Happy 4th of July. Ours has been spent a little differently than usual due to still having bad air conditions effecting my breathing. But we still had a nice day together and I made homemade spelt hamburger buns for our cheeseburgers. We ended the evening watching Little House on the Prairie together as a family.
This week I have been thinking of what I wanted to write as we read through Leviticus and Numbers on our 90 day journey through the Bible. I know many people never read these books or dismiss them as "outdated" because they are describing law and they are in the Old Testament. It would be foolish to dismiss the OT and not to read the law, because they are foundational to our New Testament faith and the basis for our ultimate Freedom, Liberty and Salvation.
Certainly there are sections that get tiresome to read (try reading them out loud!). But when I reflect, I want to sing, "Our God is an awesome God! He reigns from Heaven above, with wisdom, power and love. Our God is an awesome God." There is so much detail provided showing that He did everything possible to make a bridge between Himself and man. There is so much detail that shows His awesome creativity and His infinite Holiness. His holiness is a serious subject - something that is often forgotten in today's world, even within the church. Some things we probably take too seriously, but many thing we take too lightly, never giving a second thought to what He might want us to do.
Before you cry "Legalist!", let me say that our Freedom in Christ is not a license to break every law. The details show me that God said and planned everything for a reason. No detail was left to a whim. Our salvation is NOT dependent on keeping the Law. Our salvation is NOT dependent on temple sacrifices. Our salvation is dependent on Christ alone! Halleluia! Every detail in these Law books tell me that I cannot do it on my own. There is no perfection through works, service or devotion. These Laws are what Paul describes as a "schoolmaster" to lead us to Christ. Understanding them helps us understand Him and also the culture that is spoken to in the New Testament. For me it makes my faith richer. So, I would like to challenge you to look at some things in the Old Testament differently and to look for Jesus in unexpected places and enjoy the richness of God's plan as it unfolds for us.
And for those of us for whom a picture is worth a thousand words, please go see this Good Enough? post on July 3 from my friend Marci!
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