Did you ever feel that the world is obsessed with the obtainment of perfection? Yet, it only seems to yield feelings of inadequacy, guilt, and depression. That can’t be good. Some then conclude we should therefore just accept ourselves as we are—you get what you see. But that doesn’t sound right either. So, what’s the solution? Let’s look back at Leviticus and see what it can tell us.

Believe it or not, perfection is God’s standard. That’s what most of Leviticus is about. Why is that? First, let’s see what God required of Israel. One of the things we see is all the purification laws imposed upon them (hence why many feel it is such a boring book). Many believe this is just so the Israelites can live more disease-free lives. That is likely a part of it. After all, these verses are dealing with such things as clean and unclean food (Lv 11), purification after childbirth (Lv 12), skin disease regulations (Lv 13), skin disease cleansing (Lv 14), and bodily discharges (Lv 15). These are certainly not good for casual reading but are very important for practical daily living. Yet, it’s more than that. How Israel dealt with these daily issues set them apart from other nations and peoples and made them unique (Lv 20:26). It drew the attention of other people to them and made them ask questions. Then, God could be brought into the conversation. It was to become part of their witnessing tool to the rest of the world. After all, Israel was charged to be the priests to the world (Ex 19:6).

Perfection is the standard which God expects. Part of perfection is being unblemished and pure—one of the reasons for the sacrificial requirements of the animals having to be unblemished. This is also the reason for the charge to the priests to teach the people the difference between what is clean and what is unclean. It also helped to point out that this standard of perfection was a high goal—above one’s ability on their own to achieve. It would then raise the question, “How can I achieve this?” The answer came by realizing the ultimate purpose pointed to one to come who would be able to achieve this standard of perfection.

The same is true for us. We also can’t attain this level of perfection. We, like they, need to look toward the one who could, and did, achieve this perfection. God knew we couldn’t do it on our own, so he did it for us. Yet, we must accept what He did on our part. We must humble ourselves and admit we can’t do it ourselves and turn to what God did for us on our behalf, just as the Israelites had to do (2Ch 7:14). What about you? Are you willing?

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens