Podcast Introduction

Today our reading is Leviticus 19-21. Afterwards, I’ll have some thoughts to share with you, and I’m calling today’s episode “Be Different.”

Comments on Leviticus 19-20

The Lord spoke to Moses: “Speak to the entire Israelite community and tell them: Be holy because I, Yahweh your God, am holy. 

Leviticus 19: 1-2 HCSB

“You are to keep all My statutes and all My ordinances, and do them, so that the land where I am bringing you to live will not vomit you out. 23You must not follow the statutes of the nations I am driving out before you, for they did all these things, and I abhorred them. 24And I promised you: You will inherit their land, since I will give it to you to possess, a land flowing with milk and honey. I am Yahweh your God who set you apart from the peoples. 25Therefore you must distinguish the clean animal from the unclean one, and the unclean bird from the clean one. Do not become contaminated by any land animal, bird, or whatever crawls on the ground; I have set these apart as unclean for you. 26You are to be holy to Me because I, Yahweh, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be Mine. 

Leviticus 20:22-26 HCSB

In chapter 19, verses 1 and 2, God called the Israelites to be holy, as He is holy. To be holy is to be separate, different, set apart. (Apart, not a part. When an orange is still hanging on the tree, it is a part of the tree. Once I pluck the orange, it is apart from the tree, no longer a part of the tree.)

God is holy, in that He is different from everything else in all creation. Every aspect of who and what God is, is different than every other thing. Because He is God, He is greater, He is more righteous, He is more just, more pure, more loving, more MORE than can be expressed.

So how can He call His people to be holy, because He is holy? We are not God. We are human. How can we be holy? Because we are made in His image. He is not calling us to be gods, because God is the only true God. So what is He calling us to do? He is calling us to be separate, different, set apart from the things in the world that are not pleasing to Him. Or put another way, set apart from the things that are not like Him. We are to be more like Him. We are to reflect Him as much as we can. The word “Christian” means, “like Christ”. 

So in chapter 19 and most of chapter 20, God, through Moses, talked about the punishment that was to be meted out for various sins, which had already been spoken of in previous chapters. And then in verses 22-26 of chapter 20, God gave His reason for calling Israel to be holy.

God has called His chosen people out of Egypt and into the Promised Land. This is a land that had been inhabited by people who practiced many things that were evil in the sight of God, and He did not want any of that behavior to be brought into the Israelite culture. The fact that the previous inhabitants did such heinous things is why God had the Israelites expel and, in fact, why He commanded them to completely wipe them out in almost every case. 

And God told the Israelites to keep all of His statues and laws so that the land where He was bringing them would not vomit them out, as He was having them do to the Canaanites who were presently in that land. This is why He called them to be holy.

And this idea of being different, of being separate, is the reason for many of the laws in these two chapters. Whenever there was a behavior that was practiced by the Canaanites, God said, “Do not do that.” 

Some of the seemingly random laws are examples of this. Like the shaving of the sides of the heads or the trimming of the beards. These were things done by the pagans in their worship of idols. The same for cutting the flesh or tattoos. God said do not do those things because you are to be holy, separate, different. Don’t do what they do.

The mixing of textiles was forbidden because the pagans did that, thinking that there was some sort of magic associated with clothes made in this manner.

Many of the laws concerning sexual activity have the same basis. The pagans had many perverse practices in their religions, so God was very explicit in what He had to say about what was not allowed. Today, as we read through these laws we say, “Of course you shouldn’t do that!” But remember, beloved, our culture has the benefit of being founded on Judeo-Christian principles. For now, as long as it lasts (and Judeo-Christian culture is under attack today), most of our way of life is defined, even in our legal system, by these principles. 

As God warned the Israelites to keep all His statutes and all His judgements so that the land would not vomit them out, I believe we have enjoyed God’s blessings here in America because we were founded on these ideals. And just as God allowed Israel to be judged when they forsook Him, I believe we are in danger of His judgement today. 

Beloved, again I say that we must return to God. He said, in 2 Chronicles 7:14, “Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.” 

Notice, beloved, who God is calling to humble themselves and pray and seek His face and turn from their wicked ways. It wasn’t the heathen. It wasn’t the sinner. God said, “If MY people who are called by MY name…” Beloved, WE must humble OURselves. WE must pray. WE must seek His face. WE must turn from OUR wicked ways.

You say, “Steve, I’m not wicked.” I say, “Is that right?” Okay. Maybe it’s just me, but I know that I fail God every day. I am SO not like Jesus. I have SO far to go. I KNOW that I am not the man that God wants me to be. I know that the only way I’m getting into Heaven is because I am washed in the blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ. But I still want to continue to strive to be more like Him.

Beloved. ALL of us MUST seek His face. We MUST ask Him to reveal to us where we fail Him and humbly ask Him to forgive us. We MUST ask Him to heal our land.

Will you join me in this? I made the same plea last year on the show when we read these chapters. But here in 2022, we are in worse shape, world wide, than we were in 2021. Will you commit to earnestly pray with me? Our nation…our WORLD will only find healing and peace through God. Political leaders or political systems won’t do it for us. That’s more clear today than it was even just last year. God is the ONLY answer. 

Pray with me:

O God. We humbly come to you now in Jesus’ precious name, and we plead with You to reveal to us those areas in our lives that are not pleasing to You. Show us, God, where we are falling short. We know that You are not happy with us. We know that we need the forgiveness that can only come because of your great mercy. Please God, forgive us. Forgive us for the things we do, and for the things we don’t do. Forgive us for our cowardice. Forgive us for not standing up for what we know is right, and for not fighting against what we know is wrong. Father, we ask You now to give us the courage that can only come from You. Give us courage to speak for the weak among us. Give us courage to fight for what is right. God, we ask that you heal our land. Not just here in America, Lord, but in our world. Oh God, we need You. Let this generation see a revival the likes of which have never been seen. Pour out Your Spirit on us, Lord. Make us a mighty army for You. We humbly ask that You make us worthy to be called by Your name. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Today’s Bible Translation

Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 19-20 HCSB; Ch. 21 NAS

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The Team

Transcript Correction: Lifespring Family Berean, Sister Denise
Podcasting 2.0 Chapters: Lifespring Family Berean, Brother Sean of San Pedro and Lifespring Family Berean, Brother Michael Haner
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