This entry was intended to be one of those times, and somehow it just didn't turn out that way ... funny how that happens.
So I've been reading through Leviticus lately and just recently finished the strange book. I say "strange" because I suppose most people think it is such, and there is a lot of strange in it, but I thought there was so much more, too! I won't pretend like there aren't some odd verses or things I don't understand in Leviticus, because there certainly are, but as I read through it those things didn't seem to stick out to me as much. Instead, as I read I felt that God's mercy, compassion, and greatness were emphasized to me.
To my surprise, I learned much about God and life reading this book. The lessons are so good, too, and I've wanted to write about many of them for weeks. There are a handful that could be an entry of their own, but (like I said) I'm trying to be concise, so in one entry I want to share a few hidden treasures that amazed me in Leviticus. I hope they amaze you, too- this book is actually really cool!
First things first about Leviticus: it is a book full of instructions and demands. I mean, it's called the book of law quite appropriately. I like to color code the underlining in my bible, so whenever I want to underline something that is a command, I use the color red- Leviticus is full of red. This book is twenty-seven long chapters of commands about sacrifices and offerings, illnesses, feasts, and holy living.
So here is Leviticus lesson 1: Grace is amazing. Be awed by the freedom it brings.
I know you must be wondering why I think all the red in my bible is cool. It's simple, really: grace. It's grace! We are no longer oppressed by these rules, which makes reading the rules great. I barely made it through the first chapter without interrupting myself to thank God for His saving grace. Though it is only a fraction of its power (for grace does much more than just relieve me from sacrifices), whenever you see a piece of the picture it has saved you from, praise and thanks seems to be an immediate, natural response. Thanks, Leviticus.
Leviticus lesson 2: God is patient and compassionate, and His everlasting love can be seen in even His most mundane actions.
In chapter 13 and 14, God details the process of how to deal with leprosy. These seemingly odd chapters are probably what a lot of people think about when they think of Leviticus. Leprosy and sacrifices. What many people don't know, however, is that these two chapters beautifully illustrate the patience and compassion of God.
When I first started reading these I thought it was all just ridiculous and pointless, but I don't think God does anything without purpose, and if He did it probably wouldn't be important enough to put in the bible. So I read it over again asking the question, "Why? What is the purpose?" I'm sure some bible scholar could answer the "why" with some super symbolic metaphor, but I'm not a bible scholar, and sometimes I just like to be practical.
So here's what I think: I think those people probably had very little medical knowledge. I think they didn't know the difference between leprosy and a scab, nor what to do about either- they certainly couldn't google their symptoms. I think Leviticus 13 and 14 are simple, specific words from God meant to educate His uneducated children. God has compassion for His people and wants to prosper and care for them, so He instructs them how to treat these ailments.
I like to imagine how monotonous and boring it is to read all of this, and how much more so must it have been for God, who is all-knowledgable in every way, to explain it. Yet He still took the time to do it!
God, who knows everything about all there is to know, explains the mysteries of scabs and baldness to His children, noting that neither of these are leprosy. (Apparently they did not know the difference). God is full of patience and compassion toward us, even in the mundane.
Leviticus lesson 3: God calls us to a different way of living apart from the culture of our world. His kingdom is greater.
One of the verses that stuck out to me in this book is Leviticus 18:3, which is in regards to holy living. It states, "You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, in which you dwelt; and you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you, nor shall you walk in their statutes." This verse is followed by chapters on how God's people should live to be holy.
As soon as I read it I thought, "God is so outside of culture." It's true! I love that God's kingdom is not swayed by popular culture, and He calls us to be the same. This reminds me of Romans 12:2 that tells us not to be conformed to the pattern of this world. Just as God is outside of culture, so should we be as His followers.
Oh, and the chapters on holy living are totally awesome, by the way. It's another round of the "amazed by grace" trip I wrote about earlier. Check them out and let yourself be amazed, because God and His grace are so good.
