As we turn to chapter 19, it may appear at first to be a strange combination of laws, blending civil, moral, and ceremonial matters.
But we are largely looking at the Ten Commandments – though as we'll see, the Ten Commandments as applied to Israel's pursuit of holiness.
The organizing principle, around which the whole chapter is built, is verse 2: "You shall be holy, for I Yahweh your God am holy." There are two basic sections: the call to love God and neighbor in verses 3-18, and the call to keep God's statutes in verses 19-37.
The phrase, "I am Yahweh" appears 16 times in this chapter. The rationale for Israel's holiness is found not in themselves, but in their God.
God is holy! And his holiness must not be profaned! But we are unclean.
How can a people of unclean lips draw near a holy God?
The first 16 chapters focused on how we can draw near. Now we will look at what that holiness should look like in our lives.
As the chapter concludes (and as we'll see next week), Israel's holiness is rooted in their redemption from Egypt. They are not delivered from bondage because they were holy, they are holy because they were delivered from bondage.
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