How to Meet God’s Desire to Be Holy

Reverend Leo H. McCrary II

God did not create mankind to toil around in sin. God created us to be holy just as He is holy. How do we regain what was lost?

Introduction

God has a great desire for all His children; it is a desire for His children to be holy as He is holy.  In this week’s commentary, we are going to take a look at how to meet God’s desire to be holy in His holiness.  This week’s Sunday School commentary will cover Leviticus 19:1-4, 9-18.

The Book of Leviticus

Leviticus, the third book of the Pentateuch (the Torah/Law), is also known as the book of instruction.  We often think of the Ten Commandments as God’s law, but Leviticus covers the many statutes and instructions that were given to the children of Israel by God.

Commanded to be Holy

Leviticus 19:1-2 covers God’s command and desire for His people.  God instructed Moses to speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying to them, “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.”  

Let’s understand that this is a desire of the Lord because He will only abide with holiness.  The children of Israel had entered into a covenant with the Lord; therefore, entering into a relationship with Him.  Because He is holy and divine, God will never have fellowship with sin, as sin disagrees with Him and lives in disobedience.

God’s desire for the children of Israel to be holy was something that was made clear when the children of Israel first reached Mount Sinai.  When they reached Mount Sinai, the Lord spoke to Moses of His desire to give the children of Israel His law.  

The Lord said to the people, “If you will obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you will be a special treasure to Me above all people (Ex. 19:5).”  The children of Israel were to be to God a kingdom of priests and a holy nation through living in obedience to God’s command.  To be clear, there was, and still is, no other way to be holy and righteous but through the way of God.

God’s Instructions to be Holy

Now, just because these commands were given to the children of Israel, I don’t want you to think they aren’t meant for modern-day Christians.  I will show you why these instructions are also meant for us to heed as well.

In Leviticus 19:3-4, we will see that God commanded the children of Israel to live with honor.  First, they were commanded to revere (to honor and respect) their mothers and fathers.  Then they were commanded to honor the Lord and His Sabbaths, not turning to idols, nor making for themselves molded gods.

Both of these commands represent the two divisions (or sections) of the Ten Commandments.  The first division of the Ten Commandments open with the command, “You shall have no other gods before Me (Ex. 20:3).”  The second division of the Ten Commandments open with the command, “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you (Ex. 20:12).”

The children of Israel had a duty to God and a duty to man.  Now, it is interesting that the order is reversed in Leviticus 19:3-4, though the reversal is understandable.  You see, as children, the first ones everyone honors and loves are our parents.  As some of us grow older, our love and honor for our parents grow fonder as we recognize the sacrifices that our parents have made for us.  

So the reversal of the commands makes sense in this case to explain how the children of Israel would grow fonder of Him.  Think about it, God did not demand the children of Israel to love Him, but rather, He sought to earn their honor and love.  

God freed the children of Israel from the bondage of Egypt when they had cried out to Him.  He had helped them cross the Red Sea on dry ground, escaping from Pharaoh’s reach, bringing them to Mount Sinai.  So, God was faithful to them, and in return, the desire was that they would be faithful in honoring the covenant they made with Him.  Even after they worshipped the calf of gold, God showed mercy, rather than condemnation, permitting the children of Israel to continue forward on the journey.

Love Your Neighbor

Now, duty to God, loving Him, is one that many feel they don’t struggle with.  For example, saying your prayers, going to church, is not that difficult a thing to do.  Yet, going to church isn’t necessarily a command from God.  

For the children of Israel, going to the tabernacle and offering up sacrifices wouldn’t be that difficult.  Having religion is not difficult, but moving faithfully, in obedience to God’s instructions, does prove to be a great struggle for all of us.  

Who is your neighbor?

Love of a neighbor has seemingly always proved to be a dilemma–a struggle.  Why has loving a neighbor been such a struggle?  

The answer often boils down to how we struggle with loving that which we aren’t familiar with or understand.  What we aren’t familiar with or don’t understand is often feared, and from that fear is a lack of trust.  That lack of trust turns into animosity.

  A lawyer, believing he knew who his neighbor was, once stood and sarcastically asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?”  The lawyer, a Jew, considered his fellow brethren, the Jews, to be his neighbors.  Gentiles, those who didn’t share the blood of Israel, he chose to treat much differently, not with the same manner of love.

That question led Jesus to share the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37).  Jesus used a Samaritan, those the Jews despised, and the Samaritans despised them in return, to highlight the love of a neighbor.  

