Consecrate Yourself

Leviticus 20 

There is a saying that goes, “When in Rome, do as the Romans.” I don’t know if you have ever heard that statement but it usually is said so one can fit in their surroundings. God desires for his people to not be conformed to the customs of the surrounding nations. Israel would be around several nations, the Canaanites as well as all the other nations ending with ite. These nations would worship man made idols as gods. They would do some intense things as a form of worship and one of those things would be offering their children up as a sacrifice to that idol.

In this chapter God tells Moses about the severity of the punishment if a parent offers up their child as a sacrifice. They shall be put to death.  Not only will this be required of people to do but then God personally says, “He will set his face against that person. He is saying that whoever does that will personally have to deal with Him, God. I do not know about you but that would be a pretty scary thing.

Not only will God put his face against the parents who offer their child up as a sacrifice but he will do it also to those who go to mediums, sorcery, wizards etc. Even in this time they did have witchcraft. The goal was not that the people would not see what else is out there but that they would set themselves apart and be a light to the other nations. These laws were for their safety but also so they could keep their relationship with God. In verse 7 it says, “Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, for I am the Lord your God. He was reminding Israel that He is the only God and what these other nations do is false worship. If they gave into false worship they were forsaking the real God. It would be like if I was given a car to have as my own to drive, but I did not want that car; instead I want the car that is in the picture in the paper and thought this car is what is going to take me from place to place. I would be forsaking the real car for a fake car.

Today

We may not have parents in America giving their children up to be killed to some idol. We do know that we as believers are called to be set apart from the customs of this world. Today it may not be idol worship but what about purity? We may not have to deal with giving in to witchcraft (even though people still do today) but we have to deal with money and possessions.  Romans 12:2 tells us not to be conformed to this world but by the renewing of our minds we will be transformed. Israel was called to be set apart because God is holy and requires those that are in fellowship to be the same. They were also to be different so they could be the good, right example to the surrounding nations. They were to be a light to them. We are called to be the light to this world (Matthew 5:14-16). When we do not conform to this world we are being the light. Some people will hate on it, others desire it. May we be faithful to what God has called us to be in this world which so desperately needs the light.