I don’t think that any child would say that they love rules. And yet, they subconsciously crave them. Rules from a loving parent show a child that someone loves them enough to guide them. Structure makes them feel reassured and gives a sense of stability. Without those directions and guidelines, children become stressed and tend to feel out of their depth.
Even as an adult, I like to have rules and guidelines that make logical sense. Structure eases my mental burden because it removes some of the many options that exist. In fact, research says that too many decisions and too many options are harmful to our mental health and can lead to mental fatigue and anxiety, causing us to either avoid making decisions or make harmful decisions that don’t align with our life goals.
If I know that by following wise guidelines I will avoid many mistakes, my mind and soul feel more at ease. How blessed are we, then, that we have a loving father who cares so much about us that he has set boundaries for his children to keep us safe?
The author of Psalm 119 clearly knows the value of God’s laws. His gratitude to God for providing wisdom and guidance is clear. When I first read through this passage my initial thought was, “How can someone go on this long about laws and rules!?” But the truth is that these verses aren’t proclaiming the glory of guidelines. They are testifying to the everlasting love God has for us.
We live in a sinful world that is full of deceit, pitfalls, and endless opportunities for mistakes. But Psalm 119:113-114 offers reassurance that though the world is wicked, our God loves us so much that he has provided all of the guidance we need to navigate life.
“I hate double-minded people, but I love your law. You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word.”
What a beautiful reminder to bury ourselves in God’s commands. I pray that you find love, peace, and reassurance in his words written for you.
-Jenn Haynes
Reflection Questions
What are some decisions you are facing right now? What would God advise?
Many people find rules restricting. How do you feel about some of God’s rules for you? If you find them restricting, do some reflection to find out why. Is what God wants for you clashing with what you want?
Take some time to thank God for some specific rules he has set forth for you that you have found helpful. Revel in his love for you!
Social transformation is often a long and painful process. Think about efforts at equality within the United States. The founders’ vision was for a society where everyone had the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The Declaration of Independence expressed this in 1776. Yet it took nearly a century and a Civil War to bring an end to slavery. It took nearly 150 years for women to be able to vote and nearly 200 years and a lot of blood, sweat and tears to make significant strides toward racial equality.
How does one take a community that has been enslaved for over 400 years and transform them into a nation that shines a beacon of light to all other nations in the world pointing them to the true God. How does an entire nation become holy, set apart for God’s service and God’s glory?
This is the challenge that was before God, Moses and the nation of Israel. They were leaving behind one type of structure, slavery, to enter into a new way of living. They needed a new structure to help them know how to live. They had to be taught how to live in community. They had to be taught how to work, and how to rest, how to care for their neighbors, and how to punish wrongdoing that threatened to destroy their community.
In today’s reading we see how God begins to organize and structure the transforming community of Israel. He teaches them how they are to live and become a holy nation and a royal priesthood. This transformation would not come quickly or easily.
They had to be taught how to show respect for personal property: “Whoever steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters it or sells it must pay back five head of cattle for the ox and four sheep for the sheep.” (22:1) Those who steal must give restitution.
They had to be taught to respect the family structure and to place their sexuality within proper boundaries: “If a man seduces a virgin who is not pledged to be married and sleeps with her, he must pay the bride-price, and she shall be his wife. If her father absolutely refuses to give her to him, he must still pay the bride-price for virgins.” (22:16-17)
They had to be taught that there were severe consequences for failing to follow appropriate sexual boundaries: “Anyone who has sexual relations with an animal is to be put to death.” (22:19).
They had to be taught to have empathy and to show kindness to strangers and people who were different: “Do not mistreat or oppress a foreigner, for you were foreigners in Egypt.” (22:21).
They had to be taught to have compassion for people in the community who had suffered major losses: “Do not take advantage of the widow or the fatherless. (22:22).
They had to be taught to show respect both to God and to their earthly leaders: “Do not blaspheme God or curse the ruler of your people.” (22:28)
They had to be taught how to live as a just community by not giving false testimony, and by neither showing favoritism toward the poor nor withholding justice from the poor (23:1-6).
They had to be taught to care for their bodies and minds by getting appropriate rest. (23:12).
