Leviticus 11:44-47

c. HOLINESS DEMANDED OF THE PEOPLE OF GOD 11:44-47
TEXT 11:44-47

44

For I am Jehovah your God: sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that moveth upon the earth.

45

For I am Jehovah that brought you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.

46

This is the law of the beast, and of the bird, and of every living creature that moveth in the waters, and of every creature that creepeth upon the earth;

47

to make a distinction between the unclean and the clean, and between the living thing that may be eaten and the living thing that may not be eaten.

THOUGHT QUESTIONS 11:44-47

224.

How is the word sanctity used here? How does it relate to holiness?

225.

How does the character of God relate to our character?

226.

How does the deliverance from Egypt relate to holiness?

227.

God is interested in what we eat. Is this the message we should get from these verses? Discuss.

PARAPHRASE 11:44-47

I am the Lord your God. Keep yourselves pure concerning these things, and be holy, for I am holy; therefore do not defile yourselves by touching any of these things that crawl upon the earth. For I am the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God. You must therefore be holy, for I am holy. These are the laws concerning animals, birds, and whatever swims in the water or crawls upon the ground. These are the distinctions between what is ceremonially clean and may be eaten, and what is ceremonially defiled and may not be eaten, among all animal life upon the earth.

COMMENT 11:44-47

Leviticus 11:44-47 These verses contain a reason and a summary. Israel had reasons for being different: (1) Be different because you accept God as Lord. I am the Lord your God, if I make distinctions, you will accept them. They are for your benefit, but whether you can see the benefit or not you accept the distinctions because you have accepted my Lordship. (2) Be different because your consecration demands it. You were set apart from other men who do not know Me. The ceremonies just concluded on the eighth day were to dramatically and publicly declare your distinctiveness. Commit yourself to your consecration or ordination. (3) Be different or holy for I am holy. There is nothing more desirable in life than to be like God; to share the nature of God in the ordinary affairs of life. If you carefully follow God's choices of clean and uncleanthis will indeed separate you from those who do not make such distinctionsbut who is more important? Do you want to be like men or like God? Follow men or God? (4) Be different and follow Me, because I delivered you from slavery in Egypt. Do you appreciate my freedom? Then be different as I am different. To be different like God is different is to be beautiful, peaceful, joyful, for God is all of this and more! Our blessed Lord is the best example of holiness and its beauty. Cf. 1 Peter 1:15-16 for the same kind of direction.

FACT QUESTIONS 11:44-47

276.

Why does our acceptance of the Lordship of Jesus necessarily make us different from other people?

277.

Show how our baptism makes us distinctive.

278.

To be like God is to be differentshow how.

279.

Our deliverance makes us different. How so?