Friday, April 24, 2009

Today's Passage" Leviticus 11-12

If you've been following this blog for several months, I want to commend you today! This is the 83rd entry in our two year trip through the Bible, and I hope spending time in God's Word Every Day has enriched your walk with Him.

I want to commend you today because we're now in a danger zone...the book of Leviticus. I've attempted several times to read the Bible straight through, only to bog down in the details of Leviticus and never make it through. While these lists of rules may seem tedious at times, there are, like all books of scripture, things that God can use to touch our hearts and change our lives. Keep going and see what God has for you!

That being said, today's passage is a list of rules about food and purification. We must understand in context that the Israelites didn't know all that we do about keeping food clean and safe. God prohibited them from eating foods that would hurt them...they didn't understand the full picture, so God was very simply trying to keep them from harm.

I don't know if the people were grumpy about not getting to eat rat or lizard, but often times we see God's commands as a bind or a hindrance. Scripture tells us in Romans 8 that all things work for the good of those who love Him. That means that even the rules that sometimes feel binding are working for our good! There are many times that we don't see the big picture or don't understand everything, but we can trust that God does. He sets up boundaries to keep us safe from harm, just like He did for the Israelites here.

Have you been pushing back against the boundaries of God lately? Do you realize He has no plans to harm you, but to protect you and give you hope and a purpose? Instead of fighting God, let's rejoice that He loves us enough to protect us from ourselves!