Different (Leviticus)

“Different” (Leviticus)

Leviticus 18:1-5

Opening and Introduction

For the past few weeks we’ve been looking at Israel and how God worked to bless them. We’ve looked at priests and sacrifices, the tabernacle and how it became the center of society.

As we’ve gone through this journey, we’ve seen how God pointed Israel towards being holy in how they lived, and created a system to make people clean and acceptable in God’s presence.

Tonight, we’re going to take a look at how God chose to separate the Hebrews from other people and other nations. God has a reason for everything, and there was a reason for Israel to be different too.

We’re going to take a closer look at:

how Israel was different,

how Jesus was different from what the world expected, and

how we’re not the same as the mold of the world either.

Israel was Different

Early in the book of Genesis, we hear of patriarchs who became instrumental in the development of the Hebrew people. God chose Abram and made a covenant with him, changing his name to Abraham, and promising blessings of making him a great nation with many children.

This COVENANT continued through his son and grandson. And repeatedly we hear the Hebrew people as the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. These fathers, marked the beginning of Israel being separated as God’s people.

God did not want his chosen people to be like the rest of creation. He wanted them to behave differently. He wanted them to be holy and acceptable before Him.

In the time that Israel was in the land of pharaoh, they saw the Egyptians do many unclean things. And where they headed, Canaan did a lot wrong too. God reminded His chosen people that they were NOT to follow the sins of the rest of mankind.

In several of the commands, God wanted His people to stay away from the practices that pagan nations had adopted. One of the most basic was that the Hebrew people would worship God, and only God.

The nations around Israel worshiped pantheons of many Gods. The Egyptians, for example, looked towards the spirits of animals and nature that evolved into gods, such as the sun god Ra.

Canaan wasn’t good either. One of the most-evil ceremonies that honored idols was one that offered children to the Canaanite fire god called Molech. There’s no other way to describe this than evil. A metal statue with arms stretched out was heated until red hot and children were placed on the burning arms. God had a simple solution for anyone who offered such a sacrifice. God said:

Any Israelite or alien residing in Israel who gives any of his children to Molech must be put to death (Leviticus 20:2, CSB)

Other religious customs included cutting and mutilating oneself to get the attention of the idol they served. It was common for some to draw blood, shave their heads, or pull their hair out making bald patches.

These rituals were intended to get their idol’s attention, to get the idol to act. But God wanted Israel to understand, that they didn’t need to imitate the world. They didn’t need to grab His attention. God was always watching His people. And they could trust Him, to take care of their needs.

Leviticus added other rules. Don’t wear two different kinds of cloth. Don’t eat unclean animals. Don’t turn to mediums, or consult with the dead. They were a special people. The differences were designed to focus the Israelites to think about God, think about what God wanted for them, and think about their place as God’s chosen people.

Jesus was Different

When Jesus arrived on the scene, He was different too. He didn’t see the world like the Romans did or even like the Pharisees did. He looked at the world with new eyes, and shared that view with us.

For example, much of the ten commandments listed those things that we shouldn’t do: don’t lie, don’t cheat, don’t steal. But Jesus highlighted the things that we should do. When asked what the most important command was, Jesus answered:

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.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ (Mark 12:30-31, CSB)

When Jesus said this, He was quoting Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18. It sounded new, but it was the same commands, from the same God. Jesus showed it as a positive rule to follow. Instead of focusing on what to avoid, He highlighted what to do. He brought wisdom to a world that struggled to see right from wrong.

Jesus was also different in how He treated sinners. He accepted those who were considered unacceptable. When a woman was caught in adultery, and was brought to Him, the Pharisees asked Him, what should be done with her? Jesus answered: “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” Instead of condemning this woman to death, Jesus said “Go, and from now on sin no more.” (John 8:7, 11, CSB). Jesus accepted the sinner, but rejected the sin.