Deuteronomy 23.12-14

“You shall have a place outside the camp, and you shall go out to it. And you shall have a trowel with your tools, and when you sit down outside, you shall dig a hole with it and turn back and cover up your excrement. Because the LORD your God walks in the midst of your camp, to deliver you and to give up your enemies before you, therefore your camp must be holy, so that he may not see anything indecent among you and turn away from you.”

Exodus 22.31

“You shall be consecrated to me. Therefore you shall not eat any flesh that is torn by beasts in the field; you shall throw it to the dogs.”

These two statutes are something of a prelude to more comprehensive regulations concerning cleanness and uncleanness which are explained in Leviticus. Israel’s property must be kept clean and decent, and the people of God must not befoul themselves with unsafe food.

The regulation concerning excrement suggests an aspect of life which, while normal, is nonetheless considered not appropriate for honoring God. This statute, besides the obvious requirement of cleanliness in personal hygiene, suggests other applications that might curtail conduct dishonoring to God: how we use our language, for example, and the kinds of stories we share with one another.

Here again are everyday reminders yet again of the call to holiness and the promise of blessing and prosperity.

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Leviticus 19.23-25

“When you come into the land and plant any kind of tree for food, then you shall regard its fruit as forbidden. Three years it shall be forbidden to you; it must not be eaten. And in the fourth year all its fruit shall be holy, an offering of praise to the LORD. But in the fifth year you may eat of its fruit, to increase its yield for you: I am the LORD your God.”

Here is another “everyday reminder,” this one intended to reinforce the idea that Israel was totally dependent on the Lord for all her needs.

Upon planting a new tree, an Israelite must resist the temptation, for four years, to consume the fruit of the tree upon himself. The tree must be allowed three years to take root and flourish. Then, in the fourth year, the entire crop of the tree was devoted to the Lord – a “firstfruits” offering of praise to God for His faithfulness in providing all their needs. Then, in the fifth year – only after four years of specific self-denial and obedience – was the new tree’s fruit available to be eaten.

We can imagine that, with many orchards and many new trees, Israelites would have been faced with this reminder nearly every day of their lives. God uses His creation to keep us mindful of Him, but we have to look to His Law and Word to teach us how to learn the lessons creation is telling.

It’s also possible that refraining from eating the fruit of these trees for a period of time may have had another benefit: It may have reminded the people of Israel that it was through disobedience in this specific area that transgression first entered human life and creation (Gen. 3.1-6). Thus, this prohibition served as a reminder of God’s original call to obey Him, and, at the same time, offered the promise which obedience to God’s Law always brings.

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Leviticus 19.19

“You shall keep my statutes. You shall not let your cattle breed with a different kind. You shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed, nor shall you wear a garment of cloth made of two kinds of material.”

Deuteronomy 22.9-11

“You shall not sow your vineyard with two kinds of seed, lest the whole yield be forfeited, the crop that you have sown and the yield of the vineyard. You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together. You shall not wear cloth of wool and linen mixed together.”

From time to time God gave Israel “everyday tokens” to remind them of His calling, their place among the nations, and the Law which He has given to make them holy, give them life, and lead them into glory and greatness.

There are, of course, practical reasons for the instructions given in these two statutes. Interbreeding of cattle leads to sterility (think: mules). Sowing fields with two different kinds of seeds complicates care and harvesting. Clothes made of different garments may wear out unevenly. And so forth.

But the primary reason for these instructions seems to be to reinforce the idea of Israel’s separateness from the world around them. By keeping these items distinct and separate, the people of Israel would have practical, everyday reminders of how they must regard themselves, and of the Law which could enable them to fulfill this calling.

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Leviticus 20.22-26

“You shall therefore keep all my statutes and all my rules and do them, that the land where I am bringing you to live may not vomit you out. And you shall not walk in the customs of the nation that I am driving out before you, for they did all these things, and therefore I detested them. But I have said to you, ‘You shall inherit their land, and I will give it to you to possess, a land flowing with milk and honey.’ I am the LORD your God, who have separated you from the peoples. You shall therefore separate the clean beast from the unclean, and the unclean bird from the clean. You shall not make yourselves detestable by beast or by bird or by anything with which the ground crawls, which I have set apart for you to hold unclean. You shall be holy to me, for I the LORD am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine.”

