Many of us tend to dichotomize and compartmentalize our lives by dividing things into categories of either secular or sacred, material or spiritual, refined or natural. We separate what we are at church from our lives on the street. God wants you to move every mundane activity into the realm of holiness. Holiness is not about location, but a shift of perspective in living life. It’s more a matter of motive and intent in how we live life. Is God or self at the center of your thoughts? Do you focus on your own success or serve others so they become successful? To be holy is to be holistic. Leviticus 10-11 demonstrate how the principles of holiness affect both the spiritual and physical areas of life.
Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, died after offering strange fire not commanded by the Lord. Moses said to Aaron that those who came near God will be treated as holy and before all the people He will be honored. Moses told Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Aaron’s uncle Uzziel to carry his relatives outside the camp. Moses told Aaron’s sons Eleazar and Ithamar stay in the tent of meeting without uncovering their heads or tearing their clothes so they would not die (Lev. 10:1-7). Holiness enables you to build your relationship with God upon His word.
God told Aaron and his sons not to drink wine or strong drink when they came into the tent of meeting so as to make a distinction between the holy and the profane and to teach Israel all the statutes. Moses told Aaron’s surviving sons to eat an unleavened grain offering beside the altar. They also were instructed to offer a breast and thigh for a wave offering in a clean place (Lev. 10:8-15). Holiness enables you to depend on God for physical and spiritual necessities to sacrificially give to support His servants.
Moses was angry that the goat of the sin offering was burned and not eatened so Eleazar and Ithamar could bear away the guilt of the congregation and make atonement. Moses was satisfied with Aaron’s explanation that mourning for his other sons caused them to not eat the sin offering (Lev. 10:16-20). Holiness enables you to not judge but identify with others’ sin so you can minister to them.
The Lord said to Moses and Aaron that Israel could eat mammals with split hoofs and chew the cud. They could not eat camel, rock badger, rabbit or pig since they were unclean. They could only eat water animals with fins and scales. Those without fins and scales were detestable to them. They could not eat birds like eagle, vulture, buzzard, kite, falcon, raven, ostrich, owl, sea gull, hawk, stork, heron, hoopoe and bat. Winged insects that walked on all fours were detestable except the locust, cricket and grasshopper (Lev. 11:1-23). Holiness enables you to eat healthy food to maintain good health.
Whoever touched unclean carcasses, including animals that walked on all fours, became unclean until evening. Those who picked up their carcasses washed their clothes. Swarming things like the mole, mouse, lizard, gecko, crocodile, sand reptile, chameleon were unclean. A dead swarming thing made anything it touched unclean (Lev. 11:1-38). Holiness enables you to maintain a lifestyle of cleanliness and isolation to prevent disease.
A person became unclean until evening if they touched a dead clean animal. He who ate or touched a carcass washed their clothes and became unclean until evening. One could not eat swarming things that crawled on its belling, walked on all fours or had many feet. Be holy since the Lord your God is holy. Don’t make yourselves unclean with swarming things. The Lord brought you from the Egypt to be your God to be holy like Him (Lev. 11:39-45). Holiness enables you to prevent the transmission of disease through proper hygiene.
The law regarding every living thing was given to make a distinction between the clean and unclean and between the edible and what could not be eatened (Lev. 11:46-47). Holiness demonstrates that God can speak and has access to physical and spiritual areas of life.
Answer the following three questions:
1. What areas of your life are you not allowing to speak into?
2. How would that area change if you depended on God?
3. What is God asking you to do?
