DAY 167 - BIG PICTURE IN A YEAR - THE LAW
SPEAK TO THE ENTIRE ASSEMBLY OF ISRAEL AND SAY TO THEM: ‘BE HOLY BECAUSE I, THE LORD YOUR GOD, AM HOLY.
Leviticus 19: 2
Reading: Romans 7: 12; 1 Peter 1: 15-16
Yesterday we saw that the sacrifices and ordinances we read about in Leviticus, were but types and shadows of the real that was to come - Jesus.
So why did God give the Israelites the law? Why did they have to sacrifice animals, year after year, to cover the mercy seat with blood, if that blood did not actually save them?
The answer lies in a phrase that we often hear Moses repeating as he goes through the laws. "Be holy".
We tend to think that “holy” means “righteous” because the use of the word is linked to the laws. However, this does not make sense when we see how God also called inanimate things, like the altar or the priests' garments, holy. How can things be righteous? They cannot. And this points us to the true meaning of the word 'holy'.
'Holy' means to be set apart for a specific purpose. Separated from what? Separated from everything else. God called His people out from the nations, and gave them laws that would shape their society and culture. Remember, they had been slaves in Egypt. Slaves have no rights; they are at the lowest level of society. God had to deliver His people from the remnants of Egyptian thinking and religion that was lingering in their hearts and minds. He wanted to transform them into a people who could live in peace and harmony together. In any society and culture, you need a law that is higher than yourself to govern your interactions with the rest of society. God knew that His people needed this. The LAW of God is good. It set the Israelites apart from any other nation. Their culture was based on the Word of God and the ways of God.
You, too, are holy. Set apart for God’s purposes. Ask the Spirit to show you what it is that God has called you to do. As you walk with Him and obey Him, He will bring those things to pass in your life.
Prayer
Lord, thank You for calling me and setting me apart for Your purposes. I surrender my life to You, to do all that You have called me to do. Thank You for Your Spirit who shows me Your will and Your ways.
For the family
After playing the below game with your children, discuss how each item has a specific purpose and that it would not make sense to use a toothbrush to brush your hair, or to use a tissue to eat food, etc. Each item is set aside for a particular task and is specially made for that use. In the same way, God has set us, the people of God, for a specific purpose, to be a witness to the nations. But he has also set each person apart for a special purpose to fulfil the gift and calling that he has placed in that person.
GAME
Play a game with your children where you have a box of common items, like a toothbrush, a hair brush, bug spray, cleaner, a box of tissues, a box of crackers, a spoon, etc. Have them take turns to put on a blindfold and then ask them to fetch a particular item from the box, but not by naming the item, but describing its use, e.g. “find an item you use to brush your hair” or “an item to blow your nose”.