I finished Leviticus. That is a challenging book to get through, but I wish I had read it all the way through earlier in life. Even though we don't have to go through all the ritual and sacrifice and extreme step-by-step cleansing that the Israelites were required to undertake, reading what the Lord used to instruct them into a knowledge of His righteousness is very convicting. It brings home even further the fact that one time is not as good as another, that small changes in procedure can make for big differences in result, and that little deviations in direction often result in missing the mark.
I am so glad we have Jesus for our Saviour, and are not dependent on our own righteousness!
It is humbling to realize that we cannot even reach the bottom of the requirements necessary to save ourselves from sin; it is also humbling to understand that the above principles apply not just in an eternal way, but also to the steps we take on this earth. Here on earth we *do* "work out our own salvation with fear and trembling", and reading the book of Leviticus has illustrated to me how much care and attention ought to be given to choosing the right way, and walking in it.
2 comments:
I agree. I wish I had read Leviticus earlier! One thing it showed for me, is my utter in-capability of "keeping the law."
And one other thing--it proved to me that God made His laws to protect us, not to "hamper" our lifestyle.
Great post!
Excellent point! About how God's laws protect us rather than "hampering" our lifestyle. The fact that the Israelites couldn't have appreciated fully the health precautions contained in the Law is a great reminder that even when we don't understand one of God's prohibitions, we can still understand that He means it for our good.
He is no arbitrary vindictive god.
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