Making Sense out of Leviticus #10

Reading: Leviticus 18-19.

These chapters are concerned with the emphasis of the lives of God's people. Of course, the material is specifically to Old Testament Israel, but there are a few conclusions we can benefit from in this section.

First, as we walk in grace, the right things of God are expected from us. We know our acceptance in His heart is on the basis of grace and faith in Jesus Christ and Him alone. However, there is the expectation in the New Testament that we would be taught by grace to live holy lives (Titus 2:11-12 NIV). So we can look at the emphasis of these chapters and learn what that means.

Many times in today's world we do not know what it means to live a life reflecting the Lord's goodness. So such chapters are very important. Several thoughts come to the surface.

We are not to live with a constant sexual emphasis. This is just one of the items I see in these chapters. The Lord does not leave to our imagination or even our pleasure, who is to be our sexual partner. It is limited to a marriage covenant. Only there is sex productive and safe. In our society, we are so permeated with the emphasis of sex, that sometimes we think it is "naturally" the strongest drive in the human, and it must be satisfied. It is not the strongest drive, but is simply the tool used to abuse others many times and it just disguises the true strongest drive. The real problem is the desire for pleasure at all costs. With our own selves as our primary god, then only when we have what we want, are things at peace. (This is also true of materialism etc...).

I realize this is an oversimplification, but for the purposes of this blog - I need to leave it that way. We, as the holy, in-dwelt people of God, need the priorities of our mind and bodies rearranged into a peace in the Lord that enables thought transformation, so our persons are not consumed in directions of damage.

In chapter 19, the instructions of life on a different plane are further developed. Most of these are repeated in the New Testament (especially Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians). However, the instructions regarding tattoo's are unique to the Israelites. We must remember that they have come from a culture where these things were used to identify the gods the person was serving. They were going to dwell among cultures where that would be the norm. The Lord had asked them to live another way.

Do I believe the laws about tattoo's still apply? Since only grace through faith applies, we are rather safe on this point. However, I would say as a older Christian, I think it best to refrain. But that is just my humble opinion - nothing more.