Unleashed: As You Go – Pray
“The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them: You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.” Leviticus 19:1-2
Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty!
Early in the morning, our song shall rise to thee:
Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty!
God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!
“Be holy, for I am Holy” is at the heart of Leviticus. (A book many speed-read through on their way through their “Read the Bible in a year” plan.) Yet as we slow down and look around, we come face to face with the holiness of God. Just as the hymn “Holy, Holy, Holy” is found on page one of most Baptist hymnals, it is on page one as we follow God. Just as the holiness of God took center stage in the hymnals, so it should rightly occupy page one in our lives.
Leviticus is not normally read as good news and most certainly not in the context with how the world now determines what is a modern, culturally acceptable worldview. However, J. A. Motyer looks at Leviticus totally differently. He writes, “Leviticus is good news. It is good news for sinners who seek pardon, for priests who need empowering, for women who are vulnerable, for the unclean who covet cleansing, for the poor who yearn for freedom, for the marginalized who seek dignity, for animals that demand protection, for families that require strengthening, for communities that want fortifying and for creation that stands in need of care. All these issues, and more, are addressed in a positive way in Leviticus.”
Visit Leviticus 18 and 19 again but read as one who seeks God, treating life as holy and allowing God to have control of your life. At the heart of each requirement is the holiness of God in the life of his people, a people set apart from the world. Culture no longer determines the standards, only God does.
As you read these two chapters, mentally or literally, create two columns. At the top of the columns, title one “God’s values” and title the other “Human Values.” It doesn’t take long to realize God’s values and human values are worlds apart. Living a life set apart from the world requires God’s grace.
Augustine wrote that, “The LORD himself not only shows us the evil we are to avoid and the good we are to do (which is all that the letter of the law can do), but also helps us to avoid evil and to do good-things that are impossible without the spirit of grace. If grace is lacking, the law is there simply to make culprits and to slay; for this reason, the Apostle said; “The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” (2 Corinthians 3:6)”
Chapters 18 and 19 are not a “Golden Corral” buffet of principles. We don’t get to go through the line choosing the one’s we like and leaving the others. It is easy to pick a verse and sling it at someone, yet at the same time avoiding verses we would rather overlook. The problem: God didn’t give us a choice. Each requirement interlocks with each other forming a strong family, church, community and culture.
Requirements that set a people apart from the other nations, are not to set them on a pedestal but to glorify God. Jesus would take the law and empower it with grace. Jim Denison in his weekly blog shared that at the Super Bowl Breakfast, New Orleans Saints linebacker Demario Davis received the Bart Starr Award. It is given to a player who best exemplifies outstanding character and leadership. Davis’ wife explained their shared purpose: “Our primary mission has always been to be a walking billboard for Christ, so that others may be able to see and encounter him through us and our experiences.”
Leviticus is a challenging book with some difficult passages, yet the shared purpose is for the people of God to be “walking billboards for Christ.” As you reflect on your two columns, use them to restore and empower you to live a life set apart for God. “It is said of St. Francis not merely that he prayed, but that he became a prayer.”
God is great!
Pastor Lynn Burton