BE HOLY

"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 21:26

I'm reading through Leviticus right now. Plowing through 3 or 4 chapters a day. I say plowing, because the list of "do not's" is like a great farm machine raking through hard packed, rocky soil, and the labor required to make that land fertile and yielding seems tremendous. I love that God is a God of imagery. And that there seems to be no correlations that are missed by him...

...He raised a nation of people up to be his own in the Fertile Crescent, the very land of bounty and harvest...
...He claimed people that had the very same sin patterns and struggles as those they were called to influence as his own, not to be a "better than" group of people, but a group that would commit to the labor of being holy - being fertile.

Day by day, year by year, and century by century - these people set apart from the nations have performed the difficult labor of breaking through the hard soil of their hearts, removing the rocks of pride, sexual sin, revenge, hatred and greed. Theirs is a story of failure and repentance, disobedience and renewal. To be called to God is a call to work as a laborer.

"Do not turn to idols...
Do not steal...
Do not lie...
Do not reap to the very edges...
Do not defraud...
Do not pervert justice...
Do not hate your brother...
Do not seek revenge...
Do not practice divination...
Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves...
Do not mistreat an alien living among you.."

BE HOLY. That's all these mean. They mean BE HOLY, as God is Holy. God offers his name, gives an inheritance and asks in return that we live lives of distinction. Like this, only more - "Oh him, well, he's a Benton. You can tell." BE HOLY - "Oh him, well, he's from God's family. You can tell, because he's different. He's kind. He is just. He is generous. He is humble. My wife is safe in his company. He works beside me when I need help. He laughs. He accepts me. Yeah, he's part of that God family down the street."

They had a choice, those Chosen Ones. They could choose God or not. Choosing God was hard! I mean, reading Leviticus I think it's easy to forget that these practices were day in and day out and the Jewish people, from Moses to David, from Samuel to Isaiah, from Malachi to Jesus - they practiced being holy for God through the years. Know what? They practiced being holy and following these specific ordinances all the way through to WWI, surviving plagues, pogroms, persecution and more. Centuries. And the remnant remains.

I guess I started these ramblings, because as I stared out my window on the rising sun this morning pondering Ch 17-20, the words BE HOLY just kept rolling over me. BE HOLY. I think I'm guilty of thinking being holy this side of Jesus hasn't/shouldn't require as much labor as my family back in Leviticus. I mean - His holiness has been imparted to me, right? Hmmm - What part of the Word is not as relevant to my life as another? What part of the Word can be minimized or enlarged? What part of God changes? "I the LORD do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. Ever since the time of your forefathers you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the LORD ALmighty." Malachi 3:6 BE HOLY.

It's not easy, pursuing holiness. Never has been. I think its less about a list of "do not's", and more about a list of characteristics. A way to mark how you've grown. A way to identify what the Spirit is speaking into your life about more rocks to remove from the soil of your heart.

We are part of this family, established so long ago. Because of the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we no longer have to stand ankle deep in the blood of sacrifice. But the call to work as a laborer remains the same. And it is just as hard.

This fills me with hope. We're still here. We're still His.

Well, I'm reading through Leviticus. Seeing new things and convicted once again to live a life that reflects the true nature of God.

"...to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ-their Lord and ours: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Cor 1:2,3

Delve into some Leviticus, Favored One. It's not light reading, but it definitely is liberating!