Leviticus reminds us to be set apart for extraordinary things

Published: May 20, 2023

By Paula Standridge
St. John the Baptist Church, Hot Springs

If an individual decided to read or study the Bible from start to finish, it would undoubtedly not take too long for questions to arise. Without a study guide or commentary, it would be extremely difficult to benefit from all that the word of God says to us.

For example, we might be tempted to ”skip over” the book of Leviticus because we might think these writings only pertain to the ancient Israelites. Leviticus is a collection of sacrificial instructions to the Israelites (how they were to worship their God) and other ritual laws prescribed for the priests of the tribe of Levi.

The book also contains regulations about food, clothing and moral law. Nothing was considered too small or too insignificant to be included or mentioned in the Lord’s instructions to his people. The Ten Commandments that we are familiar with are very broad, considering how minute and precise some of the instructions were.

The central idea of Leviticus, however, is not the law and prohibitions but the reason for these laws and prohibitions: to set apart the people of God from the rest of the world.

This central idea is contained in the book’s oft-repeated injunction: You shall be holy because I, the Lord, am holy.

The book of Leviticus is about holiness, being separate and being set apart. The laws and instructions were instituted so that the people of God would be set apart from the rest of the peoples of the lands. God was preparing his people to possess the land he had promised them. “You shall be holy to me for I, the Lord am holy and have separated you from the peoples that you shall be mine.”

The Israelites were consecrated to God; made sacred to him. When God’s people entered the Promised Land, they were to be recognizably different in how they worshiped their God and treated each other. They were not to walk in the customs of the land they would be possessing.

As Catholics, we have a practice of blessing objects or people; in fact, we have an entire book of blessings for every imaginable circumstance or situation. We are blessed at Mass, during confession and when we enter the church. We bless ourselves before meals, we bless medals, vehicles and rosaries and our children. This blessing invokes the Holy Spirit upon them but also sets these objects apart for a certain, dedicated purpose; they are made sacred.

This ordinary object that has been blessed is no longer an ordinary thing but an extraordinary thing set apart for a purpose. It must be treated that way — that is what the Lord is saying in Leviticus. Once something or someone is made holy, it can no longer be used as it was previously, and the people who have been blessed should be recognizably different.

In the culture we live in today, we, as Catholic Christians, may feel left out and out of touch with the secular world, but remember we are in the world but not of the world. According to the book of Leviticus, this is how it should be.

For an excellent way to study the Bible, I recommend listening to Father Mike Schmitz's “Bible in a Year” podcast. Not only is the Scripture explained academically, but also in a pastoral way that shows God’s supreme love for us.

Paula Standridge is a member of St. John the Baptist Church in Hot Springs. In 2012, she completed the diaconate formation training with her husband, Deacon Robert Standridge. This article was originally published in Arkansas Catholic May 20, 2023. Copyright Diocese of Little Rock. All rights reserved. This article may be copied or redistributed with acknowledgement and permission of the publisher.