“Holiness” is often mistakenly equated with striving to be a flawless person, and we feel immense pressure about it. Yet in the context of Leviticus, the original meaning of “holiness” is not the pursuit of moral perfection, but rather, to be “set apart” or “different”.

        “I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy.” (Leviticus 11:44)

         These words from the LORD are less of a command and more a confirmation of identity. God is telling us that because we belong to Him, our lives should rightly reflect His nature.

         When the Israelites, who had come out of Egypt, were preparing to enter the land of Canaan, God required them to distinguish themselves from the people around them. This was not to isolate or shut themselves off from the world. Instead, it was a call to live out a God-given set of values and a way of life amidst the chaotic world – to be “different” in their new environment. Above all, it was a call to maintain relationship with God and learn how to have a holy God dwell with them.

          All of this is not difficult to understand. However, Leviticus contains various regulations on sacrifices, purification rules, and festival rituals, especially procedures for slaughtering animals, which often puzzle modern readers. What the LORD said to the Israelites thousands of years ago also speaks to us today. In fact, the entire book of Leviticus illustrates what it means to be “different”. The key to becoming holy lies with God Himself, not with human effort, will, or offerings.

          God first took the initiative to teach His people how to build the tabernacle. He then taught them how to live with Him through the means He established. Every sacrifice served as a powerful reminder that God’s people must depend on the “different” way God provided, completely overturning secular religious beliefs. Even the animals and crops used for offering were gifts from God. This means that when we sin against God and come before Him seeking forgiveness and restoration, even the “means of atonement” is something God has prepared for us.

          So, if we try to improve ourselves or please God in our own ways, the result will only be exhaustion and hypocrisy. Being “different” stems from our willingness to connect with God in the way He established – ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ. The altar in the Old Testament was a foreshadowing, and Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice is the ultimate fulfilment.

          Choosing to live “different” today may mean holding fast to God’s teaching right where you are, or guarding the way of rest amidst the anxious pace of the digital age. This perseverance is not about how holy we are, but about the grace of the holy God who desires to enter our imperfect lives, to dwell and walk with us. As we study Leviticus together this quarter, may you and I live out its central message – choosing, fundamentally, to embark on the adventure of a life that is simply “different”.