You know what’s weird? The book of Leviticus. Every time I start a “Read the Bible in a Year” plan or try to read cover to cover I find myself lost somewhere between Leviticus and Numbers wondering what the heck is happening. Who are these crazy people? That may just be me…
I found myself in that exact same situation again this week trying to figure out what is going on with the Israelites. God JUST brought you out of Egypt and literally crushed your enemies and here you are worshiping a cow statue? I love a hamburger as much as the next Texan but trust me when I say, cows are gross. And why is God having to give such specific instructions? Don’t sleep with your mom. That’s paraphrased from 18:9. There are whole chapters on how to handle mold and treat open wounds! Who are these people that do not understand basic cleanliness or obey very specific rules from a God who just very vividly showed them His power?
As I was listening to this book, because Lord knows I couldn’t keep my eyes open to read it, my mind began to wander… that’s easy to do in Leviticus. I started thinking about what “basic” instructions God has given me and I realized I may not be so different from those crazy Israelites.
In Mark, Jesus very specifically said to love Him the most and then to love my neighbor as much as I love myself. There are no caveats or clauses, no footnotes or a list of circumstances where this commandment becomes null and void. It means that I am to love them even if they are weird and especially if they are hurting which is often messy. We shy away from other peoples’ mess. It is uncomfortable and often inconvenient. I can think of a million other excuses to avoid this basic command in my daily life. But He is clear in His instruction. And every single time I have obeyed this command and have shown up for others, the result has made a much bigger impact in my life than expected.
Give thanks. I constantly struggle with this, even in the best situations. Don’t get me started on how quickly I forget when things aren’t going the way I planned. Even though I KNOW God is working everything for my good. Why can’t I trust that and give thanks when He has proven Himself to me time and time again? It would be good practice for me to take notes from Daniel and his three Hebrew friends: Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. They were in the thick of it. When confronted with a seemingly impossible situation, they told their captors that their God would deliver… and if He didn’t, He was still good. They acknowledged the power of God and were thankful for His goodness to them, even if it cost them their lives. Because of their faith and their gratitude: God delivered them in His time, for His own glory.
Pray without ceasing. Coming to Him in prayer is hardly my first response even though it is so clearly commanded. And that instruction is for my good! It is to help me! Why don’t I do it? I usually remember to come to Him only after I have discussed a situation with my mom, sister, and coworkers just to make sure there isn’t any way for me to handle it on my own. I would do well to tattoo the words of Phillipians 1:6 onto the very center of my heart. “..being confident of this very thing, He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus.” He started it and He will be faithful to finish it, I only need to trust on Him.
How blessed am I to have a God that loves the Israelites, heck he pursues them! He is constantly doing the same thing for me; reminding me to do very basic things that, even though are for my benefit, I simply cannot seem to master. Love your neighbor, give thanks, come to me in prayer, and the list goes on but these are the ones that spoke to me. What basic life-giving instruction does He have to give you an extra reminder about?
Thank goodness He hasn’t asked me to build that tabernacle… with my track record there is no telling how that would turn out.
