Leviticus 11:44 “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.”
You can define your culture by what you eat, where you go, and how you think. Have you ever met someone that was obviously not from the same culture? Maybe your first thought or comment was, “You’re not from around here, are you?” Let’s take food for instance: if you love fried chicken, you are probably not from Michigan; if a grinder is your favorite sandwich, you probably don’t live in Alabama. Cultures are obviously different, even here in the United States!
Our culture makes us different. In the Bible, the word holy means set apart or different. God declares in Leviticus 11:44 that He is holy; and consequently, His people were to be holy. They were different, and they were supposed to show that difference. This chapter deals specifically with what they could not eat (look at verse 42). It covers all kinds of creeping (and creepy!) things. Maybe there was something forbidden that was appealing; the point was not appeal, but maintaining-and not hurting-the difference. God’s eternal main purpose was not concerned with pork versus chicken; His main purpose was for His people show that they were different.
We ought to show that we are different today because our God is different. “Diversity” is a buzz word in our day, but often it means to be accepted like everyone else. So really, to be different is not different! Our God-Jehovah-is fundamentally and eternally different from everything and everyone else. There is no one like Him. It was important to show that in Leviticus, and it is important for us to show that today.
In the previous chapter of Leviticus, Nadab and Abihu were serving God but not the right way. They did not show by what they did that their God was different. The priests were not to drink wine or strong drink-verse 10 says, “And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean.” The purpose, according to verse 11, was so they could “teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the LORD hath spoken. . . .”
What are you teaching by the difference you are showing? As Christians, we are unique within American culture because this world is not our home. If God were that interested in a ceremonial law about food, how much more concerned is He about things that are morally right and wrong! Your decisions today ought to show a difference-because our God is different.
Prayer Requests: – Bill Rice Ranch Homeschool Conference (4/2-4/4)
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