Leviticus 18:3-4
3 You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you lived, and you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, to which I am bringing you. You shall not walk in their statutes. 4 You shall follow my rules and keep my statutes and walk in them. I am the Lord your God.
Reflection: Be not of the world…
Written By: Pastor Jesse Caro
There are several underlying themes of the Old Testament… things that come up over and over. God is holy… of course that is a theme. Another theme, especially when we get to the last half of the Old Testament, is, “Thus, saith the Lord” (the idea that God is a final say… period). Related to these themes, a common one is “do not do as the people around you.” Don’t do as the Egyptians or as the Canaanites! Leviticus spends a number of chapters reminding the people of Israel that they are set apart and different. The practices of the people around them are not consistent with their life with God. So, God says repeatedly: don’t be like them. Those people whore after Molech (and later Baal, and the Asherah), but you serve God.
I wonder the list of rules that God would have on the Children of Israel if this history had played out today, and Canaan (the Promised Land) were the United States. I wonder what things are commonplace in the United States that God would pointedly warn us about. On the one hand, we don’t have Molech around every corner. On the other hand, our culture is, at every turn, far from a “Christian” culture. I am reminded as I read these chapters that we can’t escape the fact that we live here. I am glad, too. I love America, Virginia, Lynchburg… this is home. But perhaps we are too comfortable and blend in a little too much. Should God’s people not stand out? Should the way we live not be so different from the culture that the world notices? Later, as God’s people enter the Promised Land, they are instructed to destroy the inhabitants. Admittedly, this will seem harsh, and God’s instructions will be difficult to read. But by 1 and 2 Kings, we will understand the wisdom of God’s instructions as we read of God’s people constantly turning to false gods. I am afraid that the church has gotten too cozy and comfortable with the world.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, help your people to be holy, living in this world but not being of it. May we have wisdom to know how to be light in a dark and lost culture.
