«　WEEK 19　DAY 4　»

　　Eph. 4:22-24 That you put off, as regards your former manner of life, the old man, which is being corrupted according to the lusts of the deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind and put on the new man, which was created according to God in righteousness and holiness of the reality.

　　By reading Ephesians 4:17—5:14, we are helped to understand Leviticus 18—20, and by reading this section in Leviticus we are helped to understand this portion of Ephesians. The more we read Ephesians 4:17—5:14, the more we understand chapters 18 through 20 of Leviticus. In Old Testament terms, God's people were not to live according to the Egyptians, among whom they once lived, nor according to the Canaanites. They were to put off the old man with the old manner of life and to put on the new man with the new manner of life. Leviticus 18:3 says, "You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, in which you dwelt; and you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you, nor shall you walk in their statutes." Here we see that the Israelites were to live a new life, a life neither in the manner of the Egyptians, among whom they once lived, nor in the manner of the Canaanites, to whose land they were to be brought, but in the manner of God's holy people. To put off the living of the Egyptians and the Canaanites was to put off the old man, and to live a life according to God's holiness was to put on the new man. (Life-study of Leviticus, pp. 437-438)

　　In Leviticus 18 through 20 we have many ordinances and statutes of the law (20:22). The law is composed first of the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments, which are the basic elements of the law, are simple, short, and definite. Because the Ten Commandments are brief, they need explanation and extension. The ordinances and statutes are explanations and extensions of the Ten Commandments. Leviticus 18—20 is full of statutes and ordinances, which are explanations and extensions of the Ten Commandments. As a whole, the law is composed of the Ten Commandments plus the explanations and extensions of the Ten Commandments.

　　There is an important difference between an ordinance and a statute. An ordinance is a statute with a judgment. However, a statute, a regulation, that does not include a judgment is simply a statute. In chapters 18 through 20 of Leviticus, there are regulations that are without judgments; these regulations do not tell us how to judge a case. These regulations are statutes. Other regulations include judgments and therefore should be considered ordinances and not merely statutes.

　　In Leviticus 18—20 there is no repetition of the Ten Commandments, but there is the explanation and extension of the Ten Commandments. For example, one of the Ten Commandments forbids the worship of idols, and in the regulations concerning witchcraft there is an extension of this commandment (19:26, 31; 20:6). Another example is the extension in 20:9 of the commandment to honor our parents. This verse says, "If there is anyone who curses his father or his mother, he shall surely be put to death. He has cursed his father or his mother; his blood is upon him." Many other examples of statutes and ordinances can be found in these chapters.

　　The sons of Israel were charged to put off the former Egyptian conduct (18:3a).

　　This signifies that the believers should put off the former, old way of living.

　　The Israelites were also charged not to walk in the customs of the Canaanites, into whose land they would come (18:3b). This signifies that, after being saved, the believers should not be conformed to the living and conduct of the worldly people.

　　The sons of Israel were to have God's holy living (18:4—20:27). This signifies putting on the new man. Living a holy life according to God's holiness is equal to putting on the new man. (Life-study of Leviticus, pp. 438-439)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of Leviticus, msg. 49