There was a Jew who had been robbed, beaten, and left for dead, lying on the road.  Two of his brethren passed by on the other side, not offering him any aid.  Whereas, a Samaritan came along the way and offered aid to one who likely would have despised him.  The Samaritan helped an enemy, and Jesus asked who of the three was neighborly, the two Jews that passed by or the Samaritan.

In Leviticus 19:9, God used harvesting a field to make it clear who to love as a neighbor.  God instructed the children of Israel not to wholly reap their fields, especially not the corners.  God also instructed them not to glean their fields, which meant that whatever they gathered on their first pass through the field would be all they should harvest – no going back to get anything that was missed.

Also, in Leviticus 19:10, God instructed that the children of Israel were to do the same with their vineyards.  Now, why did God instruct the children of Israel to leave food in the fields and vineyards?  To leave food for the poor and the stranger.  

This law was very beneficial in the story of Naomi and Ruth.  In the story of Naomi and Ruth, after losing all her loved ones, Naomi returned back home to Bethlehem.  Ruth, having lost her husband, Naomi’s son, chose go with Naomi, rather than returning to her own people, the Moabites (Ruth 1:1-5).

When they came to Bethlehem, Ruth went to the field to try to gather in what she could for her and Naomi.  The law benefited Ruth, a stranger, as she was welcomed and permitted by Boaz to gather as much as she wanted from his field.

God had made it clear and direct that their neighbors were everyone they could ever interact with.  That included those who worked with them, those who were rich or poor, those they knew, the stranger, and even those that may have despised and hated them.  

How to Love Your Neighbor

Now, as we continue in our lesson, God further explained to the children of Israel how they were to love their neighbor.

 God commanded them not to steal, not to deal falsely, not to lie to one another (Lev. 19:11).  They were also commanded not to swear by God’s name falsely, profaning His name with false works (Lev. 19:12).  False prophets use the name of God in vain, claiming to be doing works on His behalf, while deceiving others.  In the case of loving a neighbor, one ought not say they are doing something for their neighbor, in the name of God, while working against them.

God commanded them not to cheat their neighbors, nor rob them, especially when it came to their labor (Lev. 19:13).  This command speaks to properly honoring someone’s time and their work; not trying to find a way out of paying someone fairly.

They were also instructed not to curse the deaf, nor to put a stumbling block before the blind (Lev. 19:14).  How wicked are those who try to take advantage of the disabled?  When you think about it, it is a shame that anybody has to be commanded to simply do what is right.

Moreover, the children of Israel were commanded to be fair in their judgments; they were not to do unjustly by others nor be biased in their judgments, not even to the poor (Lev. 19:15).  God also commanded them not to be a gossiper or one who threatens the lives of others with their lies and conspiracies (Lev. 19:16).  Again, when you think about it, it is a shame that anybody has to be commanded to be fair.

God then commanded the children of Israel not to hate their brothers in their hearts, as even that would be as murder (Lev. 19:17). Neighbors were to be rebuked, but only rebuked in a manner of correction that uplifts.  Vengeance was not to be taken, nor was one to hold on to grudges (Lev. 19:18).

In all of these instructions, the desire of God becomes clearer and clearer–He wanted the children of Israel to become holy as He is holy through works of love.  He shouldn’t have to command one to do right, but sadly, sin was in the nature of the children of Israel.  They had to be commanded; otherwise, they would have lived in total sin.

A Common Goal for All

Let us not think for a second that those commands are only for the children of Israel.  Keep in mind that when Jesus was asked, which is the great commandment in the law, Jesus responded by saying to love God wholeheartedly and to love one’s neighbor.  In the command to love God and to love our neighbors, Jesus said, hung all the Law and the prophets (Matt. 22:36-40). 

Like the children of Israel, if you see the behavior of mankind today, you’d understand why God commands us to love each other, to love the stranger, and not hate each other.  You see, we don’t love each other in the manner that God desires today.  No, we move in bitter hatred towards those who don’t share the same color of skin we do, talk the same language, share the same nationality, share the same beliefs, or are from the same land.

God’s great desire today is for us to live in a holy and righteous manner, and the only way that can be done is by keeping His instructions.  When we keep to our own instructions, such righteousness is self-righteousness, and self-righteousness is completely destructive.  

God is not the author of confusion; He is not the author of dilemma.  God’s instructions are clear and direct.  The confusion is because man wants to live by his own rules, rather than God’s rules–he desires to live sinfully.  When God made us, He made us to be like Him–to be righteous.  We cannot be like Him if we refuse to keep His instructions.