Chapter 19. God Requires His People To Be Holy.
Having spoken of what God requires of His people especially as regards sexual relations which had a vital place in a patriarchal society, God now moves on to remind them that they are to be holy in every way. They must not be spiritually skin-diseased.
It is not apparent from the English text but in this chapter there is continual movement from plural to singular and back again in order to bring home the personal application of the words. In view of this we will mark the verbs (p) - plural, or (s) - singular to bring out the difference.
The Command To Be Holy As Yahweh Is Holy (Leviticus 19:1-2).
‘And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,'
Once more we have the emphasis that all this was God's word to Moses.
“Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them, You (p) shall be holy; for I Yahweh your God am holy.”
We now come to the central point of all these statutes, ordinances and regulations. It is that God's people be holy as He is holy, be set apart from the world's ways as He is set apart from them, be pure as He is pure. They all know the purity and moral demands of Yahweh that reveal Him as distinct from all gods. They are therefore to be as pure and holy as He is, for they are His people. Their aim must therefore be to be like Him. Thus what comes next follows closely and expands on the ten words of the covenant of Sinai and the spirit of the covenant. Note the constant refrain, ‘I am Yahweh your God' (compare Exodus 20:2, and see here Leviticus 19:3-4; Leviticus 19:10; Leviticus 19:25; Leviticus 19:31; Leviticus 19:34 and Leviticus 19:36. Note also the slightly different phrase ‘I am Yahweh' in Leviticus 19:12; Leviticus 19:14; Leviticus 19:18; Leviticus 19:28; Leviticus 19:30; Leviticus 19:32; Leviticus 19:37). The covenant God was speaking to them constantly, personally and powerfully.
That God is ‘the Holy One of Israel' is stressed by Isaiah, based on His own vision of Yahweh's holiness which made him cry out in his uncleanness (Isaiah 6:1-6). He knew Him as the high and lofty One Who inhabits eternity Whose name is Holy (Isaiah 57:15), the One Who meets with the humble and contrite, who worship Him in the beauty of holiness (Psalms 96:9). There is nothing impure in Him (Habakkuk 1:13). This was what holiness meant to Israel.
“Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel.” It is again stressed that God's words are directed directly to the people. This concerns the behaviour of the whole people.