Holy Living

I just finished reading Leviticus. It's an interesting book, but not quite as much fun as the stories on either side of it in Exodus or Numbers. Reading through it this time, though, I  was once again impressed with the breadth of God's command for holy living. There are commands for what they eat, how it was cooked, how they treated slaves, what to do if an ox died, how to care for rashes, how to be clean, where to set up the latrines, how to harvest wheat. The list goes on (for 27 chapters!), and I can't help but feel awed that God cares so much about the intimate details of daily life. God called the Israelites to live a life that was set apart from their neighbors, and then clearly detailed how it should look. And it's in these minute details that the pattern of living becomes clear...be fair to your neighbors, be clean, leave some for the poor, make time for rest, set aside time for worship. Be holy.

I wonder how the Israelites responded to God commands. Did they joyfully abandon the way they lived before and earnestly practice God's laws? Or did they begrudgingly try to form new habits? Did it take awhile to adapt to the daily pattern of holy living? Were there conversations like, "What is it we're supposed to do when my ox dies in my neighbor's field? I can't remember what Moses said about that." Did they see past the details to the bigger picture of what God was doing. I know I get bogged down in the details sometimes, and I forget that the pattern of holy living is part of the bigger story of redemption.