Day 47 · Part 3: Out of Egypt

Be Holy (2 of 2)

Lev 20–22 · 84 verses

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In the Story

Chapter 17: Be HolyStart at “To be mine”

In context

Leviticus 20 sets the punishments for the wrongs chapter 18 forbade, and for others: giving a child to Molech, turning to mediums, cursing father or mother, adultery. For many of them the penalty is death (Leviticus 20:2, 9–16, 27). It is a hard chapter, in plain words. Near its end it speaks of the land Israel was going to, and of the Lord who “separated you from the peoples” (Leviticus 20:22–26).

Chapters 21–22 turn to the priests, who had to keep themselves clean to serve. A priest could make himself unclean by going near the dead only for his closest relatives, and the high priest not even for his father or mother (Leviticus 21:1–3, 11). A descendant of Aaron with a defect, such as being blind or lame, could not offer at the altar, but he could still eat “the bread of his God” (Leviticus 21:17–22).

Animals offered to the Lord had to be without defect (Leviticus 22:19–22). All three chapters repeat that the Lord is the one who makes his people holy (Leviticus 20:8; 21:8; 22:32).

A word of hope

May the God of peace himself sanctify you completely. May your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who will also do it.

1 Thessalonians 5:23–24 · Leviticus repeats “I am Yahweh who sanctifies you”; Paul prays that God will sanctify his readers completely, and says “he who calls you is faithful.”

For families

A priest, who had to keep away from the dead, could still go near the body of his mother, father, son, daughter, brother, or unmarried sister (Leviticus 21:1–3). And a priest’s daughter who was widowed or divorced, with no child, and had come back to her father’s house “as in her youth,” could eat her father’s bread again (Leviticus 22:12–13).

What makes a place feel like home?

In the Bible

World English Bible, as published by eBible.org (public domain).

A hymn for today

Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing · words by Robert Robinson

Organ and orchestra: an introduction, then each of the 3 verses. Tap a verse’s number to start there.

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;Streams of mercy, never ceasing,Call for songs of loudest praise.Teach me some melodious sonnet,Sung by flaming tongues above;Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it,Mount of Thy redeeming love.
Here I raise mine Ebenezer;Hither by Thy help I'm come;And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,Safely to arrive at home.Jesus sought me when a stranger,Wandering from the fold of God;He, to rescue me from danger,Interposed His precious blood.
O to grace how great a debtorDaily I'm constrained to be!Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,Bind my wandering heart to Thee.Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,Prone to leave the God I love;Here's my heart, O take and seal it,Seal it for Thy courts above.