Profane His Holy Name

The YouVersion 1-year Bible reading plan is going through Leviticus. Leviticus spells out in great detail how the people of Israel were to provide their offerings to God. This is not a set of silly rules because God is “picky” or wants to pay us back for taking the fruit in the Garden. It is because He is perfect in goodness and righteousness. Sin cannot exist in His presence, so needs atonement. That’s what the complicated protocol is all about, providing a way for sinful people to relate to a Holy God.

Consider electricity as a picture of God’s holiness. There is tremendous power running through the walls of our homes that enables our lifestyle. The building code is a collection of rules for dealing with things electrical. These rules may seem detailed or excessive, but they’re for our own good as doing anything counter to the building code could be fatal.

Easter is all about Jesus fulfilling the law by dying on the cross - He was the perfect sacrifice, the Lamb of God, paying the price for our sin once and for all. Through Christ’s death, we have free access to God as Father for restored relationship with God, to be holy ourselves.

The section on Priests and unacceptable sacrifices concludes with these two verses at the end of Leviticus 22:

32 Do not profane my holy name. I must be acknowledged as holy by the Israelites. I am the Lord, who makes you holy
33 and who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the Lord.

This stopped me in my tracks! Christians are often seen as intolerant, hypocritical, petty and divisive. Do I profane God’s holy name or reflect His holiness in my life when:

• I live conformed to this world, rather than being transformed by the renewing of my mind?
• I use my freedom in Christ to indulge my agenda and my sinful nature, rather than deferring to others?
• I want God to bless my plans, rather than aligning myself with what God is doing?
• I consume God’s blessings on myself, rather than sharing with others in need?

Is my life an argument for, or against, Christianity?