Leviticus 18:1-4
1 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, I am the Lord your God. 3 You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you lived, and you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, to which I am bringing you. You shall not walk in their statutes. 4 You shall follow my rules and keep my statutes and walk in them. I am the Lord your God.”
Chapter 18 is about sexual relations, and it begins with a command to not follow the example of other cultures. This is an important
understanding for us in our modern world, because our culture encourages very different sexual behavior from what the Bible says. We are all bombarded by media examples of promiscuous sex. It is tempting to say that certain behavior is okay because other people do it, or at least is not as bad as what others do. But God will have none of that. We are called to follow His standard, not the world's standard. Several times these verses repeat: "I am the Lord your God". In other words, I am your master, your king, and you must do as I say, not as the others do. Thus we must be willing to be counter-cultural when surrounded by others who do not follow God, for we march to the beat of a different drummer.
Lord, part of me wants to "fit in" and be accepted by others around me. But I know that You have called me to follow You, not the world. Give me the courage to be counter-cultural.
1 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, I am the Lord your God. 3 You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you lived, and you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, to which I am bringing you. You shall not walk in their statutes. 4 You shall follow my rules and keep my statutes and walk in them. I am the Lord your God.”
Chapter 18 is about sexual relations, and it begins with a command to not follow the example of other cultures. This is an important
understanding for us in our modern world, because our culture encourages very different sexual behavior from what the Bible says. We are all bombarded by media examples of promiscuous sex. It is tempting to say that certain behavior is okay because other people do it, or at least is not as bad as what others do. But God will have none of that. We are called to follow His standard, not the world's standard. Several times these verses repeat: "I am the Lord your God". In other words, I am your master, your king, and you must do as I say, not as the others do. Thus we must be willing to be counter-cultural when surrounded by others who do not follow God, for we march to the beat of a different drummer.
Lord, part of me wants to "fit in" and be accepted by others around me. But I know that You have called me to follow You, not the world. Give me the courage to be counter-cultural.