ts. He is calling us to reflect His character – from the inside-out.