Slideshow image

In Leviticus 19 through 21, the Lord says something to Moses that is hard to believe for sinful man—of which we all are. He tells, might even say commands, the Israelites in verse 2:

“You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.”

I’m not sure how anyone, especially without Christ, could ever feel comfortable saying, “I am holy.” If someone did, I’d step aside to avoid the lightning strike! Yet, before the fall, humanity was created holy, and God’s plan of redemption is to restore us to holiness so we can dwell with Him forever.

The book of Leviticus has been all about God teaching His people that, because of their sin, they cannot be close to Him unless their sin is addressed. That’s where the sacrificial system came into play. Sin is serious, and God provided a meticulously detailed set of instructions to ensure His people could remain in right standing (holy) before Him.

For those of us living today, the details of God’s laws can seem intense. We don’t sacrifice animals. We don’t limit our food choices based on clean or unclean categories. We don’t send a goat to Azazel. And yet, we do follow moral commands like not stealing, refraining from idol worship, and honoring marriage. So how do we differentiate the laws we are still called to follow from those that no longer apply?

I remember a couple in a previous church who came to my office to express concern about the youth. Their primary issue was a lack of reverence during worship, which was a legitimate concern. However, when they got my sympathetic ear they shared that they also took issue with them wearing jeans with flannel shirts (cotton mixed with wool) and cited Leviticus 19:19b,

"…nor shall you wear a garment of cloth made of two kinds of material."

So, how do we differentiate between decrees we continue to follow and those we don’t?

As you read Scripture, it’s crucial to remember, "Context is king, and a text without a context is a pretext." In other words, it’s easy to misinterpret a verse if we ignore the surrounding passage. In this case, God was speaking to His chosen people, saying in verse 1,

“Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel.”

The nation of Israel was God’s special, set-apart people. They were given distinct laws to separate them from the surrounding nations. They were given a mobile tabernacle, a sacrificial system, and special observances such as Passover and the Day of Atonement meant only for them. The bottom line is that not everything given to Israel was intended for everyone. There are essentially two categories of laws: moral laws, which reflect God’s unchanging character and apply universally, and ceremonial laws, which were specific to Israel to set them apart from other nations.

Leviticus 19:19 falls into the category of ceremonial law. It was never meant for the other nations or for us in the 21st-century. Additionally, Jesus Christ made a paradigm shift that changed everything for all cultures and generations—He established a New Covenant. Under this New Covenant, not all the old requirements remain.

So, how do we determine which laws still apply? Some ceremonial decrees were meant only for Israel. Others were emphasized not only in the Old Testament but the New Testament as well, helping us see which ones carry over and which do not. For instance, God is still serious about sin, and adultery remains forbidden. Hebrews 13:4 confirms this,

“Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.”

Many Old Testament moral laws—especially those in the Ten Commandments—fall under the umbrella of the two greatest commandments given by Jesus in Matthew 22:37–39,

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Many of the commands in Leviticus 19, such as verses 13–20, clearly align with this standard. If the New Testament reaffirms a law from the Old Testament, it remains relevant for us today. If it doesn’t, then careful study and prayer are necessary to discern God’s will for you today. This applies to topics such as tithing or observing the Sabbath—what is God calling you to practice in response to His Word?

In my conversation with the couple, I explained the distinction between moral and ceremonial law, but I also asked how loving “your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18) applied to their approach toward the youth. Discipleship was needed in teaching the youth to show proper respect in worship, but there was room for some discipling to take place with this couple as well.

Takeaway: There are a lot of laws that don’t apply to us under the New Covenant, and yet there are many that do.  We must approach both Scripture and people with patience, prayer, a desire to understand, and above all with love.