Set apart and obedient

Here is my SOAP devotional for March 17th

S - Leviticus 10:10-11
"You are to distinguish between what is holy and what is ordinary, what is ceremonially unclean and what is clean. And you must teach the Israelites all the laws that the Lord has given through Moses."

O - My Life Application Bible footnotes say that this passage is the focus of the entire book of Leviticus. These guidelines and principles were to supplement the 10 commandments. The purpose of God's law was to teach the people how to distinguish between right and wrong, the holy from the common. The Iraelites needed to be taught these things because they had never had the law before. They were to set themselves apart from neighboring peoples.

A - It is hard for me to imagine a time before knowing "the law." For law-abiding people like me, it is hard to imagine having to be told all the details of these laws. I had to be taught the law at some time growing up I guess and now, even though I'm not perfect, staying within the law is a desire. And yet some of the sacrifice guidelines seem too much for me...so much detail seems irrelevant in the new covenant with Jesus. And still the whole focus REALLY is to be in relationship with the Lord and obedient to what God is calling us to do.

P - Lord, it seems tedious in some ways to read through Leviticus, but it makes me appreciate Jesus even more because we cannot possibly be perfect and I can't imagine how the Israelites followed these guidelines without making mistakes. But the law was necessary to set themselves apart and be holy and even today we need to be reminded to "not conform to the world." (Romans 12:2) Your word/law reminds us to distinguish right from wrong, otherwise we would slip into a "grey" area. Thank you God for the sacrifice you made in your son, Jesus. May I always remember and never forget to teach my children of following your ways and being obedient to you. May they learn from my example the importance of reading your word and seeking your will. Amen.