What is the meaning of Leviticus 11:45? For I am the LORD – The verse opens with God’s self-disclosure: “For I am the LORD” (Leviticus 11:45). • This reminds the listener that the commands that follow come from the One who revealed Himself as “I AM” (Exodus 3:14). • His unchanging nature undergirds every instruction (Malachi 3:6). • Because He alone is God (Isaiah 45:5), obedience is the only fitting response. Who brought you up out of the land of Egypt – God ties His authority to a historical rescue: “who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” • Exodus 20:2 repeats the same grounding for the Ten Commandments. • His past deliverance proves both His power (Deuteronomy 4:34) and His faithfulness (Psalm 105:37-45). • Remembering redemption fosters gratitude and trust, motivating wholehearted obedience. So that I would be your God – Redemption had a purpose: covenant relationship. • God freed Israel not merely from something but for something—“that I would be your God” (Jeremiah 31:33). • Covenant language appears throughout Scripture: “I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be My people” (Leviticus 26:12; 2 Corinthians 6:16). • Relationship precedes requirement; belonging precedes behaving. Therefore be holy – Because of who God is and what He has done, He issues a call: “therefore be holy.” • Holiness means being set apart for God’s purposes (Exodus 19:5-6). • Positive examples: – Worship that honors God alone (Psalm 29:2). – Ethical living that reflects His character (Micah 6:8). • New-Testament believers hear the same charge: “But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do” (1 Peter 1:15-16). Because I am holy – God Himself is the standard: “because I am holy.” • His holiness is celebrated by angels: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Hosts” (Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:8). • His moral purity (Habakkuk 1:13) and utter otherness (1 Samuel 2:2) form the benchmark for His people. • Imitation flows from intimacy: the closer we draw to Him, the more His holiness shapes our conduct (Ephesians 5:1-2). summary Leviticus 11:45 weaves together identity, deliverance, relationship, responsibility, and imitation. The LORD—self-existent and unchanging—rescued Israel from Egypt to make them His own. That saving act grounds His call to a distinct, set-apart life that mirrors His own holiness. For every believer, remembering God’s past redemption fuels present obedience, and His holy character remains both the model and the motivation for living differently in the world. |
    |