PLEASE READ THIS FIRST: Leviticus 22-24
What do you sense the Lord saying to you in this passage?
“Treat with respect… my holy name; do not perform my service… with contempt.” (Leviticus 22:2,9)
I would not have had the stomach to live or be a priest in that time and place.
To sacrifice animals, or to take part in stoning sinners, would be hard for me.
There are a lot of details in this passage that no longer apply in the new covenant.
We do not have priests, make sacrifices, celebrate festivals, or stone sinners.
But as I read this, I sense the Spirit of Jesus speaking to my heart.
The underlying message seems to be, ‘respect Me, don’t treat Me with contempt!’
As a Jesus follower I am also called to serve my God with respect and seriousness.
We are under the law of Christ, which calls for deep respect for God and people.
I only have two laws to follow: love God and love people.
But these need to be followed as seriously as the old covenant commands were then.
Do I behave as if God were not present, do I ‘say my prayers’ in an empty way?
Do I speak of others with unfairness, do I ignore those who are in need?
How I treat God and others today is my service, and I need to take it seriously.
Take some time today with Jesus to do a ‘performance review’.
PRAYER
Lord, You have saved and called me for a special task. You have blessed me with Your Spirit and many gifts to bless and serve God and others. Help me to take my job seriously, and to perform my service with respect!
23:10: “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you enter the land I am going to give you and you reap its harvest, bring to the priest a sheaf of the first grain you harvest.'”
22:31-33: “Keep my commands and follow them. I am the Lord. 32 Do not profane my holy name, for I must be acknowledged as holy by the Israelites. I am the Lord, who made you holy 33 and who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the Lord.”
These verses spoke out to me. I also felt pity for the Blasphemer, in this day and age where we take the Lord’s name so easily with chances for redemption, where we can freely argue and debate between religions, and even tolerate those who blaspheme the name of the Lord and react with forgiveness and compassion.
The Hebrew calendar was full of regular events/rituals and there was the weekly sabbath to observe. These all marked God’s people as different from the people around them. Am I that different as a Christian – can people tell that I try to be like Jesus in the way I deal with those whose lives I may interact with? Lord help me to be guided by you – that my ways may be your ways – more nearly each day. Keep me on the path of faithful following you – growing each day to be more like you Jesus! May I be willing to stick out and be different as the HS leads me.