“Let me make this perfectly clear,” says God: “I am God; you are not.”

Then God gives us detailed ways to develop His holy character traits along with holy behaviors in the pursuit of being holy in what I’d like to call, “Holiness for Dummies”.  Okay, we humans might not be dumb but we can certainly become very dull as we absentmindedly go about our day, on our own, habitually expecting better results today than yesterday by doing life without God.  God commands, “Be holy because, I the Lord your God, am holy.” 

But, the standard is high, too high, we think.  How can we just “be holy” like God says? 

Leviticus 19

Various Laws

The Lord said to Moses, ² “Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: ‘Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.

³ “‘Each of you must respect your mother and father, and you must observe my Sabbaths. I am the Lord your God.

⁴ “‘Do not turn to idols or make metal gods for yourselves. I am the Lord your God.

⁵ “‘When you sacrifice a fellowship offering to the Lord, sacrifice it in such a way that it will be accepted on your behalf. ⁶ It shall be eaten on the day you sacrifice it or on the next day; anything left over until the third day must be burned up. ⁷ If any of it is eaten on the third day, it is impure and will not be accepted. ⁸ Whoever eats it will be held responsible because they have desecrated what is holy to the Lord; they must be cut off from their people.

⁹ “‘When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. ¹⁰ Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the Lord your God.

¹¹ “‘Do not steal.

“‘Do not lie.

“‘Do not deceive one another.

¹² “‘Do not swear falsely by my name and so profane the name of your God. I am the Lord.

¹³ “‘Do not defraud or rob your neighbor.

“‘Do not hold back the wages of a hired worker overnight.

¹⁴ “‘Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind, but fear your God. I am the Lord.

¹⁵ “‘Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.

¹⁶ “‘Do not go about spreading slander among your people.

“‘Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor’s life. I am the Lord.

¹⁷ “‘Do not hate a fellow Israelite in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in their guilt.

¹⁸ “‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.

¹⁹ “‘Keep my decrees.

“‘Do not mate different kinds of animals.

“‘Do not plant your field with two kinds of seed.

“‘Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material.

²⁰ “‘If a man sleeps with a female slave who is promised to another man but who has not been ransomed or given her freedom, there must be due punishment. Yet they are not to be put to death, because she had not been freed. ²¹ The man, however, must bring a ram to the entrance to the tent of meeting for a guilt offering to the Lord. ²² With the ram of the guilt offering the priest is to make atonement for him before the Lord for the sin he has committed, and his sin will be forgiven.

²³ “‘When you enter the land and plant any kind of fruit tree, regard its fruit as forbidden. For three years you are to consider it forbidden; it must not be eaten. ²⁴ In the fourth year all its fruit will be holy, an offering of praise to the Lord. ²⁵ But in the fifth year you may eat its fruit. In this way your harvest will be increased. I am the Lord your God.

²⁶ “‘Do not eat any meat with the blood still in it.

“‘Do not practice divination or seek omens.

²⁷ “‘Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard.

²⁸ “‘Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord.

²⁹ “‘Do not degrade your daughter by making her a prostitute, or the land will turn to prostitution and be filled with wickedness.

³⁰ “‘Observe my Sabbaths and have reverence for my sanctuary. I am the Lord.

³¹ “‘Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God.

³² “‘Stand up in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the Lord.

³³ “‘When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. ³⁴ The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.

³⁵ “‘Do not use dishonest standards when measuring length, weight or quantity. ³⁶ Use honest scales and honest weights, an honest ephah and an honest hin. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt.

³⁷ “‘Keep all my decrees and all my laws and follow them. I am the Lord.’”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

A person whose heart is fully committed to God desires to do life His way.  Our commitment to God grows stronger as we learn quickly that our way is limited in wisdom and weak in understanding.  Wisdom is defined simply as “skills for living.”  The wisdom we seek and follow determines the steps we take each day.  To be holy is to first pursue God and His wisdom, the One who is Holy in every way.  The definition of Holy is God.

What’s repeated in God’s Word is important to God!  Notice how many times God tells His people who He is; “I am the Lord, your God, and I am holy.”  We are not only to pursue God but to pursue who God is and He is holy.  Why? Because we are created “in the image of God.”  To be holy does not mean perfection, but the consistent moving forward to be like the One who is perfect in every way.

God knew before we were born that we would not be perfect. God gave “free will” to follow Him—or not.  Because of our sin nature born within us because Adam and Eve’s  choice to follow evil; we have the propensity to be seduced by evil in our choosing in life, too.  But God, in His wisdom, guides us in all the details of living life.  He presents behaviors that will help us to develop His character of love, mercy, and grace.  God teaches us how to love Him back and how to love each other—in detail!  God teaches us how to be holy.

Did you notice?  All these regulations are tied back to God’s Ten Commandments for His People which relates to all that is moral and holy in God’s view of life. Since He is a holy God, we must be a holy people. If you count for curiosity’s sake; we discover that the phrase “I am the LORD your God” is repeated over forty times in Leviticus 18–26 to remind us that we belong to Him.

God also warns us, “Fear your God. I am the Lord” (19:32). Fear of God is more about a healthy respect and awe of our God who knows all, is in all, because He created all. There is no one like our God who cares for all He has created and wants His very best for each one.  Nothing escapes God.  God is sovereign.  Nothing will happen that will cause God to give up His divine authority over all.  He is God. We are not.

Note that God calls these laws “My decrees.”  God also reminds He people that the Sabbath is to be kept holy with reverence for the tabernacle that is His “sanctuary.” The law brings sinful people into the presence of a sovereign God who has every right to tell us what is right and wrong.  God is the final authority.

Today, these same laws of spiritually morality still guide us to what is wrong along with how to revere God and love Him back as well as how to really love each other with respect and dignity. God’s Holy Spirit guides us to what is right and holy and guides us to abundant living designed by God—who is Holy.  Because Jesus sacrificed his life for our punishment of sin, we who repent of sin are forgiven completely, our sins to be remembered no more!  We are in awe of God for His relentless love, mercy, and grace so undeserved!  

One final thought for today:  Getting along with people, especially our neighbors, isn’t a matter of obeying laws but of having love in our hearts. “Love is the fulfillment of the law,” says Paul. Romans 3:10) The new commandment given by Jesus to love one another helps us handle human relationships and treat people the way God treats us (John 13:34, 35).  “Being holy” then does not seem as hard as we first thought when we realize that in our committed pursuit of Holy God; He gives us powerful help to become holy.  We are not in this alone! God is with us. Always.

“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:12-14

THIS is the pursuit of holiness—to know and become more like Jesus each day, not perfect but perfectly forgiven.

Lord,

Only you are Holy for you are perfect in every way.  You know our hearts.  You know our thoughts and desires.  Cleanse my heart, renew my mind, refresh and fill my soul, and restore the joy and peace of you in me and me in you.  I will pursue your holy character all the days of my life.  I love you, Lord.

In Jesus Name, Amen