THINK FOR YOURSELF (Numbers 1-2_

Surprise, surprise, yesterday was the end of Leviticus! So today we dive into Numbers.

I have a looming deadline, so I am going to encourage you to think through the nibbles today. These are the verses that jumped out at me today. As usual, I made a note of the verse, and my initial reaction. 

I look forward to your comments!  Even if you don't comment, I hope they will start you thinking and salivating for more of God's truth.

• Numbers 1:1-5  "writing down the names of every male."  Comment: writing down 600,000 names? On clay tablets or on papyrus?  That would have taken a lot of supplies!
• Numbers 1:4-5  "Pick one man from each tribe who is head of his family to help you. These are the names of the men who will help you."  Comment: First God says, you pick, then He tells them the names.
• Numbers 1:52-53  "The Levites are responsible for the security of The Dwelling of The Testimony."  Comment: The original Swiss Guard
• Numbers 2:9  "The total number of men assigned to Judah, troop by troop, is 186,400. They will lead the march."  Comment: Men assigned to Judah included the men of Judah AND the men of Issachar and Zebulon. The other three leading tribes were Reuben, Ephraim, and Dan.

I invite you to inspire me and feed my soul today!  And thank you.

FIGHT OR FLIGHT (Leviticus 26_

 When you've watched as many cop and detective shows as I have, you know one thing: flight is the surest sign of guilt. 

What I didn't know was that the Bible said the same thing. You'll run scared even when no one is chasing you. (Leviticus 26:17) God was describing the behavior of people when they broke the law. 

On Saturday, the nurse scolded me. She said I make too many demands about unimportant things, that prevent the aides from taking of real problems. Like people who fall when they get up--but insist on standing anyway. 

Scold me, and I freeze. I don't runaway; I try to hide. When I've done wrong, I'm more likely to try to hide my misdoing. I guess that's one way to run scared, before anyone is aware of my misdeeds. Instead of looking innocent, I make myself look guilty.

Others, when reprimanded, don't accept the reprimand; they don't believe they are guilty. They're likely to repeat the behavior, more outrageously next time. Of course, that doesn't work either.

The class fight or flight reaction to danger.

Pretending we don't sin only brings heartache.

God's solution? 

"If they confess their sins. . .I will remember my covenant."  

When we sin--don't run away. Don't fight.  Just confess our sin to God, and move on. 

GOD'S TENANT FARMERS (Leviticus 25)

Make no mistake about it.  In God's economy, God owns us. He bought us with a price. Jesus traded His death for ours. The only choice we have is whether we accept the purchase or not; we can refuse it.

That thought came to me in reading Leviticus 25 this morning. In it, God says, "The land cannot be sold permanently because the land is mine and you are foreigners—you’re my tenants."  Later He says, "Treat him as a hired hand," in prohibiting slave trading between Israelites.

Every fifty years, Israel celebrated the year of jubilee.  Land was returned to ancestral owners, and slaves were set free. 

I am God's tenant. What on earth does that mean? A few thoughts:

• God provides what I need to work. 
• I should hold onto things lightly. They don't really belong to me, in any case.
• God expects us to maintain and improve what He gives to us.
• I should treat others as fellow tenants--I am no better nor worse than they are. We have an equal position before God. 
• God expects a return on His investment. He expects farmers to sow seeds and harvest. He expects teachers to teach. He expects writers--gulp--to write and share what they have written. 

As God's tenant, what do you feel He is asking you to do today?

NO ESCAPE (Leviticus 23)

Wherever you live, it is a Sabbath to God. (Leviticus 23:3) 

We can't get away from God.  He is the Omni of all omnis, omnipresent (everywhere), omniscient (all-knowing) and omnipotent (all-powerful). 

God's presence is a two-edged sword. He travels with us whatever road we venture on. When we find ourselves in the deepest pit (whether our own fault or not), He is there with is. I cling to that faith as I sense I am about to undergo another valley.

The other side is--we can't find someplace private to sin. We can't go into our rooms, lock our doors, shut the blinds, and hope that God won't see us. 

The point God makes in this passage is simple: wherever you live, you still must obey Me. My rules don't change when your address does.

God wants me to be light and salt, a witness, a servant, here in this nursing home. 

I should be the same person at church, at home, in my bed and in the kitchen, in front of the television set or writing a devotional. Consistency.

Purity is a word the Bible uses to describe it: 100% commitment. No pretense when it comes to our faith. No change or alteration. 

Does this mean God demands perfection? Not really. John's letter says that is we say we have no sin, we're lying.  

What God does want is a heart after God, like David had.  He was a murderer and an adulterer - but he loved God with all his heart. 

That's what God wants from us. Not our perfection but our love, our focus. 

Holiness grows out of that relationship.

SPECIAL TREATMENT (Leviticus 21-22)

Today I finally realized something about Leviticus. The theme of the book is, obviously, "Be holy for I am holy."

