How are we doing with our first resolution: I will worship God alone? That resolution was from Exodus 20:24. In Exodus 20, the Israelites promised to worship only God. They did that for a while until their faith leader Moses was gone too long. Then they crafted and worshiped a golden calf instead. A statue. They were too comfortable worshiping in the manner of their captors, the Egyptians, from whom God rescued them. After they misplaced their allegiance onto the statue, they quickly slipped into feasting and carousing – carousing in ways that dishonored the true God. This felt more familiar to them. Worshiping the true God was a promise that quickly faded from their hearts. They had resolved to worship God and only God, but the reality of His presence was not a present reality in their hearts. 
 
Yet God was present. 

Our present and faithful God instructed the Israelites to build a tabernacle where they could be confident about His presence. In that tabernacle was a most holy place – holy because of the presence of God. Holy, simply, because God is different. Not different like we might understand difference, but absolutely different: pure, sinless, perfect…unlike much of what we might find in this world. And God wants us to be holy, too. 
 

Resolution #2: I Will Be More Holy 

This resolution is based on Leviticus 20:24 and its context. (Remember, we’re studying every 20:24 verse in the Bible. And we must always study the context because it helps us understand God’s message.) Here are some key verses in Leviticus 20: 
 

“‘’Consecrate yourselves and be holy, 
because I am the Lord your God. 
Keep my decrees and follow them. 
I am the Lord, who makes you holy… 
 
You are to be holy to me because I the Lord, am holy, 
and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own.” 

Leviticus 20:7-8 and 26 

God chose us and set us apart from society to be different in a way that reflects God’s nature. We are to be holy as He is holy. In so doing, we remain true to our God-given heritage and calling. 
 
The overall purpose of Leviticus is to provide instruction and laws for holy living and spiritual growth for God’s people. Israel was held captive in Egypt for 400 years. Egypt was a nation with many gods and members of society whom God abhorred, and the Israelites eventually assimilated into the Egyptian way of life. God wanted to reset and retrain His people so they would be holy like Him. 
 
Because God is the Lord and He set His people apart to be like Him, He directed them to live as holy people and to obey Him (Leviticus 20:7-8, and 22-26). We see two key lessons in Leviticus 20 that are always relevant for all ages in all generations when it comes to holy living. 
 

Lesson One – We are chosen to be different than our society 

The societies of this world almost assuredly do not resemble the holiness of God. I don’t need to convince you of this. It is plainly obvious. What the Apostle Paul wrote almost 2,000 years ago is still relevant today: 

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, 
but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. 
Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is— 
his good, pleasing and perfect will. 

Romans 12:2 

God inspired Moses to write Leviticus to help the Israelites renew their minds. They needed a hard reset because they conformed to the pattern of Egyptian society. New laws and ways of life became available to them through the scrolls of Leviticus. It was a very different pattern for living.

Today we can understand God’s way of living through the entire Bible, His Word. Here are more God-inspired words from the Apostle Paul: 

Therefore, brothers and sisters, 
whatever is true, whatever is noble, 
whatever is right, whatever is pure, 
whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable— 
if anything is excellent or praiseworthy— 
think about such things. 

Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, 
or seen in me— 
put it into practice. 
And the God of peace will be with you. 

Philippians 4:8-9

We may have heard these verses many times, but let’s not shrug them off and say, “Whatever.” Let’s instead respond with, “Whatever is Godlike, that is what I want for myself. God, help me to be holy like you are holy.” If we just say, “Whatever,” we accept and most likely adopt the way of life of our society or communities. God told the Israelites they would live in a land occupied by those whom He abhors because their customs were not Godlike (Leviticus 20:23-24). Do we live according to customs that God does not like? What about our habits? Are they excellent and praiseworthy? Many of my habits are not. On a daily basis, I fail to be holy even though God chose me to be different from my society. Often, I give hose around me a glimpse of my Father, but many times I do not. God has given me a Heavenly inheritance, but I crave the comfort of the world around me. I don’t always live like Heaven is my home. 

 
It helps to understand that its impossible to obey God’s law without the help of God Himself. And this can only happen after we purpose to be holy, or to commit to a life separate from the rest of society. It is essentially stepping out in faith, and there’s promise when we take that step (Hebrews 11:6).
 

Lesson Two – Choosing to be holy invites God’s favor 

In Leviticus 20 we see punishment for sin, and specifically, capital punishment for certain offenses. But we also see God’s favor (or the fulfillment of His promises) when we purpose to obey and please Him (Leviticus 20:22-24). Here’s the truth: God already favors those He’s chosen but He still wants us to live the kind of lives that demonstrate we belong to Him (Colossians 1:9-10). And when we do, we experience more of His favor. 
 
Consider Leviticus 26:3-13. For the Israelites with their destination as the promised land, God promised to send rain and good crops, yielding an abundance of food. He promised peace and safety – safety from enemies and wildlife. In fact, they would easily overpower their enemies. Their nation would thrive and grow in number, and, most importantly, God would dwell and walk with them, relating to them on a personal level. 
 
This is our God – our personal, promise keeper who favors His faithful followers. Think about the promises He’s made to us. Blessed are we who hear the Word of God and obey it (Luke 11:27-28, James 4:17). 
 
So what is it from which we personally need to set ourselves apart? What attitudes, affections, and activities draw us into society’s way of life? What are we struggling with even in this very hour? How have we strayed from “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable” (Philippians 4:8)? 

Will we be different from society in ways that honor and reflect our God? He abhors what so many people in this world do, yet God wants us to demonstrate His character to them. He favors them, too, and He wants to bestow even more favor on them, as He does for us. How will they understand His holiness if we are just like them and not like God? 
 
Will we be more holy? 

— ◈ — 

If you feel like holiness is something you can’t pursue because you are so far from it, I wrote this poem for you…and me. Spend some time meditating on it. Spend some time meditating on God’s holiness. 

More poetry here. 

More resolutions to come… 

The resolutions and Bible books in this series: 

I will… 

1. Worship God Alone (Exodus 20:24)
2. Be More Holy (Leviticus 20:24)
3. Aim High (Numbers 20:24)
4. Trust in God’s Strength (Judges 20:24)
5. Nurture Quality Friendships (1 Samuel 20:24)
6. Stand for God’s Government (2 Samuel 20:24)
7. Follow ighs and Lows (1 Kings 20:24)
8. Let God Win My Battles (2 Chronicles 20:24)
9. Rise Above the Naysayers (Job 20:24)
10. Trust God’s Ways (Proverbs 20:24)
11. Allow God to Correct Me (Ezekiel 20:24)
12. Serve Others Without the Glory (Matthew 20:24)
13. Rely On the Wisdom of God (Luke 20:24)
14. Trust the Words of My Savior (John 20:24)
15. Complete the Work God Has for Me (Acts 20:24)

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If you want to dialog more about holiness, feel free to leave a comment or email me at authordlv@att.net. God is holy and He wants us to be holy like He is. He wants us to be characterized by that which is praiseworthy and excellent. 

Read more blog posts here. 

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