In Lev 19:2 we are told to "Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy."
Now
this seems to be an impossible task. What human (other than Jesus)
could be holy as God is holy? That's a rather tall order, wouldn't you
say? Well, of course it is if we try to do it on our own. But in
today's reading, we have this great promise in Lev 22.
"I am the Lord who makes you holy..."
Wow! HE is the one to make us holy!
God
again lays out the punishments for disobedience. In Lev 26:27-35 some
very specific consequences are spelled out. All these consequences
happened when Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to Jerusalem and the people were
taken into Babylonian captivity. The people were warned way ahead of
time. One of the things listed in this passage is that God collected on
his seventy years of Sabbaths.
And yet another offer is
presented from the Father to His children if they follow His decrees
and commands. Just read again all the blessings of obedience listed in
Lev 26:3-13. It sounds almost like the Millennial Kingdom or the
Garden of Eden. If they had obeyed, they would have entered the land
under millennial conditions. This time He promises them all this and
once again, “I will walk among you.”
2 Cor 6:16-18
What
agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are
the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them
and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my
people.""Therefore come out from them and be separate,
says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you." "I
will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says
the Lord Almighty."
As in yesterday's reading, we
are reminded again of avoiding anything indecent. That means staying
away from those who might pull us away from God. And again, we are
reminded that we are to be different and separate from the world
around us. This is not to say that we must remove ourselves from the
world, but we are to show ourselves to the world to be different!
Even now He promises us an abundant life with Him if we only listen and obey!
Under
the punishments for disobedience, in each stage of punishment, God
gives them a chance to repent. Then when they disobey, each stage of
the punishment gets worse than the one before. Look at the progression:
1. Sudden terror, diseases, and seeds don't grow
2. Punishment seven times over - soil will not yield
3. Multiple afflictions seven times over, wild animals devour children and cattle
4. Suffer the effects of multiple afflictions - plague, sent into enemies' hands, food cut off
5.
Punishment seven times over - they will eat their children, cities
are in ruin, land is laid waste, people are scattered among the nations
6. Anything left will live in constant fear even though no one is pursuing them
7. They will perish among the nations
Look at the progression from the first to the seventh. But God....
Lev 26:46
These are the decrees, laws, and the regulations that the Lord established on Mount Sinai...
All
these were given to Moses during the trips up the mountain. It all
began with only the "Big 10". God added more because of their
disobedience. Many lessons for us to learn from this!
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