Thursday 8th October - Leviticus 21 & 22

8th October 2015

Against passages like todays in Leviticus the challenge of ‘holy living’ can seem an impossible standard.  In these two chapters we read of the higher standard that was required of the priests; standards that involved their personal affairs and relationships, standards that involved their physical appearance, and standards that involved their professional conduct.  We live in a society that set’s its own standards, that measures itself against itself, and that provides very few strong examples that we can follow in our own pursuit of holy living.  As Christians we look to the church to provide these examples, and through Israel’s leadership God was trying to provide them to His people.  God wanted His appointed leaders to exalt their relationship with Him above all other relationships.  He did not want standards in worship and offerings to slip over the passage of time.  He did not want the priests to forget their privileged position in terms of the access they had to His presence.  If they could internalise the laws on their hearts, and always remember the significance of their rituals, then their descendants could start to comprehend the perfect example that is in Christ Jesus, in the life that He lead, in the work that He did, and in the sacrifice that He made on the cross.  Pray that God would help you to put Him above all else, to pursue holiness vigorously in your personal and professional life, and to turn daily to Jesus in thanksgiving and humility, praising Him for meeting the standard we couldn’t possibly hope to!