READING: Leviticus 17-19, Mark 1:1-34
Once again, the repetition of the Word pushes us to recognize what God doesn’t want us to miss in the text. In today’s Old Testament reading, we read about God’s requirements for His people, particularly that they were to be different from the Egyptians among whom they once lived and from the Canaanites in the land to come. The only statutes they were to follow were the statutes of God who, in multiple times in these chapters, reminds them who He is: He is the Lord. In fact, the phrase, “I am the Lord” occurs 22 times in these three chapters.
That simple phrase is weighty. The God of the Bible is the one who is in charge. By His nature and His role as Creator, He gets to set the rules. He demands that we avoid the practices of the pagans even as we love our neighbors as ourselves. He has rescued us from sin and freed us from bondage. He has chosen to make us His children, and He has a right to say to us, “Keep all my statutes and all my ordinances and do them” (Lev 19:37). Our response today should be to ask, “Lord Almighty, show me through Your Word and Your Spirit where I am not being fully obedient.”
Then, our response must be to repent as needed. After all, He is the Lord.
PRAYER: “God, You are the Lord. I honor You.”
DAILY ACTION STEP: Do whatever God calls you to do today.
TOMORROW’S READING: Leviticus 20-22, Mark 1:35-2:28
