Lessons from Leviticus

Being in the midst of reading the Bible in 90 days, Roger and I were discussing the Levitical code- i.e. the laws found within the book of Leviticus. We were marveling at how pervasive these laws are. They encompassed nearly every facet of life, from diet to bodily fluids. It struck the both of us as to how much this must have played into the formation of the Jews as a community. They truly were a people set apart by God.

It was impossible for them to forget their covenant relationship with God, because God had given them laws that kept that covenant always before them. Nearly every moment of every day was lived with the awareness of God's presence in their lives. Every part of their life was given or dedicated to God through the Law.

Any sane person would sigh in relief and offer a prayer of thanks that God has released us from much of this Levitical code. Living by such a code would radically alter our western culture lives. For an interesting and sometimes comic look at following these laws in a modern world, check out A. J. Jacobs' book, The Year of Living Biblically.

Jacobs', though not a religious person himself, decided to take on the task of living the laws of the Bible as literally as possible. One of the funnier segments is his attempt to stone a sinner. By the end of the book, one thing is certain. This attempt entirely altered his life.

All of this leads me to the following thought. While we are certainly thankful for not having to follow many of these laws, are we perhaps missing out on the depth of understanding of how all pervasive our relationship with God is to our lives. As Christians, we talk about surrendering our whole lives to God, but few of us will ever do that to the level required by God of His people Israel. When St. Paul talked about giving our lives as a "living sacrifice" to God, as a Pharisaic educated Jew he genuinely understood and appreciated the magnitude of what he was saying. Our commitment to Christ should EXCEED that of the Law.

Imagine the witness of a community of believers so sold out to God. Imagine the power of such lives to transform the world they live in into the likeness of the Kingdom of God. What would your life be like if you had such a deep and all encompassing covenant relationship with the Father through His Son Jesus Christ? Would we then fully experience the promise of that covenant, the filling of the Holy Spirit? Would it be said of us like Noah and Abraham and Isaac that we "walked with God"? Would we more readily HEAR the voice of God? Yes, yes, and yes! Oh, how I want that for my life! Oh, how I learn the truth of those words as I increase my surrender to the will of God! May we all learn what it means to offer ourselves really and truly as a "living sacrifice."