By:  Yudith Ortega
08 October 2017

The Book of Leviticus is commonly referred to by the Israelites as the Book of Holiness.  God summoned all to gather and assemble.  Moses reads specific laws for all people to hear and obey.  The purpose – to become a holy people and a holy nation. Let us learn 3 nuggets of wisdom today:


A.    Who is God:  When we are asked who God is, the answer most and always remains superficial. Because knowledge about God is a given, we assume we know who God is.  But in reality, people only know a universal or a generic God (i,e God is the Creator, The Heavenly Father, The Provider, Healer or the Savior – 5 out of the 949 recorded Names and Titles of God). How many from these Names you’ve been aware of from the day you were born up to this very moment? Or you have been a victim of familiarity syndrome? When our attitude towards God becomes too familiar, we tend to overlook how holy He is and sinned against His Holiness.

Very seldom would you get a reply that implies deep personal relationship with a Holy God who is at work in his or her world. People never really seek help to get to know the God they worship and serve.  We are called to know God more and we cannot fully know Him by just attending regular services.  We need to get good help in knowing the Holy One, The Lord God of Host.   However, the concept of a Holy God is only associated with the God of Israel and none other.

B.    What is Holiness:  Have you encountered the holiness of God? If you have already experienced it, certainly, your life will change. You’ll have a hard time lying and other transformations that believers comes along with the knowledge of the holy.  One sign that you have encountered the Holy One, is when you cannot be tempted to sin easily.

Holy means to set apart or separated.  The first mention of the word holy in the Bible is found in Gen. 2:3 – God blessed the 7th day and separated it as holy……so that it itself could produce.  Keeping the Sabbath holy will produce for you blessings upon blessings and send angels ahead of you to guard you. Therefore, here are some of the various meaning of Holy or Holiness:

1.     Holy Time:  holiness is time oriented or the appointed times of the Lord – day, week, month or year. Sabbath day and the Festivals – time to breathe, to grow and to celebrate the Shalom in the homes or places blessed by God in order for man to remain holy and healthy.  In the ancient days, festivals are activities done together when such are considered agricultural or industrial times.  Today, time is digital, 24/7.  Time now becomes irrelevant or immaterial, driving mankind away from becoming holy, healthy, human beings.

Keeping the holy times of the Lord – Sabbaths and festivals – have great blessings, as it is written in Exo. 23:14 as follows:

a.     I will be an enemy to your enemies – because you do not know who your enemies are, who are really against you;
b.     Bless your food and water – basic human necessities to live and survive;
c.     Take sicknesses away from you – to ensure growth and development;
d.     Women will not miscarry or be barren – to continue your name and bloodline;
e.     Live your full life span – in good health, leaving behind your legacy;
f.      Send My terror ahead of you – the Name and Favor of God upon you is known;
g.     Set your boundaries – enlarge you and make you a man of renown.

2.     Holy Place:  second mention of holy is about holy ground, holy place, holy habitation (Tent of Meeting, Temple, Sanctuary) where we experience holy encounters.  This encounters makes peoples’ belief more meaningful, directing each one to really know the Holy One of Israel.  Such divine encounter changes every disciple and are never the same again. Exo. 15:3. Therefore, if the Holy God appeared in your midst, you are special, He will reveal Himself unto you, call you by your name and will not leave you without blessing you. Indeed, God is involved in history through time and place but man is an outsider to holiness but was given the grace and opportunity to approach the holy presence of the Lord.

3.     Holy Man:  third mention is connected to man – Exo. 13:2- Set aside for Me all the firstborn… and during the giving of the 10 Commandments in Exo. 20; which are the practical steps to holiness and it’s thou shall not’s are active measures to behave towards one another in a manner that brings God into our personal and communal lives – to love your neighbor as yourself!

4.     Holy Food:  Food is one of man’s strongest desire.  The purpose of food prohibition are health and self-control.  We manifest self-control when choosing what to eat and what not to eat.  The spiritual benefit of food laws makes our spiritual eyes and ears strong.  Likewise its health benefits are powerfully backed up today by science and the details of the sicknesses brought about by the said prohibited foods.

5.     Holy Money:  The Book of Leviticus spells out the law of tithes. The first, second and third tithes together with its promises of abundant life.  The law of the tithes shows how God co-exists in our world.  The teaching of holiness directly challenge man’s activities in money making business because most people often sin in matters related to money.

Let everyone be reminded to be very careful to touch anything declared to be holy for it will become a fire unto you and destroy you.

A.    How to be holy:  each person have the following accountability:

1.     Daily responsibility to reject evil – You shall not defile yourself with illicit sexual affairs. You shall not make yourself abominable with unclean food. You are to sanctify yourself to be holy.  Start to cleanse, to refine and to set yourself apart. To consciously fashion yourselves into the image and likeness of our Holy God.
2.     Good relationship –The key to happiness and sanctuaries of good and holy lives lies in having good relationships.  To settle conflicts, find solutions and offer helping hands.  Ask yourself – How do you look in the eyes of others? How do you look in the eyes of God? Cleansed or Defiled? Wholesome of Abominable? Holy or Unholy?
3.     Value Effort – there is no life that is not touch by mistakes, failures, errors, disappointments and sin and there will always be its residual, lingering effects.  There are only 2 kinds of people – Learners and Non-learners.  Learners are people who are open to what happens to them.  When they did stupid things, they resolved not to do it again, and when they do something that works a little bit, they’ll do it even better and harder come next time. Learn well, pick up your life again through good efforts. Because Good Efforts cure failures, mistakes and disappointments. Faith, prayer and giving always overrides any evil decree.

Conclusion:

1.     The sanctification of The Lord positions us for spiritual blessings and prosperity.
2.     Mark every progress by building altars where sacrifices of praise were offered in appreciation and worship of our One True God.
3.     Let’s reflect – what on earth are you doing for holiness sake?