“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.” (19:2)
Without rules or leadership, we would live in a state of anarchy. There would be no sense of right or wrong in how we conduct ourselves or deal with each other. Not only did God want his people to have fair dealings with each other but He wanted His people to strive for a standard of holiness.
In the Bible, the word holy is used more than 650 times. Holy means “sacred, set apart from the profane (unholy) and for God.” Only God is perfectly Holy. In the O.T. holiness was attained through ceremonial practices and sacrifices. Actions, however were not meant to be separated from having a heart of obedience and submission to God. Over and over in these chapters he would remind the people of why they should do what he required of them. “ I am the Lord” or “ I am the Lord your God.” Always, the focus of our worship is to acknowledge God as Lord of our life.
In a world of hatred, dishonesty, corruption, and cruelty, the attributes God called his people to are a sharp contrast. Included in God’s expectations:
- Reverence of parents, widows, elderly, and the poor.
- Fair business transactions: “You shall do no wrong in judgment, in measures of length or weight or quantity. You shall have just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin: I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.” (19:35-36)
- Worship God only, refraining from worshiping idols.
- Refrain from gossip and slander, extend love and goodwill toward neighbors
- Have honesty and integrity.
In the N.T., Jesus became the last required holy sacrifice because he was perfect and sinless. Christians were then considered holy without all of the ceremony of the old sacrificial system. The holy blood of Jesus made them fully acceptable to God. Even though the sacrifices of animals are no longer required and the strict ceremonial requirements of the OT are no longer necessary, God still asks us to make Him Lord of our life. He still calls us to live our life in a way that honors and glorifies Him. Our standard for living becomes Christ. As Paul said in 1 Corinthians 11:1 "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ"
Do you recognize that God is holy and calls you to holy living?
Do you look to Christ as your example of how to conduct your life to reflect His holy standards?
Do you realize that only the blood of Christ can save you and no independent action or merit of your own?
Is the desire of your heart to submit to God as the Lord of your life?