Today's reading in YouVersion includes Leviticus 26, with a simple strategy for national success:
1 “Don’t make idols for yourselves; don’t set up an image or a sacred pillar for yourselves, and don’t place a carved stone in your land that you can bow down to in worship. I am God, your God.
2 “Keep my Sabbaths; treat my Sanctuary with reverence. I am God. “If You Live by My Decrees . . . ” 3 “If you live by my decrees and obediently keep my commandments, 4 I will send the rains in their seasons, the ground will yield its crops and the trees of the field their fruit. 5 You will thresh until the grape harvest and the grape harvest will continue until planting time; you’ll have more than enough to eat and will live safe and secure in your land. 6 “I’ll make the country a place of peace—you’ll be able to go to sleep at night without fear; I’ll get rid of the wild beasts; I’ll eliminate war. 7 You’ll chase out your enemies and defeat them: 8 Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand and do away with them. 9 I’ll give you my full attention: I’ll make sure you prosper, make sure you grow in numbers, and keep my covenant with you in good working order. 10 You’ll still be eating from last year’s harvest when you have to clean out the barns to make room for the new crops. 11 “I’ll set up my residence in your neighborhood; I won’t avoid or shun you; 12 I’ll stroll through your streets. I’ll be your God; you’ll be my people.
Was this promise only for Israel? Or, is it applicable to the people of God today? In this recessionary time, what if a country or a businesses were to adopt this simple strategy:
- worship the Lord as our God,
- observe the Sabbaths,
- follow His decrees,
- and carefully obey His commands.
According to God's promise here, the return on that investment will be amazing! Not only will there be abundant harvest, but there will be peace in the land and domination of enemies. History has shown that this works - the United States was founded on this premise, and was blessed with these outcomes for many years!
Can a nation get back to this? What about our companies? or the church? How about as families or individuals? or have we passed the tipping point?
The YouVersion 1-year Bible reading plan is going through Leviticus. Leviticus spells out in great detail how the people of Israel were to provide their offerings to God. This is not a set of silly rules because God is “picky” or wants to pay us back for taking the fruit in the Garden. It is because He is perfect in goodness and righteousness. Sin cannot exist in His presence, so needs atonement. That’s what the complicated protocol is all about, providing a way for sinful people to relate to a Holy God.
Consider electricity as a picture of God’s holiness. There is tremendous power running through the walls of our homes that enables our lifestyle. The building code is a collection of rules for dealing with things electrical. These rules may seem detailed or excessive, but they’re for our own good as doing anything counter to the building code could be fatal.
Easter is all about Jesus fulfilling the law by dying on the cross - He was the perfect sacrifice, the Lamb of God, paying the price for our sin once and for all. Through Christ’s death, we have free access to God as Father for restored relationship with God, to be holy ourselves.
The section on Priests and unacceptable sacrifices concludes with these two verses at the end of Leviticus 22:
32 Do not profane my holy name. I must be acknowledged as holy by the Israelites. I am the Lord, who makes you holy
33 and who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the Lord.
This stopped me in my tracks! Christians are often seen as intolerant, hypocritical, petty and divisive. Do I profane God’s holy name or reflect His holiness in my life when:
- I live conformed to this world, rather than being transformed by the renewing of my mind?
- I use my freedom in Christ to indulge my agenda and my sinful nature, rather than deferring to others?
- I want God to bless my plans, rather than aligning myself with what God is doing?
- I consume God’s blessings on myself, rather than sharing with others in need?
Is my life an argument for, or against, Christianity?
I was up early this morning, really disturbed by an interview I heard yesterday with William Lobdell, Author of Losing My Religion: How I Lost My Faith Reporting On Religion In America.
William thought his prayers had been answered when he was assigned to the religion beat by the Los Angeles Times. As a Christian, he wanted to report objectively about how belief shapes people’s lives. Instead, his faith was eroded seeing that the majority of Christians live lives that are no different than those who deny faith - George Barna reports that the rates of divorce are virtually the same among Christians as non-Christians, 33%. He started to wonder why so many churches/ministries become corrupt. Each story chipped away at his faith. Eight years later, after intense encounters with believers of all sizes and shapes, he realized that his faith in God was gone.
Before we simply dismiss this as a Los Angeles/Hollywood phenomenon, can we say our lives as Christ followers look any different that those who don’t care about or deny Him? Should they?
God established the nation of Israel to live differently than the rest of the world. If you look at the Law given in Leviticus, much of it is about inter-personal relationships. In a world where people were abused by the powerful, God designed a nation where people would care for each other. Where else were farmers instructed not to harvest all the grain in their fields, but to leave some for those less fortunate?
Indeed, when Jesus came, He said He came to fulfill the Law, not to do away with it. He raised the bar by equating a lustful look with adultery, anger with murder. He tells us to love our enemies, and to give to the needy. He summed up the Law in two commandments: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” and “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
If we Christ-followers lived in this way, would William be in a different place? Where would our friends, neighbours and families be? How different would our world be if all of us who profess to be Christians actually lived what Christ taught and lived?
More to come in later posts...
As a postscript to this post, the first song at church today was “Say So” by Israel Houghton. Check out the lyrics:
What does it mean to be saved
Isn’t it more than just a prayer to pray
More than just a way to Heaven
What does it mean to be His
To be formed in His likeness
And know that we have a purpose
Bridge:
To be salt and light in the world, in the world
To be salt and light in the world
Chorus 1:
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so
Say so, say so (2x)
Oh that the church would arise
Oh that we would see with Jesus’ eyes
We could show the world Heaven
Show what it means to be His
To be formed in His likeness
Show them that they have a purpose
Bridge(2x)
Chorus 1(2)
Vamp:
I am redeemed, I am redeemed
I am redeemed, I am redeemed
I am redeemed, I am redeemed
Bridge (2x)
To be salt and light in the world, in the world, in the world
Chorus 2:
Let the redeemed of the Lord rise up
Let the redeemed of the Lord rise up
Let the redeemed of the Lord rise up
Rise up, rise up
I don't know about you, but this is wrecking me today!
