Are you impressed by God? Silly question, perhaps, but worth
asking, I believe. We have tamed Him, explained away His majesty, and made
ourselves so familiar with Him that we often lack the proper reverence that
brings us to our knees and silences our complaints.
I am reading in Leviticus at present, a challenging book in
the Bible for a modern mind, to be sure. It is full of ritual commands about
what sacrifice to offer for what occasion. The details are, to our
sensibilities, gross, involving slaughter, blood, and guts. Beyond the
sacrificial details, there are specific commands about human behavior, what is
right, what should be punished. It is often harsh, downright brutal, to our
understanding.
What’s the point of it all? The book is about being HOLY.
In every line, the message is that God is not a familiar Big Guy, that He is
not like the fickle gods worshipped by other nations. God reminded His people,
in rich symbolism, that He was present among them. However, He was not to be
trivialized, marginalized, or approached with a casual or flippant attitude.
The bloody, awful sacrifices were an object lesson in the cost of sin,
demanding ‘life for life.’
In our sophistication we may wish to avert our eyes from the
Cross, but the truth remains that we, too, are reconciled to our Holy God by
sacrifice; the atoning sacrifice of His Son. The writer of Hebrews is
clear about how we become acceptable to God, our Creator - "When Christ
came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through
the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say,
not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats
and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own
blood, having obtained eternal redemption. The blood of goats and bulls and
the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify
them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood
of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God,
cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the
living God!" (Hebrews 9:11-14, NIV)
This theme of holiness extends to our era, to us as His
people, too. In the New Testament, Peter refers to Leviticus 19:2 where we
read: "Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy."
(Leviticus 19:2, NIV) He amplifies the call - "As obedient children,
let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God’s life, a life
energetic and blazing with holiness. God said, “I am holy; you be holy.” (1
Peter 1:15-16, The Message)
We belong to Him, are called to offer ourselves as ‘living
sacrifices.’ Our words, our choices, should reflect an awareness that
He is present, powerful, and seeking our devotion. Does that mean we are people
without humor, that we must never find pleasure in the simpler things of life?
Not at all. That caricature of ‘holiness’ creeps into the Church and becomes a
new “Law,” robbing us of the joy of the Lord. Genuine holiness grows out of our
intimate knowledge of the Holy One. We love Him and choose to do nothing that
we know would be displeasing in His sight.
Yes, He is a Holy God, but we do not cower before Him, nor do
we run from His Presence. We come before Him boldly, yet in reverence, because
Jesus has removed our guilt and given us the gift of being the children of
God. Read the opening chapters of Leviticus! Let the ‘otherness’ of God
be impressed on you. Then, give thanks for the Perfect Sacrifice that makes you
God’s own possession. Take up that high calling to serve a holy God.
The word from the Word says "You are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy
nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the
goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful
light. “Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once
you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.” Dear friends, I warn
you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires
that wage war against your very souls." (1 Peter 2:9-11, NLT)
Abba, I am so grateful for Your declaration of my identity in
Christ.
Today, may I be that kind of person who reverences You in
Your holiness,
yet loves You intimately because of Your love.
As a priest, may I connect Heaven’s grace with the needs of
earth.
As part of Your holy nation may ever choice reveal the beauty
of Your reign.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen
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