Shining a light on the weekly Bible Lessons published in the Christian Science Quarterly®
Substance
Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy. . . . thou shalt not sow thy field with mingled seed.
Holiness is a recurring theme in Leviticus. (The word holy appears there more than in any other biblical book.) Living amid pagan beliefs and practices, the Israelites needed to safeguard their purity. God’s people are to be holy (a mandate repeated in 20:7, 26)—to honor their unadulterated, Godlike identity.
A commentary suggests: “The character of God stands behind the moral duties for humanity. Other ancient religions did not appeal to the person, nature, and actions of their deities as the basis for moral thinking and acting . . . . Often the pagan deities were more sensual and debased in their actions and character than the mortals who strove to worship them. Not so with Yahweh, who is holiness itself and a model for all.”
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Resources quoted in this issue
GT: Keck, Leander E., et al., eds. The New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary. Vol. 1, Introduction to the Pentateuch. Genesis. Exodus. Leviticus. Numbers. Deuteronomy. Nashville: Abingdon, 2015.
RR: Davids, Peter H. New International Biblical Commentary—James. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1989.
SIDEBAR: McKnight, Edgar V., and Christopher Church. Hebrews–James. Macon, GA: Smyth & Helwys Pub., 2004.
Cit. 15: Laymon, Charles M. The Interpreter’s One-Volume Commentary on the Bible. Nashville: Abingdon, 1971.
Cit. 19: Soards, Marion L. New International Biblical Commentary—1 Corinthians. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1999; Keck, Leander E., et al., eds. The New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary. Vol. 9, Acts, Introduction to Epistolary Literature, Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians. Nashville: Abingdon, 2015.
Cit. 21: Barclay, William. The Daily Study Bible: The Gospel of Matthew, Vol. 1. Edinburgh: Saint Andrew, 1955. Revised and updated by Saint Andrew, 2001. Reprinted as The New Daily Study Bible: The Gospel of Matthew, Vol. 1. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox, 2001–04.
COPYRIGHT
Scriptural quotations marked Common English Bible are taken from the Common English Bible, copyright © 2011 by the Common English Bible. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Scriptural quotations marked Amplified® Bible Classic are taken from the Amplified® Bible Classic, copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org.
Scriptural quotations marked New Living Translation are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Scriptural quotations marked International Children’s Bible are taken from the International Children’s Bible®, copyright © 1986, 1988, 1999 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Scriptural quotations marked New Century Version are taken from the New Century Version®, copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
© 2021 The Christian Science Publishing Society. The design of the Cross and Crown is a trademark owned by the Christian Science Board of Directors and is used by permission. Bible Lens and Christian Science Quarterly are trademarks owned by The Christian Science Publishing Society. Unless otherwise indicated, all scriptural quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Holy Bible.