It was also important that everyone be taught these and other guidelines for how to live in community as God’s people and that they verbally acknowledge that they understand and intend to follow “Everything the Lord has said we will do.” (24:3)
Israel’s transformation from slavery to covenant people of God living a set apart life as the community of God’s people was a slow and challenging process. It was painfully difficult, but necessary. In the end, people failed more often than they succeeded in carrying out their assignments. And yet, somehow, despite tremendous opposition from aggressive and hate filled neighbors, the Nation of Israel survived.
As Christians, we can learn much from studying how God worked with His people Israel to bring about their transformation. It is important to note that they were God’s people first, and then they were given this particular set of laws. In the same way, as Christians, we become God’s people first, through faith in Jesus Christ, and then we commit to following Jesus and obeying Jesus’ commands. We do not become God’s people by following laws, but by following Jesus Christ. However, when we follow Jesus Christ, we do not descend into lawlessness. Structure is still required. So Jesus spends three years teaching his disciples how to live as the people of God who are called to be holy, set apart to be a light to all nations. We complete the mission that the nation of Israel began, and we do so following the yoke or community guidelines as laid down by Jesus Christ. The foundational teaching of Jesus is to Love God and Love our Neighbors. That is a good place for each of us to start each day.
Jeff Fletcher
(originally posted February 6, 2020 for SeekGrowLove)
Reflection Questions
What is the purpose of rules for your country, work/school or family? What is the purpose of God’s rules for His people?
Does God still want a holy people today? What does a holy people look like?
Which characteristic of a holy people do you want to especially work on developing more this month?
Today’s reading is probably one of the most familiar passages in the whole Bible for it includes the Ten Commandments. It is important to understand the context of these commandments. God entered into a covenantal relationship with Abraham and Abraham’s descendants through Isaac and Jacob and Jacob’s sons who became the twelve tribes of Israel. God promised to bless and provide for his people and in exchange His people promised to be faithful and obedient to God and worship God alone.
After 400 years of slavery, Israel has grown from 12 sons and their immediate family to millions of people. These people, God’s covenant people, will be settling in a land where they will need to live in community. They are no longer slaves. They are now responsible to live in that community in peace and productivity. They need help to know how to live together. God provides His people with the structure of how to live together as God’s people. The Ten Commandments and subsequently nearly 600 additional laws were all designed to help them be healthy and blessed representatives of God to the rest of the world.
God loves all people. We must never falsely believe that God only loves certain people. God considers all human beings His children and loves them all. God wants to be in a right relationship with all of his children; however, many are disobedient and have no willingness to be in a relationship with God and many deny that God even exists.
So God needed to start with one group of people and prepare them to be a special, chosen people who would bring the knowledge of God to others. Exodus 19:5-6 says, “Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”
Israel was to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. A priest is one who helps connect people and God. God would go on to designate priests in Israel to help the people connect with God, but His expectation for Israel was that the whole nation serve as priests to help other nations connect with God. Because the whole nation was being set apart by God to be priests for the world, they needed to live holy or set apart lives. There were behavioral expectations that they were to follow. They had to be exclusively loyal to God, they could not murder, steal, lie, cheat, they were to be respectful and honoring of parents and not misuse God’s name.
Now we are completing what God began in Israel. Through Christ we have entered into a covenant with God. We are now the covenant people, we are called to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. That is the Church’s role. And God expects us to live lives of holiness as we are set apart to serve God. As you read through the many laws in the Old Testament, recognize that some applied very narrowly to the Nation of Israel and do not necessarily apply to us. Dietary laws and sanitary laws were important in Israel at the time they were given but are no longer applicable. However, some of the laws which pertain to morality have been reaffirmed by Jesus Christ for the Church. In other words, as Christians we are free to eat pork and worship on Sundays, but we are not free to practice polygamy or murder.
God is truly a God of grace and mercy, but God is also a God who hates sin and punishes sin. In this way we are still to live in fear of the Lord: Exodus 20:20 “the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.”
Jeff Fletcher
(originally posted for SeekGrowLove on February 5, 2020)
Reflection Questions
What are the duties and responsibilities of a holy nation/kingdom of priests? How would you rate how well/poorly Christians in your nation are doing this job? How would you rate how well/poorly you are doing this job? What can you improve upon this week?
