{"id":5488,"date":"2026-03-28T00:01:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-28T07:01:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/?p=5488"},"modified":"2026-02-24T10:01:53","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T18:01:53","slug":"leviticus-1144-45-for-i-am-the-lord-your-god-you-shall-therefore-sanctify-yourselves-and-you-shall-be-holy-for-i-am-holy-neither-shall-you-defile-yourselves-with-any-creeping-t","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/?p=5488","title":{"rendered":"Leviticus 11:44\u201345: \u201cFor I am the LORD your God. You shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy. Neither shall you defile yourselves with any creeping thing that creeps on the earth. For I am the LORD who brings you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.”"},"content":{"rendered":"

God told His people to sanctify<\/em> themselves, to set aside their lives. He commanded \u201cyou shall be holy; for I am holy.\u201d There are many details given here and in the chapters ahead, precise details regarding sacrifices, rituals, diet, and even clothing and cooking. All the Hebrews understood was that they were being taught to obey God in every, seemingly, mundane area of life. But He was actually teaching them, using clean and unclean distinctions, how to be holy, how to be separate from, or live differently than, the idolatrous nations around them. He was saying in a broad sense that His people must learn to live His<\/em> way.<\/p>\n

In this verse we see the first of fifty times the phrase, “I am the Lord your God,” is used in the Old Testament. It was because the Lord was their God that they were to be different, that they were to be separate and holy. And it was through these laws that their outward behaviors showed that difference. But the outward behavior was only a reflection, or even an outpouring, of what the internal should be, a personal holiness of the heart. They were to be separated from sin in their hearts.<\/p>\n

God points to holiness again and again throughout the book of Leviticus. What He was teaching His people in Leviticus is still true for us today. He is holy; therefore, we need to be holy. But what can we do, we are not<\/em> holy? Our only hope rests on the great exchange\u2014Jesus exchanged His life for ours. And the result of Him living in us is a new heart, a heart separated to Him. We find ourselves desiring to be holy and to do the right thing because He is in us.<\/p>\n

“LORD, we want to be holy but we fail so often. Change our hearts more LORD. Make us like You.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

