This passage contains dietary regulations. Why were certain foods restricted? We’ll look into that this morning, among other things.

As Moses continues to prepare the nation of Israel to enter the PL, one of his major concerns is that Israel must maintain its distinction from the Canaanites.

.2 “You area holy people to the Lord your God.” So the emphasis in this chapter is on holiness. What is holiness? The word means “to be set apart for God.” To be holy is to be unique and distinct, set apart from the pagans and unto God.

One of the clearest teachings in the Bible is that God’s people must be distinct. It seems like some Christians have an overwhelming desire to be like everyone else. They don’t want to be distinct; they want to be the same as most other people. So they live in virtually the same way that unsaved people live. Perhaps they avoid the most flagrant sins, but in large degree, they mimic the unsaved world. They want to be as closely aligned with the world as possible.

This passage reveals that we must not live like the unsaved world. Our lifestyle practices must be distinct from the pagans. If we are God’s people, we must live a holy lifestyle. Our lifestyle practices must distinguish us from the pagan world in which we live.

And that pertains even to the more mundane, routine aspects of life. Moses in this passage considers two rather ordinary issues—funerals and food. Israel must pursue holiness even in the ordinary affairs of life.

Like Israel, we must be distinct from the world, even in the mundane and routine aspects of life. We must not adopt the practices of worldly people. We must avoid imitating the behaviors of unbelievers. There should be a difference between the children of God and the people of this world. We are children of God; we must live holy lives.