How can we mirror God’s grace and mercy? How can we remind the world (and ourselves) of God’s rule book and judgment? What is the problem with doing just one but not the other?
What does it look like to live in fear of the Lord? Is this only an Old Testament concept or do we find it in the New Testament, too?
When’s the last time you paid God a compliment? We all like to be complimented, even if it’s just about our new shoes, nice watch, or friendly smile. In Psalm 119:129 we see a beautiful example of a compliment to God. The psalmist says, “Your statutes are wonderful…” What a beautiful place to connect with our God in relationship. Often the distractions that infiltrate every aspect of our lives, push out what should be a natural response to the greatness and goodness of God.
What naturally follows from the fact that God’s statutes are wonderful is that we obey them. That is what the Psalmist says, “… therefore I obey them.” This is something I have found hard to do with all that the world has to offer. On the outside the world’s handouts appear innocuous, but they are often a distraction that take us off course from following God, or even acknowledging Him. Is God our priority? Do we love and cling to his word? Are we ready to obey him?
“The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.” (Psalm 119:130 NIV) The first part of the verse uses the well-known example of light representing good. (Sorry Star Wars fans, the light versus dark paradigm predates George Lucas by a few thousand years.) We also see that God’s word can be understood by the simple-minded. You do not need your PhD to discern the light that the Bible contains. All you need is a heart longing for God and a willingness to open his word.
In verse 131 the psalmist uses the metaphor of opening one’s mouth and panting to show the severity of how much he longs for God’s commands and authority. And yet, it is more than just commands and rules to be followed but it is about a relationship with God.
In verse 132 we see that he imparts grace to those who love him. Earlier in the Old Testament we see examples of when people did not love his name but rather chose to follow a path without God. A doozy being Sodom and Gomorrah when God not only withheld grace but also doled out punishment for the sin of the city by obliterating the whole place.
The psalmist shows his heartbreaking emotion for the people who do not keep his law. Everyone who has experienced God’s changing power within them knows the heart aching emotion the psalmist is going through. God is the center of all creation, the source of true happiness, and the one we should be living for.
-Bridger Grable
Reflection Questions
How does the Psalmist compliment God? How can you compliment God today?
What is the Psalmist’s response to God? What is your response to God today?
Which verse in today’s section of Psalm 119 would you like to post in your home and work on memorizing?
Being a Christian isn’t for me. There are way too many rules. My life would be so boring if I followed all those rules. Have you heard anyone say that before? Or maybe you are a Christian and you try to follow all the rules, but you feel like you are missing out on the fun. Or worse yet, maybe you are a Christian, and during your weak moments you don’t miss out on the fun. The Bible is a huge book with a lot of Do this’s and Don’t do that’s. Why did God make it so difficult to be a Christian?
If you have ever felt a bit strangled by all the instructions to follow in the Bible, Psalm 119 will open your eyes to a whole new way of thinking. God’s laws are not some kind of test to see if we can show self-control and prove we want to be Christians. Psalm 119 says God’s commandments will make you wiser than your enemies, have more insight than your teachers, and understand more than the aged. Let that sink in for a second. These rules were given to us to make us smarter – even more intelligent than our teachers and those older than us who have more experience than us.
God did not make all the rules to make our lives MORE difficult; He gave us all the rules to make our lives LESS difficult. He is watching out for us and has our best interest at heart. God knows a lot of stuff and He is just trying to share with us some of what He knows to make our lives better. Don’t be rebellious because you don’t like someone telling you what to do; instead, be thankful for the pages and pages of advice that God has shared with you that will help you out in life. You might have an urge to lie, steal, have sex outside of marriage, look at porn, get drunk, or do any other sin of your choice. All these things may seem like a worthwhile option in the heat of the moment, but God’s word lets you know that doing these things will make your life worse. Trust Him; He knows what is best for you.
Psalm 119:105 says, “Thy word is a lamp to my feet, And a light to my path.” Life can be difficult, and many obstacles will get in the way on your path. You can ignore God’s word and try to go it alone, but you will assuredly stumble around in the darkness. Or you can read God’s word and follow the instructions so your path will be lit up. Those same obstacles will be on your path whether you read your Bible or not, but if your path of life is lit up with God’s word, you will more easily see how to maneuver through the obstacles you will face.
