“Be Holy, for I am Holy” Leviticus For XICF.org 10-December 2017 Jim Arneberg

Key Themes of Leviticus The Lord is present among his people and central. Sin and impurity must be addressed Strive for personal holiness in every area of your life To approach God, you must be wholehearted in devotion Standards and expectations are higher for spiritual leaders such as priests Total cleansing of sins is done when the innermost part of the tent of meeting is purified. Day of atonement: chapter 16. Ultimate purification of uncleanness is impossible for humans to achieve. The Call to Holiness is neatly captured in chapter 19

and spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying, Leviticus 1:1 – 2 1 The Lord called Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying,  2 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When any one of you brings an offering to the Lord, you shall bring your offering of livestock from the herd or from the flock. …

Exodus 35:30 – 34, 36:1 – 2 30 Then Moses said to the people of Israel, “See, the Lord has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; 31 and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, with intelligence, with knowledge, and with all craftsmanship, 32 to devise artistic designs, to work in gold and silver and bronze, 33 in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, for work in every skilled craft. 34 And he has inspired him to teach, both him and Oholiab the son of Ahisamach of the tribe of Dan. […] 36 “Bezalel and Oholiab and every craftsman in whom the Lord has put skill and intelligence to know how to do any work in the construction of the sanctuary shall work in accordance with all that the Lord has commanded.” 2 And Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab and every craftsman in whose mind the Lord had put skill, everyone whose heart stirred him up to come to do the work. 

Exodus 40:33-35 Preparing the tabernacle 33 And he erected the court around the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the screen of the gate of the court. So Moses finished the work. 34 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 35 And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.

Leviticus 10:1 – 2 10 Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, which he had not commanded them. 2 And fire came out from before the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord. 3 Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord has said: ‘Among those who are near me I will be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified.’” And Aaron held his peace.

1 Peter 1:14- 16 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” (Leviticus 11:44a) Leviticus 11:44a 44 For I am the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. 

Three basic states in OT Clean Unclean Holy

Clean Room Gowning Procedures

“I am the Lord” 15x in Chapter 19

This is NOT about outward appearances 这不是关于外表 Self-Righteous “Holier than thou” Sanctimonious ὑποκριταί or hypokritai (hypocrites) is the word the Greeks used for actors who performed on stage wearing a mask impersonating a character.

Sanctimonious is a twist on the words sanctity and sacred, which mean holy or religious. A sanctimonious person might think he's holy, but their attitude comes across more like "holier-than-thou." Sanctimonious people might try to act like saints, but their actions are far from pure or holy, which just makes them sound like hypocrites. Sanctity /ˈsæŋktɪtɪ/ noun (pl) -ties 1 the condition of being sanctified; holiness 2 anything regarded as sanctified or holy 3 the condition of being inviolable; sacredness:  the sanctity of marriage, the sanctity of life. Word Origin: from Old French saincteté, from Latin sanctitās, from sanctus holy

Matthew 23:25 – 28 25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.  26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean. 27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness. 28 So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

for I the Lord your God am holy. Leviticus 19:1-2 1 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,  2 “Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them,  You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy. Matt. 5:48 (echoing Lev. 19:2) 48 You therefore must be perfect,  as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Diamond Mining

Proverbs 2:1 – 5 My son, if you receive my words     and treasure up my commandments with you, 2 making your ear attentive to wisdom     and inclining your heart to understanding; 3 yes, if you call out for insight     and raise your voice for understanding, 4 if you seek it like silver     and search for it as for hidden treasures, 5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord     and find the knowledge of God.

Pitfall [pit-fawl] Noun 1. a lightly covered and unnoticeable pit prepared as a trap for people or animals. 2. any trap or danger for the unwary: the pitfall of excessive pride.

Mark 12:28 – 34 Greatest Commandment 28 And one of the scribes …asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” 32 And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. 33 And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions.

Expectations; requirements Moral Conduct Time (>3500 years)

Matthew 5:43, 44…48 43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…  48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Mark 7:15, 20-23 15 There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him…  20 And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. 21 For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 coveting, wickedness, eceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

Expectations; requirements External Restrictions Time (>3500 years)

Acts 10:9-16 Peter's Vision 9 The next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray. 10 And he became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance 11 and saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth. 12 In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air. 13 And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” 14 But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.” 15 And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.”16 This happened three times, and the thing was taken up at once to heaven.

Acts 10: 25 – 28 Peter and Cornelius 25 When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. 26 But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I too am a man.” 27 And as he talked with him, he went in and found many persons gathered. 28 And he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean. 

Expectations; requirements Moral Conduct External Restrictions Time (>3500 years)