First, understand that believers are holy ground, the dwelling place of God’s presence—the glory of the Old Testament. Do we live like it? Israelites and the believers of Jesus’ day felt an ever-present need to be different from unbelievers. The goal wasn’t to be deliberately odd so unbelievers would hope to avoid contact. Israel was to be a “kingdom of priests” and “a holy nation” (Ex. 19:6). Living the way God wanted his children to live led to fruitful, productive, happy lives. Israelites were to attract people enslaved by enemy gods back to the true God.