How valuable are the words of God? The psalmist who wrote Psalm 119 says in verse 127 that he loves the commandments above gold, yes, above fine gold. The words of God are more treasured than gold! Do you believe that also? Your actions speak louder than your thoughts and words. If you truly find the scriptures to be that valuable, you will search diligently by reading the Bible, and then you will mold your life to fit the words you have learned about.
One last part of this psalm that really drove home the value of God’s words to me was in verses 163-165. He said he loves Thy law and praises Him seven times a day because of Thy righteous ordinances. I feel like this is not an exaggeration to make a point (like forgiving someone 7 times 70 times), but probably a true practice that this individual followed for the most part. If you are awake for about two-thirds of your day, you would need to praise God for his rules about every two hours to keep up with that psalmist. You would be in a constant state of thankfulness for God’s laws every day, which seems like a bit much, but verse 165 tells us about the huge reward we receive for following His words. He said that those who love Thy law have great peace and nothing causes them to stumble. If you want to add stress to your life, just go ahead and break a rule. However, if you want true peace in your life, search through the scripture looking for God’s advice and follow that advice. Thank you to the psalmist for giving us this great perspective on rules.
Chapters 26 and 27 of Leviticus makes it seem like the book ends twice. While the valuations of 27 help us understand tithes and how giving to the Lord means more than money, indeed EVERYTHING we have, it seems like 26 was the “original” ending. The author, editors, and priests who God inspired to write and work in this text ended, first, with a powerful section on blessing and curses.(See note below)
The narrative of the Exodus, that is, God crushing the Egyptians and their gods, leading his people out to worship him, and then bringing them into the promised land, is the climax of the Torah, and arguably the CENTRAL NARRATIVE of the Old Testament. That is why God has repeated something over and over and over again. I hope you caught it, as I noted that when something is repeated, God wants you to pay attention. Here it is in 26:13 “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt so that you would not be their slaves, and I broke the bars of your yoke and made you walk erect.” Think about how many times you have heard something like this in the commands of Leviticus. God keeps grounding his commands in the beautiful reality that he has brought this people, the children of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, out of the land of Egypt. He has redeemed them from slavery. Because he has done that, he wants them to walk in a way that is different and better than the nations around them. If they don’t walk that way but turn away, then he will allow the trouble of this world to overtake them, in order that they might cry out to him. However, if they do obey, then he will give them unending blessings and he promises, “I will also walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people.” (26:12)
I hope you see the parallel to our lives as we follow Christ. The CENTRAL NARRATIVE of creation is the Exodus led by Jesus, who broke us all out of the bondage and slavery to sin and has set us free. As Jesus brings us into the Canaan of the Kingdom of God, not just the future Kingdom on the Earth, but the present rule and reign of God, he looks to us and says, “there is a better way to live.” He gives us a holy way of life, grounded in his love and his sacrifice. But, better than before, we are able to become changed from the inside out because of the power of God flowing through us. No longer must we simply keep outward laws and regulations, but our hearts can become pure. God can change our desires and our destiny. We are able to become children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and heirs according to the promise of God. If we follow the way of God, through the power of the Spirit of God, all the while redeemed through the Son of God, then one day we will see God. The metaphor of Leviticus, God saying “I will also walk among you” will become reality. We will be in the full, unmitigated glorious presence of God, in the Land of Promise, His Kingdom.
May you, my brothers and sisters, become a different people.
May the principles and practices of Leviticus shape you into a holy people.
May the mercy and justice of God be made evident to you in all of scripture, and especially in Leviticus.
May the blood of Jesus, a perfect lamb, without spot or blemish, cover you, redeem you, cleanse you of all sins.
May God, my brothers and sisters, bless you!
Jake Ballard
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Note : To be fair, this is a hunch, not a statement of fact or even a solid belief. If you disagree and believe that Moses, or whoever authored this book, wrote it this way on purpose as directed by God, then that is certainly an acceptable view. I just want to point out the fun, interesting quirks of books. This is similar to how John 20:30-31 is a good ending to the book, as well as John 21:24-25. Just some fun food for thought, but not the focus of the devotion. Keep reading above.
