Be Holy
This week I have been contemplating Leviticus 18-19, and once again, I am overwhelmed with gratitude. In my youth I saw these chapters as lists of disparate rules one must follow in order to please a holy God. There was a lot to remember! It seemed easy to go wrong, and I feared offending the LORD. Now that I am older, I see the teaching differently. In stead of feeling fear, I am astounded at the great plea, the invitation, the promise at the heart of these chapters. “ Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.” This is our hope! The LORD is our God and He wants us to share in His holiness. God desires us to be like Him in His most essential attribute so that we can live with Him. But what does holiness look like in a fallen world? How can mortal men be holy?
The LORD knew that Israel could not answer that question coming out of Egypt. They could not discern holiness by looking at the peoples around them. Neither can we Christians discern holiness by looking at the world surrounding us. We must be taught how to be holy. Scripture informs us that holy people honor their parents. They do not sleep with close relatives. They do not lie or steal. They provide for the poor. They love the alien in their land. They do not pervert justice. They do not slander. They do not seek omens nor do they plant two kinds of seeds in a single field.
I am so thankful for these laws! The older I grow, the more thankful I am, for I realize that I do not innately know what is holy and what is not. I cannot see reality like God sees it. My understanding is limited. It is more than limited, in fact. Both my intellect and my moral compass are twisted in ways I cannot perceive because they have been shaped by unholy models and unholy motives.
I realize that some of the regulations in Leviticus 18 and 19 cause Jewish scholars to scratch their heads. Christians have an even harder time interpreting these commands. Which ones are universal moral imperatives and which ones are peculiar to the Jewish people? I confess that I do not check the fabric blends I wear; nor do I eat kosher. But when I read these laws, I know in my gut that it is right not to sleep with one’s uncle, or to sell a daughter into prostitution. Furthermore, I realize that I could not have figured these boundaries of sexuality for myself. In fact, without these laws, I might not have known God regards our sexuality, our business practices, our diets and even our thoughts as matters of holiness. He is interested in everything.
I find this truth to be exceedingly comforting. If the standard the Holy One sets for us requires us to love from the heart, to forgive, to provide for the needy, and to judge justly, then how much more can we expect God to act with holiness towards His people? I think particularly of this command. “Do not hate a fellow Israelite in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in their guilt.” - Lev. 19: 17. We humans are not good at either end of this instruction - we tend to hide our anger and avoid confrontation. But such behaviour is not holy! It is not the way of the LORD. God rebukes us openly and loves us tenderly. He forgives our sins when we repent. He does not bear a grudge. (vs. 18) This is wonderful news! God does not curse us in the counsels of heaven (vs. 14) nor does He put stumbling blocks in our paths. He never swears falsely! Rather, in sending us His son, He has made us His neighbors, and He loves us as He loves Himself. His love is an expression of His holiness. Our love for our neighbors is a requirement of belonging to Him.