Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the LORD your God. Keep my decrees and follow them. I am the LORD, who makes you holy.
Leviticus 20:7-8 NIV
Reading Leviticus can be challenging. It is filled with rules about sacrifices, holy days, what you can eat, and things that defile. Does it even have any relevance to us today?
While the specific rules are generally not something we have to concern ourselves with today, the message of Leviticus is still very relevant. Leviticus is about being holy. It is a call for us to live holy lives, distinct from the people who live around us.
I suspect most of us are uncomfortable with the idea of being holy. To be holy is to be set apart. To be distinct from our culture and what it values. But being different can be uncomfortable, and most of us would prefer to fit in. Few of us enjoy the abuse and ridicule that comes along with being different. Nor do we want to miss out on what this world offers.
But we are holy. God has made us holy, redeeming us from slavery to sin and bringing us into his family, setting us apart from the rest of the world. And he expects us to live lives that reflect that reality. We should be holy because of the LORD God. And because of what he has done for us.
