“There shall be one standard for you; it shall be for the stranger as well as the native, for I am the LORD your God.” (Lev 24:22)
Standards are important. We set high standards for our children’s education, we expect high safety standards from the automotive industry, and we desire high standards in the hygiene of the people that handle our food. We also like uniformity to those standards. We like knowing that all restaurants expect their employees to wash their hands, and we like knowing that seat belts are functional in any car we buy. High standards must also be consistent standards for them to be effective.
And that is exactly what God offers us. He expects much out of us and believes us capable of meeting a higher standard of ethics and godliness. He also refuses to show partiality in that standard. Kings and peasants alike are held to one standard.
We should be moved by God’s high and consistent standards – touched that He would set them for all of us. It is a sign of His justice and His love for all of His creation, not just a chosen few. John 3:16 says that God so loved the world, not just part of it. His standards are a reflection of His belief that all of us can meet those standards. They are unified standards because they are attainable ones… especially since we have the hope of forgiveness in Christ when we fall short in our efforts. Rejoice in His one glorious standard, the Bible. He wrote it for all of us.
#Biblebites Matt. 4:4