Key events in today’s reading:

• Description of various offerings (Leviticus 1-8)
• Priests begin their ministry (Leviticus 9)
• Description of Koshar Laws (Leviticus 11)

Verse that stood out to me: “For I am the Lord who brought you up from the land of Egypt, to be your God; you shall be holy, for I am holy” (Leviticus 11:45).

Let’s admit it. Leviticus sounds strange to modern readers. With its cleanliness laws, dietary regulations, and offering protocols, this priestly manual stands a world away from modern life. While I was comforted to know that if I ever go bald I’d still be able to participate in worship (13:40), most of the book left me scratching my not-yet-bald head.

I don’t have an easy answer about how to make these passages “relevant” to our day to day lives. I’m not even sure that’s the point. After all, the Bible wasn’t just written just for us, but rather for God’s people throughout the ages. As strange as the book of Leviticus is to us, it played an important role in the life of ancient Israel, both during the time in Canaan but also during the Babylonian exile when Israel found itself surrounded by a foreign culture and the worship of foreign gods. The holiness code served as a way of setting Israel apart from her neighbors. Holiness means being set apart for God. That distinctiveness is an important part of the overall story of God’s people.

While the individual guidelines in the book might not translate into the lives of modern day believers, the call to be set apart for the Lord remains. Just look at the apostle Peter’s words to the early church which draw from Leviticus 11:44-45, “Prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy‘” (1 Peter 1:13-15).

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For tomorrow, September 7, 2020

Cover to Cover: Leviticus 14:8-25:47

Key Passage: Leviticus 19:1-18

Verse of the Day: Leviticus 19:18