Obedience to God’s Law makes His people distinct from the nations around them. Israel was sternly warned against incorporating into her worship or daily life any of the practices of the pagan nations she was going to displace. Doing so would make her an offense to God and would short-circuit receipt of the promises. God’s intention was that, through obedience to the Law, Israel would transform the pagan lands she was inheriting, bringing goodness, love, justice, and truth to light where formerly only darkness had prevailed.

So it is today. God calls us to be holy, as He is holy (Matt. 5.48), so that those who have been redeemed by Jesus Christ and born again of His Spirit might take up obedience of His Law of liberty, life, and love, and, by so going, bring the glory of God to light in every area of life. Christians must keep and teach the Law if they would know Kingdom greatness (Matt. 5.17-19) – not for salvation, but unto sanctification and life.

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Deuteronomy 32.45-47

And when Moses had finished speaking all these words to Israel, he said to them, “Take to heart all the words by which I am warning you today, that you may command them to your children, that they may be careful to do all the words of this law. For it is no empty word for you, but your very life, and by this word you shall live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.”

Evidence that we have taken the Law of God to heart will be found in the thoroughness with which we teach God’s Law to the coming generation – and not merely as an intellectual exercise, but as a standard for daily practice. Teaching only accomplishes its aim when it brings forth obedience in the lives of those taught, the obedience to God’s Law which results in love for Him and neighbors (Matt. 22.34-30).

God’s Law marks out the path of full and abundant life in Christ (1 Jn. 2.1-6). If we will take it to heart, live in it day by day, and pass it along to our children, then we will know the fullness of God’s precious and very great promises (2 Pet. 1.4 – symbolized here by the land).

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Deuteronomy 32.45-47

And when Moses had finished speaking all these words to Israel, he said to them, “Take to heart all the words by which I am warning you today, that you may command them to your children, that they may be careful to do all the words of this law. For it is no empty word for you, but your very life, and by this word you shall live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.”

“Take to heart.” Here was the great stumbling-stone for Israel, for they did not have a heart for God (Deut. 5.29). It would take a great work of God to give them a new heart (Deut. 30.1-10). Christ’s work of redemption opened the way for the Spirit of God to come and give God’s people a new heart, so that they could learn and obey His Law (Ezek. 36.26, 27). Now God’s mandate to Israel remains for the people of God today: Take the Law to heart!

But what does this entail? Certainly we cannot take the Law to heart if we choose to remain ignorant of it. We must read, study, and meditate on God’s Law, listening for the Spirit to show us specific applications of this holy and righteous and good Law to our everyday lives. We must also learn to love the Law of God above our own best thoughts or the opinions of others (Ps. 119.97). The more we understand of God’s Law, and the more we act in obedience on it, the more we will see the wisdom and love of God in it, and, hence, the more we will love this Law and take it to heart.

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Leviticus 19.2

“Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.”

Matthew 5.44, 45

Obedience to the Law of God is not the way to salvation; Salvation is by grace through faith alone. Rather, obedience is the way to holiness, for the Law is holy, and God Who gave it is holy. His Son is holy, Who fulfilled all the righteousness of the Law on our behalf, and bore all its holy judgments against our sin. His Spirit is Holy, Who indwells those who believe and teaches us the Law of God. We are called to bring holiness to completion in the fear of God (2 Cor. 7.1). Believers are to be holy as God’s redeemed children, and that holiness is only through obedience to the Law of God.

If we love God supremely, we will keep His Word. If we keep His Word, beginning with His Law, we will be holy as He is holy – not all at once, but increasingly, as the Spirit transforms us from glory to glory into the image of Jesus Christ. (2 Cor. 3.12-18).

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Leviticus 18.1-5

And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, I am the LORD your God. 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. You shall follow my rules and keep my statutes and walk in them. I am the LORD your God. You shall therefore keep my statutes and my rules; if a person does them, he shall live by them: I am the LORD.”

The people of Israel were not to take their ethical cues from the surrounding nations, whether Egypt, where they had lived, or Canaan, to which they were going. God’s rules and statutes were to be their guide in all things; His Word was sufficient to equip them for every good work (2 Tim. 3.15-17).

So it is today as well. We are not to be conformed to this world (Rom. 12.1, 2) but are to lay aside all the ways of the flesh and follow in the way that Jesus walked, the way of God’s Word and Law (Eph. 4.17-24; 1 Jn. 2.1-6). The promise for obedience leading to holiness is life. We have the oath of the Lord that, if we obey Him, we will know full and abundant life as He intends.

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