You shall be Holy!
Leviticus 11:44, ‘For I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. And you shall not make yourselves unclean with any of the swarming things that swarm on the earth. 45 ‘For I am the LORD who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God ; thus you shall be holy, for I am holy.’ ”
These are the instructions given to Moses by God immediately following the dietary laws for the Israelites. We know that these strict dietary laws were suspended by God because the Apostle Paul tells us Romans 14:20, “Do not tear down the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are clean, but they are evil for the man who eats and gives offense. 21It is good not to eat meat or to drink wine, or to do anything by which your brother stumbles. 22 The faith which you have, have as your own conviction before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. 23 But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith ; and whatever is not from faith is sin.”
The strict dietary laws were not given by God to the Israelites for no reason, and they were not given because God considers anything He made unclean; but they were given so that the Israelites could show their faith in God. Not only to Him, but also to the peoples around them. By following the rules that God had set forth the Israelites were consecrating themselves to God. Consecrate is a big, “churchy” word, but my thesarus gives a few words that more people might understand. They helped me; some of the words with the same meaning are sanctify, dedicate, devote.
The Israelites were called by God to be different, separate from the other nations by their actions, and we are called by God to the same life. The Apostle Paul writes in II Corinthians 6:17 “Therefore, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE,” says the Lord. “AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN ; And I will welcome you.”
The Lord demands our holiness because when you and I, as children of God, act in a holy way then others can see in us a small reflection of His holiness.
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Father, I thank You for allowing me to catch a small glimpse of Your holiness; even the same as Moses saw as You hid him in the rock, and I ask that You would allow me to reflect Your holiness; even as Moses did when He came off the mountain. Allow others to notice a difference in my life that would bring them to You. In Jesus’ name, Amen
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