Leviticus 19:26-28
Holiness requires rejecting pagan practices and honoring God in both body and worship.
26 “ ‘You shall not eat any meat with the blood still in it. You shall not use enchantments, nor practice sorcery.
27 “ ‘You shall not cut the hair on the sides of your head or clip off the edge of your beard.
28 “ ‘You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any marks on you. I am Yahweh.
Holiness requires rejecting pagan practices and honoring God in both body and worship.
This passage commands Israel to reject pagan rituals involving blood, divination, and bodily markings, preserving covenant distinctiveness in worship and identity.
Leviticus 19 unfolds the repeated summons, 'Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy,' across ordinary life. After commands concerning fruit from the land, the chapter turns to practices that blurred Israel's covenant identity with the surrounding nations. Verses 26-28 expose counterfeit religious practices that competed with trust in the LORD and distorted Israel's embodied witness.
Israel is being formed as the LORD's covenant people after the exodus and at Sinai. Leviticus 19 instructs the community in holiness before entering and living in the land.
Be Holy Because I Am Holy: Covenant Life Before God and Neighbor
Because the LORD is holy, His redeemed people must embody holiness in worship, family, justice, mercy, speech, sexuality, work, land, neighbor-love, foreigner-love, and honest daily life.