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*Inscription: Writing God’s Words on Our Hearts & Minds*
*/Part 16: Kosher or Holy? /*
*Leviticus 11-19*
*/April 11, 2010/*
*Main Point(s) of sermon:*
· God created the purity laws to teach the Jews about being separate and holy.
· In Christ, we are no longer separate, but now the focus is holiness, something lacking in the church today.
*Objectives of sermon:*
· Exhort us to holiness
*Prep: *
· Mark 7:1-23; Lev.
11-19 (skim)
· Bridge’s book; First part of Driscoll clip
*Scripture reading: 1 Peter 1:14-17*
Opening
· Missed a great *Seder* meal.
We are continuing reading through the Bible.
I really encourage you to be *reading* *with* us because I am not able to read many of the passages here.
Also read the *daily* *notes*.
Are we failing?
A while back someone told me they *don’t* *see* *holiness* in our church.
(Don’t waste time trying to *guess*, because you won’t be able to.)
They are talking about *me* and *you*, saying that we don’t *pursue* *holiness* enough.
Q What would *you* do with that?
*Pastors* face a lot *criticism*, it goes with the job, but I work very hard *not* to *dismiss* things out of hand, but rather *listen* for what God might be saying to me, *regardless* if it’s said in *love* or *judgment*.
· This person got *me* *thinking* more about *holiness* and what it means, and it has been in the back of my head since.
*Leviticus* has taken it from the *back* to the *front* of my head.
God is going to speak to us about holiness, and answer that question, “Are we *pursuing* *holiness*?”
prayer
Help us understand what *holiness* *means*.
It’s not something we think about and we don’t really understand.
Use *Leviticus* to *teach* us what it means.
Theology lived out
Q The original *context* of “Be holy because I am holy”?
It’s in the middle of describing *ritual* *purity*, specifically banning eating *reptiles*:
*Leviticus 11:44-45 * 44 I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy.
Do not make yourselves unclean by any creature that moves about on the ground.
45 I am the LORD who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy.
While I have never had any interest in eating *snake* *steaks*, I am not sure I follow what that has to do with *being* *holy*.
I mean if this were the section on *sexual* *purity*, I would get it.
· BTW: *Fair* *warning*: Next week I will talk about the *sexual* purity laws and it will be rated *PG*-*13*.
I said last week, Leviticus is a *drama*, *theology* *acted* out.
Another way to think of is like a complex symbolism, like *communion* or *baptism*, simple acts having *deep*, rich *meaning* of our redemption.
Rather than a simple act, it’s entire *way* of *life* was meant to teach *profound* *truths* about God and about us.
God didn’t give *teaching* on his *holy* and *eternal* nature and the *sinful* and *decaying* nature of the *world*.
· He told them not to *eat* *bacon* and stay away from the *temple* when they’re *sick*.
*Leviticus 11-19* is dedicated to *purity* *laws*, which can be summarized in the two ideas of *“clean” and “unclean”*.
On one side, you had to be *clean*, meaning *ritually* *pure*, to be able to *participate* in the full life of the community and faith.
On the other, there were many *earthly*, *normal* things make you make you *unclean*:
\\ 1. Unkosher food
2. Corpses
3. Blood
4. Childbirth
5. Discharges (periods and wet dreams)
6. Leprosy
7. Mildew
\\
Notice that these are *not* *sinful* things; they are normal parts of life.
There were a *few* *moral* (right and wrong) commands, but large majority here are ritual.
· These passages laid out what caused *uncleanness* and how to be *purified*.
For Israel, life was always *slipping* toward *impurity*.
Like dust and *dirty* *dishes*, uncleanness requires regular action and *maintenance*.
Uncleanness is readily *communicable*, in a way that holiness is not.
(Dictionary of Biblical Imagery)
· *Last* *week* I said every Israelite understood that when they sinned, something died because they had to kill the *sacrifice*.
In the same way every Israelite understood that God was *holy* and *eternal* and that the world was *sinful* and *decaying*.
They lived out in a *drama*, physically demonstrating spiritual realities.
· They never *read* that in Bible, but *implicitly* understood it.
germs, germs, germs everywhere
A great way to understand it is *germs*.
For instance, how many of you know the proper *routine* for washing your hands in a public restroom?
Dispense paper, turn on water, wash for 15 seconds, dry hands, use paper to turn off water and open door.
· I hate it when there are *no* *paper* *towels*, and you have to use your shirt.
*Why* the routine?
Because germs are *easily* *spread*, and washing your hands becomes pointless if the *last* *guy* didn’t (do *women* do that?) and you touch the same door handle.
· *Germs* *infect* clean things, not the *other* *way* around.
The *world* is filled with things that make us *unclean* and we must be taking continual steps to become *clean*.
Why the kosher laws?
Now, folks have tried to figure out the *purpose* of the *purity* laws, especially the dietary ones.
The most *popular* one is that they have tremendous *health* benefits in a pre-scientific age.
*Some* of the laws did have health benefits, but most of them *don’t*, so that’s not the reason.
Furthermore, *NT* *elimination* of the rules would then mean God *no* *longer* *cares* about health.
· The *reason* is simply what God said: *Be* *holy* as I am holy.
These laws were designed to be a *demonstration* of holiness.
These ritual purity laws were not based *intrinsic* *meaning*, but that *God* *said* this is what you must do to be separate and holy.
Separate and holy
The entire purity system had *two* big *points*:
1.
*/Be separate/*: All of the strange rules about eating and purity kept them *separate* from the *nations* around them.
It was God’s protection from *assimilation*.
It kept them separate as a *people* without a *nation* for almost 2,000 years.
2.
*/Be holy as God is holy/*: Be morally pure.
God had given Israel, sinful people they were, the *honor* of *representing* him:
*Exodus 19:5-6 * 5 Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession.
Although the whole earth is mine, 6 you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’
These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.
But in *order* to do so, they had to be *holy*.
It was their job to *protect* the *world* from God’s holiness, not the *other* *way* around.
The *camp* set up *demonstrated* this (*tabernacle*, *Levites*, *Israel*, then the *world*).
God is holy in such a *fierce*, *overwhelmingly* pure way that we cannot even *imagine* it.
It is as a *consuming* *fire* the burns up all *impurities*.
· Holiness isn’t *nice *and* safe* it’s *terrifying* and *dangerous*.
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