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Leviticus 11 KJV<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1<\/sup>\u00a0And the\u00a0LORD\u00a0spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying unto them,\u00a02<\/sup>\u00a0Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, These\u00a0are\u00a0<\/em>the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that\u00a0are\u00a0<\/em>on the earth.\u00a03<\/sup>\u00a0Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted,\u00a0and\u00a0<\/em>cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that shall ye eat.\u00a04<\/sup>\u00a0Nevertheless these shall ye not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the hoof:\u00a0as\u00a0<\/em>the camel, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he\u00a0is\u00a0<\/em>unclean unto you.\u00a05<\/sup>\u00a0And the coney, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he\u00a0is\u00a0<\/em>unclean unto you.\u00a06<\/sup>\u00a0And the hare, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he\u00a0is\u00a0<\/em>unclean unto you.\u00a07<\/sup>\u00a0And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not the cud; he\u00a0is\u00a0<\/em>unclean to you.\u00a08<\/sup>\u00a0Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcase shall ye not touch; they\u00a0are\u00a0<\/em>unclean to you. 9<\/sup> These shall ye eat of all that\u00a0are\u00a0<\/em>in the waters: whatsoever hath fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, them shall ye eat.\u00a010<\/sup>\u00a0And all that have not fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers, of all that move in the waters, and of any living thing which\u00a0is\u00a0<\/em>in the waters, they\u00a0shall be\u00a0<\/em>an abomination unto you:\u00a011<\/sup>\u00a0They shall be even an abomination unto you; ye shall not eat of their flesh, but ye shall have their carcases in abomination.\u00a012<\/sup>Whatsoever hath no fins nor scales in the waters, that\u00a0shall be\u00a0<\/em>an abomination unto you. 13<\/sup>\u00a0And these\u00a0are they which\u00a0<\/em>ye shall have in abomination among the fowls; they shall not be eaten, they\u00a0are\u00a0<\/em>an abomination: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray,\u00a014<\/sup>\u00a0And the vulture, and the kite after his kind;\u00a015<\/sup>\u00a0Every raven after his kind;\u00a016<\/sup>\u00a0And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind,\u00a017<\/sup>\u00a0And the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl,\u00a018<\/sup>\u00a0And the swan, and the pelican, and the gier eagle,\u00a019<\/sup>\u00a0And the stork, the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat. 20<\/sup>\u00a0All fowls that creep, going upon\u00a0all\u00a0<\/em>four,\u00a0shall be\u00a0<\/em>an abomination unto you.\u00a021<\/sup>\u00a0Yet these may ye eat of every flying creeping thing that goeth upon\u00a0all\u00a0<\/em>four, which have legs above their feet, to leap withal upon the earth;\u00a022<\/sup>\u00a0Even\u00a0<\/em>these of them ye may eat; the locust after his kind, and the bald locust after his kind, and the beetle after his kind, and the grasshopper after his kind.\u00a023<\/sup>\u00a0But all\u00a0other\u00a0<\/em>flying creeping things, which have four feet,\u00a0shall be\u00a0<\/em>an abomination unto you.\u00a024<\/sup>\u00a0And for these ye shall be unclean: whosoever toucheth the carcase of them shall be unclean until the even.\u00a025<\/sup>\u00a0And whosoever beareth\u00a0ought\u00a0<\/em>of the carcase of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even.\u00a026<\/sup>\u00a0The carcases\u00a0<\/em>of every beast which divideth the hoof, and\u00a0is\u00a0<\/em>not clovenfooted, nor cheweth the cud,\u00a0are\u00a0<\/em>unclean unto you: every one that toucheth them shall be unclean.\u00a027<\/sup>\u00a0And whatsoever goeth upon his paws, among all manner of beasts that go on\u00a0all\u00a0<\/em>four, those\u00a0are\u00a0<\/em>unclean unto you: whoso toucheth their carcase shall be unclean until the even.\u00a028<\/sup>\u00a0And he that beareth the carcase of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: they\u00a0are\u00a0<\/em>unclean unto you. 29<\/sup>\u00a0These also\u00a0shall be\u00a0<\/em>unclean unto you among the creeping things that creep upon the earth; the weasel, and the mouse, and the tortoise after his kind,\u00a030<\/sup>\u00a0And the ferret, and the chameleon, and the lizard, and the snail, and the mole.\u00a031<\/sup>\u00a0These\u00a0are\u00a0<\/em>unclean to you among all that creep: whosoever doth touch them, when they be dead, shall be unclean until the even.\u00a032<\/sup>And upon whatsoever\u00a0any\u00a0<\/em>of them, when they are dead, doth fall, it shall be unclean; whether\u00a0it be\u00a0<\/em>any vessel of wood, or raiment, or skin, or sack, whatsoever vessel\u00a0it be\u00a0<\/em>, wherein\u00a0any\u00a0<\/em>work is done, it must be put into water, and it shall be unclean until the even; so it shall be cleansed.\u00a033<\/sup>\u00a0And every earthen vessel, whereinto\u00a0any\u00a0<\/em>of them falleth, whatsoever\u00a0is\u00a0<\/em>in it shall be unclean; and ye shall break it.\u00a034<\/sup>\u00a0Of all meat which may be eaten,\u00a0that<\/em> on which\u00a0such\u00a0<\/em>water cometh shall be unclean: and all drink that may be drunk in every\u00a0such\u00a0<\/em>vessel shall be unclean.\u00a035<\/sup>\u00a0And every\u00a0thing\u00a0<\/em>whereupon\u00a0any part\u00a0<\/em>of their carcase falleth shall be unclean;\u00a0whether it be\u00a0<\/em>oven, or ranges for pots, they shall be broken down:\u00a0for\u00a0<\/em>they\u00a0are\u00a0<\/em>unclean, and shall be unclean unto you.\u00a036<\/sup>\u00a0Nevertheless a fountain or pit,\u00a0wherein there is\u00a0<\/em>plenty of water, shall be clean: but that which toucheth their carcase shall be unclean.\u00a0\u00a037<\/sup>\u00a0And if\u00a0any part\u00a0<\/em>of their carcase fall upon any sowing seed which is to be sown, it\u00a0shall be\u00a0<\/em>clean.\u00a038<\/sup>\u00a0But if\u00a0any<\/em>water be put upon the seed, and\u00a0any part\u00a0<\/em>of their carcase fall thereon, it\u00a0shall be\u00a0<\/em>unclean unto you.\u00a039<\/sup>\u00a0And if any beast, of which ye may eat, die; he that toucheth the carcase thereof shall be unclean until the even.\u00a040<\/sup>\u00a0And he that eateth of the carcase of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: he also that beareth the carcase of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even.\u00a041<\/sup>\u00a0And every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth\u00a0shall be\u00a0<\/em>an abomination; it shall not be eaten.\u00a042<\/sup>\u00a0Whatsoever goeth upon the belly, and whatsoever goeth upon\u00a0all\u00a0<\/em>four, or whatsoever hath more feet among all creeping things that creep upon the earth, them ye shall not eat; for they\u00a0are\u00a0<\/em>an abomination.\u00a0 43<\/sup>\u00a0Ye shall not make yourselves abominable with any creeping thing that creepeth, neither shall ye make yourselves unclean with them, that ye should be defiled thereby.\u00a0\u00a044<\/sup>\u00a0For I\u00a0am<\/em>the\u00a0LORD\u00a0your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I\u00a0am\u00a0<\/em>holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.\u00a045<\/sup>\u00a0For I\u00a0am\u00a0<\/em>the\u00a0LORD\u00a0that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I\u00a0am\u00a0<\/em>holy.\u00a046<\/sup>\u00a0This\u00a0is\u00a0<\/em>the law of the beasts, and of the fowl, and of every living creature that moveth in the waters, and of every creature that creepeth upon the earth:\u00a047<\/sup>\u00a0To make a difference between the unclean and the clean, and between the beast that may be eaten and the beast that may not be eaten.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

God told His people to sanctify themselves, to set aside their lives. He commanded \u201cyou shall be holy; for I am holy.\u201d There are many details given here and in the chapters ahead, precise details regarding sacrifices, rituals, diet, and even clothing and cooking. All the Hebrews understood was that they were being taught to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"yes","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5488"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5488"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5488\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15897,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5488\/revisions\/15897"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5488"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5488"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5488"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}