Suggested Bible Reading: Leviticus 19-21
Devotional Thought:
Leviticus 19 covers a great deal of ground, ranging from what might appear to be the mundane or trivial, such as the use of weights and measures and the care of one’s beard, through certain moral issues to the question of idols and witchcraft. There is a certain amount of repetition of what has been said before, evidently to emphasize important principles, but also much that is new material not previously mentioned.
Various aspects of the Ten Commandments are brought to the forefront. For example, honoring parents, keeping holy the Sabbath day, idolatry, commandments regarding lying, stealing, and honoring the name of God is clearly defined. In this chapter the phrase “I am the Lord” occurs 15 times. The phrase occurs 45 times throughout the entire book of Leviticus. Of the 15 times the phrase is used in chapter 19 “your God” is added 7 times. The whole thrust of the chapter is that the people must act in a way that is consistent with being associated with the Lord. The people, by living holy lives, were to reflect the character of the Lord their God. I like to refer to 1 Peter 2:9 as the mission statement for the Christian, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” I think it is time for Christians to embrace the awesome privilege to bear the image of Christ. We need to stop seeing the Bible as “do’s and don’ts” and start seeing it as a helpful tool to grow the most important relationship ever known to mankind. We must embrace the Bible as a treasured resource in knowing our God more intimately and learning how we can honor Him in our worship and service. We are so naturally selfish, and it is time we find fault in the real problem rather than blaming the Bible and all its rules. God teaches in this chapter that the holiness of life had to be displayed both in the way the people related to their fellow Israelites and also to the strangers found within their community. It was a holiness that was to be demonstrated by love-a love that does not refer to feelings but actions. There are two characteristics of God to be displayed in the lives of His people: holiness and love. These characteristics are also emphasized in the New Testament and therefore there is much from this chapter for the child of God in the church age to learn.
Prayer Requests:
• Lord, please help me to live holy. May the decision to be holy before you and others, be driven solely by my love for you.
• Lord, thank you for your promise to help me in this area. Thank you for calling me out of darkness and into your marvelous light.
• Lord, please help me to live as a proper and present illustration of your character before other.