Lovin' Leviticus
OK...I'm kidding. I'm not really loving reading through the Old Testament book of Leviticus. I'm struggling through it (I'm in speed-reading mode right now). I'm getting a little weary of all the procedures. Do we really need a chapter of the Bible on "bodily discharges" (chapt. 15)?
Sometimes I think that God needs a better editor. Books like Leviticus don't turn people into raving fans of the Bible. But, Leviticus is in the Bible, so I'm reading it.
I guess there's a message for us in the book. I think the message is GOD IS HOLY AND HE EXPECTS US TO BE HOLY TOO. God's people were nomads on a journey. A very long journey. Along this journey they needed rules for worship and community. For hygiene and health. Leviticus spells out the rules in great detail.
But there was also a day coming when they'd arrive in Canaan. Canaan wasn't God-friendly territory. Gods and goddesses were everywhere. And the people needed many reminders that their God rules. That He was unlike any other god. He was the real deal and approaching HIM was to be done very carefully. Every detail matters to this God. Thus, the endless instructions and meticulous preparations. God is holy and he expects us to be holy too.
I guess I'll keep plodding along in Levitcus. It reminds me that God demands my best, and that every aspect of my life matters to him. It also makes me so grateful for Jesus, who came and sacrificed his life to make me holy and acceptable to God.
Sometimes I think that God needs a better editor. Books like Leviticus don't turn people into raving fans of the Bible. But, Leviticus is in the Bible, so I'm reading it.
I guess there's a message for us in the book. I think the message is GOD IS HOLY AND HE EXPECTS US TO BE HOLY TOO. God's people were nomads on a journey. A very long journey. Along this journey they needed rules for worship and community. For hygiene and health. Leviticus spells out the rules in great detail.
But there was also a day coming when they'd arrive in Canaan. Canaan wasn't God-friendly territory. Gods and goddesses were everywhere. And the people needed many reminders that their God rules. That He was unlike any other god. He was the real deal and approaching HIM was to be done very carefully. Every detail matters to this God. Thus, the endless instructions and meticulous preparations. God is holy and he expects us to be holy too.
I guess I'll keep plodding along in Levitcus. It reminds me that God demands my best, and that every aspect of my life matters to him. It also makes me so grateful for Jesus, who came and sacrificed his life to make me holy and acceptable to God.
posted by Pastor Phil Print at 3:18 PM
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