The book of Leviticus is full of various laws, requirements, rules and boundaries for God's chosen people. In our present day culture, many of the laws may seem absurd or bizarre, but the men of those days knew that God was uncompromising in his demands for holiness. As we see in Chapter 10 regarding Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu, the consequence for a lackadaisical approach to holiness and cleanliness was nothing short of death. At first glimpse, this consequence may seem harsh, but upon further reflection it is clear that to attempt to defile God or his law in any way is deserving of capital punishment (thank Him for grace, for we are all offenders). Furthermore, for a priest during that time to acquire access into the holy places, serious methodical cleansing had to precede that entrance.
Now, when we contrast those practices with our present day state, it is humbling to realize we have gained, through the blood of Christ, access into those holy places at any time. We have confidence approaching the throne of grace without first making a costly sacrifice. I think two natural consequences emerge from this dichotomy—one good, and one bad. First the good: we are able to bask in the free grace that Christ lavishly pours out on us. Whether dirty or clean we can enter that holy place and bring ourselves before the Lord as Christ intercedes on our behalf. This is great; however, tragically another consequence naturally manifests itself through the abolishment of the sacrificial system. Man no longer pursues holiness.
In the days of the Levitical priesthood, sin would cost a man and his family an offering of sorts for atonement. Not only would his sin bear on his conscience, it would bear on his budget. Additionally, his sin would have visible, tangible consequences for his family since they too would depend on the monetary value sacrificed in the atoning act. Yet, when this system was put aside when Christ paid the ultimate sacrifice on the cross, I don’t think God intended for man to now take his sin lightly.
So, what then is the solution? How can man now motivate himself to pursue holiness without reservation? I’m sure the answers are many, but I’ll propose just one: stand before the holiness of God. We see in Isaiah 6 that the prophet encounters the perfection of God as Christ was being worshiped by the Seraphim. His humble reply was “Woe is me, for I am ruined.” To pursue holiness, man must wrestle with his depravity and his need to be cleansed. One will not seek restoration until he knows he is broken. Therefore, stand before the perfect, eternal God and recognize your righteousness is but “filthy rags”, then run hard after him…”For I am the Lord your God, consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy for I am holy”—Lev 11:44
