Good Morning.
You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, which if a man does, he shall live by them: I am the Lord. (Leviticus 18:5)
There is an unfortunate misconception within mainstream Christianity that the laws God set forth in the Old Testament are debilitating and not conducive to life. The reality is its man’s interpretation and execution of these laws that brought bondage, because according to the Creator’s own words, His instructions are life. Specifically, what is presented in this section of Leviticus speaks to lofty standards — purity and righteousness — principles which form the foundation of a social morality. Without these guidelines, mankind would engage in all sorts of lawless behavior which would then result in chaos, disease and destruction — all of which befell the nations who did not live according to God’s instructions.
Lest we think that this idea — God’s instructions lead to life — is merely an Old Testament concept, consider that the Messiah Himself stated that eternal life is found within the Scriptures because, ultimately, these precepts and principles point us to Him (John 5:39). Moreover, the essence of the instructions contained within this portion of Leviticus can be found in the letter that was sent from the Council in Jerusalem to the early Gentile believers (Acts 15). In other words, non-Jewish believers were being instructed to keep the heart of the Torah — purity and undefiled worship — with the expectation that everything else about their faith walk would fall into its proper place as they gained more instruction from the Word.
The point is then, that His Word — from cover to cover — is life. Just because we don’t understand something in the Scriptures doesn’t mean it can’t be understood, meaning that the problem isn’t on His end but ours. That is why we desperately need the Spirit of Truth to teach us and lead us into all truth. And as we continue to learn more about what God said and why He said it, we should expect that our living will increase in abundance — because that is why Messiah came is it not? And so let’s close today’s thoughts with a statement made by Moses and Yeshua: “Man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord” (Deuteronomy 8:3).
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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