The Israelites are at a crossroads as a nation when God reveals his law to them. They have left the land of the Egyptians and God does not want them to continue to follow the practices of that land. They are going to arrive in Canaan – the promised land – but God does not want them to do what the Canaanites do either. Here, between one place and another, God is giving his people a different way to live.

This chapter focuses on sexual morality. God’s instructions to his people about how they should be holy and set apart from other nations went way beyond temple worship, or offerings. Here we can see that God is concerned with purity and holiness in every aspect of our lives, even the most personal and intimate details.

Once we say that we will serve God, there is nothing about us that is left out of that deal. The Israelites couldn’t enter the promised land but still partially stay in Egypt and we can’t live in God’s way while also walking in our own way. To try to stay between one place and another is to choose to stay in the wilderness.

God is holy all of the time. He calls us to be holy all of the time, even during the times when nobody is looking. In our public lives and in our most private lives, God cares about our wellbeing and our holiness. Let us allow the Holy Spirit to direct us in all of our ways.

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NEWBOLD COMMUNITY CHURCH