Text: Leviticus 11:41-47 (KJV)
41 And every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth shall be an abomination; it shall not be eaten.
42 Whatsoever goeth upon the belly, and whatsoever goeth upon all four, or whatsoever hath more feet among all creeping things that creep upon the earth, them ye shall not eat; for they are an abomination.
43 Ye shall not make yourselves abominable with any creeping thing that creepeth, neither shall ye make yourselves unclean with them, that ye should be defiled thereby.
44 For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
45 For I am the LORD that bringeth 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 beasts, and of the fowl, and of every living creature that moveth in the waters, and of every creature that creepeth upon the earth:
47 To make a difference between the unclean and the clean, and between the beast that may be eaten and the beast that may not be eaten.
Key Verse: “For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth” (Leviticus 11:44).
MESSAGE:
Jimmy Owens, the renowned songwriter wrote in one of his famous hymns: “You shall be holy unto me, For I, the Lord am holy, You shall be holy unto me, For I, the Lord, am holy, And you shall sanctify yourselves and be holy, For I am holy, And you shall sanctify yourselves, and be holy, For I am holy, And I will walk among you and will be your God. And I will walk among you, and you shall be My people”. There are people who cannot bear with a system that seems to curtail their liberty and restrict their lifestyle. They want to be free to do whatever they like whenever they feel. What these people fail to realise is that a life of unrestrained liberty is in itself the greatest form of bondage.
In today’s text, God commanded the children of Israel to avoid eating certain creatures in order to keep themselves clean. Several other passages in the Scriptures highlight God’s distaste for uncleanness because He wants His people to be holy, set apart and be unique just as He is holy. The Lord does not want true Christians to mix up with their pagan neighbours, get involved in their idol worship or compromise with them in sin.
God called Israel out of idolatrous Egypt and set them apart as a unique nation, dedicated to worshipping Him alone in the beauty of holiness. This is the same calling we have as Christians today. We are to remain spiritually isolated from the wickedness and corruption of this world. God does not expect us to accomplish this by our own power; hence, He made provision for us through the death of His Son, Jesus Christ.
As we accept the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour and willingly set ourselves apart from the pollutions of this world, we will receive grace and power to live a radiant, holy and victorious life.
Thought For The Day: You can’t belong to God and be unlike God. He is holy, so must you!
The Bible In One Year: Proverbs 9–11
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