The whole book--all of the regulations concerning offerings and food and sex and behavior--boils down to one thing: This is what being holy looks like. It's not an exhaustive list. Maybe that's where the 613 rules of the New Testament came from; they wanted to be sure they acted in a holy manner, as God commanded.

Today chapters 21-22 offered a number of interesting discussions on holiness, but this one especially caught my eye. Treat him as holy.

The "him" is a priest, and the reference is sandwiched between a prohibition against marrying a divorced or widowed woman and punishment for a daughter who turns to prostitution.

Under the new covenant, all Christians are priests, and the principle applies to our treatment of each other: we are to treat each other as holy.

And by the way, the priest is also to treat the offerings of the people as holy. It goes both ways.

So it begs the question, how do we treat someone as holy?

I looked up the definition for "treat" in the dictionary.

• Write or talk about
• Present artistically
• Bear oneself towards
• Deal with in a specified manner
• Deal with medically or surgically. 

Wow, I like those ideas.

Writing about and presenting artistically has a lot to say about the call of Christian writers, especially novelists like me!  In our books, we present a whole range of holy actions by holy people.

When I look at the context, the regulations here seem designed to keep temptation away from a priest.  Don't tempt him with food or sex or false worship.

Holiness extends to the family and impacts parents, inlaws, children.

And when there is a problem, with unclean acts or sin, intervene with the necessary surgery.

MOTIVATION (Leviticus 19-20)

God summarizes what He has already said in Exodus and Leviticus so far in today's two chapters--along with pausing every few verses to remind us why we should obey. Each reason is repeated at least once:

• Be holy because I, your God, am holy.
• Fear your God. I am God.
• I am God, your God.

These reasons remind of the answers God gives when we ask Him "why does evil flourish?" (Job are Habakkuk are good examples.) Because I am God and You are not.

Except God points out--I am your God. We are holy in terms of our standing; we have been set apart by God as His children.  

In Facebook speak, our status would read that we are "in a relationship."

So instead of seeing a stern God as judge He says, "Fear me. Be holy as I am. I am your God and you'll get in trouble if you disobey me," He wants me to hear, "Fear me. I have called You to be separate, part of My family. Revel in it. Learn the kingdom rules and enjoy all of its benefits."

In my prayer journal today, I wrote my motivations for obedience. 

Father, it is my delight and joy to serve You. But Your commands to obey You because You are my God leave me. . . unmotivated.

Or is it ultimately why I do obey You? Because You are my God. Because we are in relationship? If you were not my God, my very personal God, would I even care? 

I am holy because You have set me apart, but you want me to do holy. This is a case where actions are meant to reflect the truth. 

As I  follow You, stumbling along the road some times, but seeking to go where You lead--I am living a holy life, because I am living the life You have called me to. 

Holiness includes the lists of dos and don'ts. But there is so much more. 

Being holy as You are holy also means I treat others the way I want to be treated. Holiness is not a solitary act; it is a way of life that measures everything and every person I touch.

May Your light, love, truth, burn away the dross in me, that others will see more and more of Your reflected glory.

Amen.

NOT FOR THE FAINTHEARTED: INCEST (Leviticus 18)

There. I've said the word, the word that horrifies us and sends shivers and feelings of helplessness and rage through the heart of anyone who has experienced it.

And if you want to skip this one - with some personal revelations - feel free to do so. It's not for everyone, but those who need to hear it, to know their sense of something horribly wrong is shared by God--let this help. And I know you are out of there - the last I knew, one out of every four women and one out of every eight men had been abused. I've had 18 pageviews today. That means four or five people who've been sexually molested have already looked before I posted this subject.

In this chapter in Leviticus, God speaks in very specific language about sexual sin: forbidden relationships within the family, with animals, and, of course, the political hot button, homosexuality.

Today I am taking a little departure from my usual style. This chapter is difficult for me to read, not because of the boring or gruesome subject, but because I am all too well acquainted with the topic.  I was abused by my father, my uncle, my cousin, my stepfather. In fact, abuse continued at different times until I finally left home, never to live there again, after I got to college.

When I went through the deepest healing from my past, I learned a scary fact: incest is more likely to happen in highly religious families. Some men (and women too, I suppose) who believe the marriage bond is sacred, who will not violate it with an affair or divorce, somehow believe it's acceptable to harm one of their own children.

So it's also possible that an abuser or two has read my blog. And get this: I'm not here to condemn you; God's grace covers every sin and can change every heart, but you have to admit the sin first.

For those who have suffered from incest, listen to the words God uses to describe the acts: It violates--relationships, trust, your own body. It blasphemes. It's unbelievable.  It is wicked. 

God knew that incest occurs all too often. He made sure His people knew His will on the question.

He also made his feelings clear. In a rare time, instead of simply saying "I am God and I am holy, therefore do what I say," He explains His reasons for giving the commands.

Healing is a long, hard road--but God will lead you by the hand.