The LORD spoke to Moses: “Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘I am the LORD your God! You must not do as they do in the land of Egypt where you have been living, and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan into which I am about to bring you; you must not walk in their statutes. You must observe my regulations and you must be sure to walk in my statutes. I am the LORD your God.
Leviticus 18:1-4 NET
When these words were given to Israel, they had spent the previous 400 years immersed in Egyptian culture and gods. It was the way of life they knew. And they were ultimately headed for Canaan, which had its own cultural identity and set of gods. The temptation to conform to what they found there would be great.
But there was a third cultural identity that God wanted them to adopt instead. An identity as God’s treasured possession, a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation (Ex. 19:5-6). A people distinct from the surrounding culture and its practices.
This cultural identity was codified in the 613 laws of the Torah from Exodus through Deuteronomy. But it was about more than just following a code of conduct different than the surrounding peoples. God began and ended the passage above with what made them unique–the LORD was their God. And their lifestyle was to reflect that.
Few today serve the gods of ancient Egypt or Canaan. But the gods of this age–the gods of materialism, moral relativism, intellectualism, and various other isms–hold sway over much of our world today. And what God said to Israel as they camped at Mt. Sinai still applies to his people today.
The LORD is our God. And, because he is our God, we are not to live like the people around us who serve the gods of this age. Instead, we are to live lives of godliness (1 Tim. 2:2), holiness (1 Pet. 1:15-16), and love (1 John 4:16) as we eagerly wait for our Lord’s return (Tit. 2:12-13).
So, dare to be different. Seek to be holy, set apart, and distinct from this world and its gods. To live as a child of the LORD rather than a child of this age.