Leviticus lesson 4: God plans to provide, but if we are His tools, our disobedience can throw a wrench in His plans.
So here we are, 18 chapters of commandments later, and God is still rolling out the instructions. He's speaking to Moses about how the people can walk in holiness and then he dishes out this verse:
"When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner." Leviticus 19:9-10.
I love this picture of how God provides! He is commanding His people to reap their harvest in such a way that there is always extra provision for the poor and sojourner. I mean, that's just so cool! The obvious variable in this plan, however, is the farmer. If those who lived off their land were selfish and disobedient, they could opt to reap every bit of it and leave none for the poor. Could you imagine them doubting God, wondering why they're going hungry and He hasn't provided, when in actuality He desired to set a satisfying table before them?
Think about it: our obedience has the power to put God's plan into motion, and our disobedience the power to disturb it.
I am thankful to know God is always bigger than any of our disobedience, and He can always make a way for those in His care, but it is obvious that plan A would be better than plan B,C, or D. Disobedience doesn't only affect you- strive for obedience so God's plans can flourish.
Last, but certainly not least, Leviticus lesson 5: God's chastisement is not without mercy. His desire is not to harm, but to correct.
But then He switches focus onto what will happen if they are unfaithful to Him, and it ... is ... crazy. I can't be certain, but my jaw may have dropped the first time I read through it. Just as the blessings were great, so were the consequences. Im convinced, though, that first impressions aren't always accurate, and so I read it over again- this was when I saw God's mercy.
I noticed there are three different levels of chastisement in this chapter, each one greater than the last. What's amazing is that these levels aren't just God's wrath and rampage reaction when His children walk away from Him, but they are the corrective ways of God who, in His mercy, hopes they will cause His people to turn back to Him.
"And if after these things you will not listen to me ... And if by these things you will not be corrected by me ... And if in spite of this you will not listen to me, but walk contrary to me, then I will walk contrary to you." Leviticus 26:18, 23, 27.
Each time God punishes, He waits in hope that it'll cause them to walk again obedience and blessing.
It's like this: God metaphorically spanks His children once, hoping it'll be enough for them to realize their wrongdoing and stop taking the metaphorical cookie out of the cookie jar. It doesn't. So he spanks them again, but this time twice as hard, once again hoping they'll forget the cookies. They don't. So he spanks them for a third time, this time even harder than the last, hoping it'll be the last straw. It's not. At this point it is evident they want the cookies, and so God stops spanking and turns His face away.
God's spankings weren't full of wrath but of compassion, hope, and mercy. Even when they sinned, His desire was still for His people.
My favorite (and the best) part of this passage is verse 40-42. It says,
"But if they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers, in their unfaithfulness which they committed against me ... if then their uncircumcised heart is humbled, and then they accept the punishment of their iniquity; then I will remember my covenant with Jacob, and I will remember also my covenant with Isaac and Abraham, and I will remember the land."
So after all that they have done- rejected and abhorred God, hating His ways even after discipline- God is ready, willing, and quick to forgive. All He asks is a humble heart that admits its unfaithfulness, and God is ready to bless and prosper His people as incredibly as before.
What great grace, mercy, patience, and compassion this is! Even though I know factually God is forgiving and gracious, it amazes me to read it and see it in action. I also think it's a great thought to think of God mercifully calling us back to Himself in situations that get worse and worse, rather than just seeing the circumstances.
So what is the overall Leviticus lesson? God is awesome, and His greatness is craftily hidden in even the "strangest" books of the bible.
I like it. There's something fun about finding the glory of God for myself in a passage I haven't heard quoted my whole life. You know?
As you can see (if you've made it to the bottom of this), being concise for me is still a work in progress- a very slow progress. Is it possible for one to be incapable of conciseness?! That'd be a cool excuse, if it were. Well, maybe I'll try again some other time ... maybe.
"Yet in spite of all this, even when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them, nor will I abhor them so as to destroy them utterly and to reveal My covenant with them; for I am the Lord their God." Leviticus 26:44
