Leviticus 22 primarily addresses the holiness of God. Through their obedience, the Israelites are to honor their holy God.
“Thus you shall keep my commandments and observe them: I am the Lord.
You shall not profane my holy name, that I may be sanctified among the Israelites: I am the Lord; I sanctify you,
I who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God: I am the Lord” (Leviticus 22:31-33).
This concludes Chapter 22’s message on holiness. Notice how the phrase “I am the Lord” in each verse underscores and qualifies God’s call to His people.
Bible translators use the lower capital rendering of “LORD” to indicate that the Hebrew word is the Tetragrammaton (YHWH), God’s personal name. This four-letter Hebrew term is often pronounced as Yahweh or Jehovah, as English translators add vowels to it.
The phrase “I am the LORD” signifies God’s covenant relationship with His people. What God requires of them is to respond to this covenant by fulfilling their part, which involves following the directions outlined throughout Leviticus.
When God declares, “I brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God,” He expresses His desire to be our God and for us to be His people.
When we affirm that God is our God, we aren’t asserting a personal claim to Him. Instead, we are confessing our role as His servants.
He is God, the King of Kings and Lord of all lords. Therefore, when we say “He is our God,” we are, as loyal subjects, proclaiming our commitment to serve Him in His kingdom.
Key Terms
In the remainder of this article, I want to highlight two key terms. The first is “God’s name.” What do we mean by this? While “God’s name” carries various meanings, some important ones include His presence, nature, reputation, and character.
Understanding the preciousness of God’s name should color the way we pray the first petition of the Lord’s Prayer.
Our Father in heaven,
May your name be revered as holy. (Matthew 6:9)
During prayer, we specifically acknowledge God’s presence through the Holy Spirit. As we pray, we ask that God’s nature, reputation, and character be fully revealed in our lives and throughout the world.
The second term to consider is “sanctified,” which comes from the root word “holy.” To be sanctified means to be set apart for God’s purposes.
For example, we have the Holy Bible. It is set apart as something special and should be cared for with the utmost reverence.
In the lives of God’s people, He needs to be set apart as incredibly special, much like how we revere His name—which represents His character, nature, and reputation.
At the same time, He sets us apart for His purposes. As Dallas Willard puts it, our purpose is to “live a Jesus kind of life.”
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed this passage on YouTube today.
Real Voices 