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(Jake Ballard is Pastor at Timberland Bible Church in South Bend, IN. He lives in the Michiana Area with his wife, daughter, and in the summer, two more little ones. If you’d like to say hi you can find him on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/jacob.ballard.336 You can also hear more teachings at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs_awyI1LyPZ4QEZVN7HqKQ If you want to have an interesting conversation with him, just say “I don’t like the ninth guy in a blue police box.” God bless!)
How many devotions have you ever read about a chapter in Numbers? I know I haven’t read hardly any at all, so I’m excited to be writing one for all of you to enjoy!
What’s the best way to get healthy? Trick question! Don’t get sick in the first place. This might seem obvious to us. We’ve been raised knowing that sickness and disease are caused by tiny germs that we can’t even see. Germs can be transmitted through air, water, food or surfaces. Though it’s common knowledge to us, nobody thought this was possible until about 500 years ago and wasn’t commonly accepted until just over 100 years ago through the work of Louis Pasteur. (If you haven’t heard of Pasteur before, try checking your milk carton for his name.) Now we know that if you want to prevent sickness, all you need to do is wash your hands frequently. Doctors didn’t even start washing their hands until 1847!
Even though the knowledge of germs is very new in world history, Moses, who was living 3000 years before germs were discovered, seemed to know some good ways to prevent disease. In verse 11, we see that touching a dead body makes you unclean. Maybe that law is a little too obvious. Touching a dead body is obviously going to make you unclean. But if you go further down the chapter, he says that even if you are near someone who dies, you are unclean. How could Moses have possibly known that? The answer is simple; God gave Moses knowledge that surpassed the understanding of humans. To us, we can think of how a person who just died might have a disease that we could catch, but the ancient Israelites would have had no idea that diseases can be passed on through the air. Therefore, Moses said that any open container (vs 15) is unclean. Germs could have contaminated the contents of the jar.
I think you all get the point. God gave laws specifically to prevent us from getting sick. And in a way, that is a form of healing. God says in Exodus 15:26, “If you will listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his sight, obeying his commands and keeping all his decrees, then I will not make you suffer any of the diseases I sent on the Egyptians; for I am the Lord who heals you.” Prevention of disease is a direct consequence of following God’s laws. He created the world and he knows better than any man how to keep us healthy.
To receive the healing of prevention, all we have to do is look to modern hygiene, the same practices that line up with the laws that God gave over 3000 years ago. God is the God of science and nature. He gave us our minds to be able to reason and learn. Because their teachings line up with the Old Testament laws, we should look to the doctors that God gave us for the best health practices. Brush your teeth, wash your hands, shower regularly, don’t touch dead animals, watch your diet, exercise regularly and commit yourself to only one spouse.
Deuteronomy 3 begins again with God giving the Israelites the victory over their foe, Og the king of Bashan. After the victory Moses begins to divide the land between the tribes. The women and children were allowed to stay and settle the towns while the “able bodied men” went on into battle with their brothers. God was giving the victory but I think he was helping the tribes to fellowship with each other and enjoy God’s blessings together. God states in Hebrews that we will all enjoy his victory and blessing together in the kingdom. Moses was allowed to view the promised land but was told by God that he would not be able to enter the land but that he was to encourage Joshua for when he led the people. How many of our parents have told us, “That is enough!” like God tells Moses in v.26. God is loving and caring but he will not leave sin unpunished and this is a hard lesson that Moses is taught. Sometimes we visualize God as “the man upstairs” or the “big daddy in the sky” but he is HOLY, HOLY, HOLY which when said three times in Hebrew means unsurpassed holiness. If we remember this is who God is some of the seemingly small sins need to be taken seriously.
Deuteronomy 4 reminds us how jealous God is for us. He wants our wholehearted devotion as Caleb was described in Ch. 1. Again he reminds them to let their lives be directed by God’s laws and to impress them on their children, a theme that runs all the way through Deuteronomy. The importance of recounting God’s goodness and what he has done for each one of us should be our theme throughout life. If we share what God is doing in our lives it is hard to complain or grumble, instead a joy should shine through to others. V40 says the benefits will be a life lived well for you and your children in the Promised Land. What more could we ask for than to live eternal life with loved ones in the Kingdom of God. What a reminder that God gives us that he is blessing us to be a blessing to others. Are you up for the challenge?
Seek Grow Love 