I Love Leviticus!

There are those of you out there cringing at the very thought. At one time, I probably did too. Levitical Law does not conjure up warm fuzzies. Law means rules and most of us are not fans of rules. Two years ago, I began to develop a like for Leviticus. This last week, though, has brought a love for this book, because interwoven are precious messages of hope. I appreciate it more and more in light of my children. 

I recently described how different my children are to some friends. One child will follow the rules yet could easily be mislead. One child loves rules and will remind others of the rules when it looks like others are not obeying. One child will find the loophole in every rule. (I will leave it up to you to guess who is whom.)  It is this rule-bender that has made me appreciate Leviticus so much. 

Rule-bender example #1

When we were doing homeschool overseas, I would go to our "principal" in enormous frustration over this rule-bender. Principal (also a rule-bender) would ask what directions I had given said student. I had said, "do A, B, C," or, "don't do X, Y, or Z."  Principal would ask what the student did. I said that Rule-bender did J, K, and L. Principal would point out that I said nothing about J, K, or L. I did not understand why I had to spell everything out for Rule-bender. 

Rule-bender example #2

Rule-bender would come asking to watch television or have a snack. We as parents would say no or wait only to find this child asking again five minutes later. In exasperation, we would tell Rule-bender not to ask again. Five minutes later, Rule-bender did not come ask us but sent a sibling to ask us. We learned to say, "Don't ask again and don't have a sibling ask either." We had to very specific with Rule-bender to prevent issues. 

Who thinks like that? Apparently the Israelites did! For example, one of the Big Ten is, "Do not commit adultery." Just in case anyone had questions about the definition of adultery, Leviticus has at least two chapters on what constitutes immoral relations.  Among regulation after regulation regarding cleanliness and what it means be idolatrous, a phrase repeats itself, "I am the Lord your God." 

Just in case anyone began to forget why the Lord was able to set forth the Law, a reminder was given of all that the Lord had done for them. The Lord is the One who brought them out of Egypt. The Lord is holy and calls His people to be holy, thus the Lord defines for the people what holy means. 

Now, you are saying, "Lisa, you are confirming for me why Leviticus is not my favorite book."  Stay with me!

The best news comes in Leviticus 20:7-8. 

"You shall consecrate yourselves, therefore and be holy, for I am the Lord your God.  And you shall keep My statutes and practice them; I am the Lord who sanctifies you."

Yes, I am called to be holy. Yes, I am to keep and practice what the Lord commands. But it is not me that sanctifies myself.  It is the Lord!  In case I missed it in chapter 20, the Lord repeats Himself three times in chapter 21 that He is the One who sanctifies.  It is in the strength of the Lord that I am able to obey and be made holy! I often get worn out because, consciously or unconsciously, I am trying to do what God directs in my own strength and am trying to make myself holy. We don't have to wear ourselves out. It is the Lord who saves and sanctifies me!  What freedom that is to me! 

So, I love Leviticus!