DAY 168 - BIG PICTURE IN A YEAR - THE LAW
YOU ARE TO BE HOLY TO ME BECAUSE I, THE LORD, AM HOLY, AND I HAVE SET YOU APART FROM THE NATIONS TO BE MY OWN.
Leviticus 20: 26
As we saw yesterday, the Israelites were called to 'be holy' - that is, set apart for a purpose. So what was that purpose? The Lord didn’t want to make Israel the only people that He would reach out to and reconcile himself with. He always intended to reach all people of all nations in the world. This was even part of His promise to Abraham: “and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
When we read through the LAW, we are very overwhelmed by the number of instructions by which the Israelites were meant to live. However, should you consider it relative to all the laws set up in your own country it doesn’t seem so extreme and complex. The Law was really the equivalent of a national constitution.
Many instructions seem strange and irrelevant. But Leviticus 18 and 20 reveal some of what was happening in the other nations around them. The nations were evil in many of their practices – therefore, many of the instructions were aimed directly against the evil practices of the day.
This LAW was given to change the nation of Israel into one that all the nations would revere. We see this in the story of the time the Queen of Sheba went to visit Jerusalem. At this time the king “maintained justice and righteousness”.
It is not difficult to see that God's purpose has not changed. He is still setting people apart in order to be a witness to Himself. And that includes you. As you live out your set-apart life, you will automatically demonstrate what its like to trust a powerful, loving God. You may be unaware, but people are noticing.
Prayer
Jesus, you said that I must let my light shine before others and not hide it away. Give me the courage to hold firm to the truths of the faith and to make them known to all that you send across my path.
For the family
Explain to your children that we should have the ability to share our faith with those around us. The most important way that we do it, is simply to share our own experiences that we’ve had with God, with others.
Talk to your children about their own testimonies – how they have come to know and experience God. And get them to share those testimonies with you. Then encourage them to share those testimonies with their friends as well.