It is perhaps easiest to read this chapter as if it was a speech to the whole community, encouraging them to live a life of holiness. The Lord instructs Moses to open with that theme – “Be holy, because I, the Lord your God, am holy” – and then brings together a selection of examples of the holy lifestyle that he expects.

This may seem like a somewhat random list, but actually every one of the Ten Commandments is referred to in some way through this chapter. The people are reminded to honour and worship God alone, to honour their parents, to obey the Lord’s commands about worship, to act fairly and righteously with others, to care for the poor, the needy and the outsider, to honour their bodies and the bodies of others, and to be fair in relationships and in business dealings.

For some of these regulations, we can come up with explanations as to why it was important – for instance, not eating the fruit of a tree that has just been planted allows it to properly establish itself – while for others, the benefit is less obvious. Fundamentally, though, the reason why all these commands are important is simple: it is because God commanded it.

Although the specific practice of holiness may appear different in our 21st century world, under the New Covenant, the principles of holiness and obedience to the Lord – the one who commands – remain the same. Justice, fairness, generosity, respect, honour, obedience, truthfulness and compassion never go out of date.

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NEWBOLD COMMUNITY CHURCH