Bible Chapter: Leviticus 19 & 20

Because the Bible is practical, here are some statements to get you thinking.

1.  Write one or two key thoughts that come from today’s reading.
    To try to dig in to all the laws listed in these chapters would take a long time.  The principles we see point people to live a holy life.  God is holy and He expects His followers to be holy as well.  Living holy is living separate from and not participating in the evil customs and sins of the world around us.  Living holy is learning, understanding and applying the principles the Bible gives us.  It is learning the moral and ethical truths of the Bible and then living them.  It is understanding that sin pollutes and destroys but obedience brings blessings.  God told His people that He had set them apart from the nations to be His own.  Those who live a life of obedience and holiness will be a part of God’s people.
    One verse jumped out to me as I read.  Chapter 20 verse 22 shows the practical application of obedience.  It says that when they would keep God’s decrees and laws the land would not vomit them out.  That is an interesting way of expressing it.  Backing up to 18:24-28 we see the same principle.  Because of the detestable sins of the people in the lands where they would eventually live, even the land was defiled.  Obedience has wide-spread implications.

2.  What can I apply in my life from the reading?
    The long list of laws in these chapters cover basic principles of being a good citizen and making a society strong.  They teach how to get along and live peacefully.  They teach against selfishness and hurting others.  They teach how we can live a holy life, separated from evil practices.  We are to have nothing to do with evil spirits.  We are to love one another and treat each other the way God wants us to treat them.  God lets us know here that He will punish sin. He is serious about getting sin out of our lives and societies.  In the same way that a cleaning staff does all they can to get germs out of an operating room, so God longs for all sin to be out of our lives.

3.  How can I help someone?
    There are many laws we need to learn.  The moral principles given in these chapters must be understood.  That understanding goes far beyond simply learning some laws.  God wants us to understand that there is a reason for His laws.  We are hurt by sin.  Because He loves us so much He doesn’t want us to be hurt.  Life is better because of obedience.