[Originally posted in a WhatsApp group (PG), a reading update (reflection) from one chapter of the Bible a day]
ππΌππππβππ ππ:ππ-ππ
"Do not render yourselves
detestable through any of the swarming things that swarm; and you shall not
make yourselves unclean with them so that you become unclean. For I am the LORD
your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. And you
shall not make yourselves unclean with any of the swarming things that swarm on
the earth. For I am the LORD who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be
your God; thus you shall be holy, for I am holy."
They can't afford to make themselves detestable
by the food they eat, not because it's detestable to man but to God.
They say dogs are detestable. Well,
they aren't gods. So, who cares? π Go eat dogs! [North
East Indians] π
God set aside for Israelites what
food to be eaten and what not to be eaten. Till today God sets aside for
Christian what to do and what not to do. We may not know the reason, but it's
enough that He sets aside, and we must obey! We are servants to obey orders.
Even the Servant Jesus obeyed to the point of death!
ππΌππππβππ ππ:π
"Speak to the sons of Israel,
saying: ‘When a woman gives birth and bears a male child, then she shall be
unclean for seven days, as in the days of her menstruation she shall be
unclean.’"
Jesus was brought up exactly like
this. His earthly parents being still young could not afford to bring animals for
the sacrifice so they brought pigeons.
BTW, there is a distinction between a
male and a female when it comes to purification. If male child, then 7 days
unclean plus 33 days quarantine. If female child, then 14 days unclean plus 66
days quarantine. According to the good design of the all-wise God.
And good luck to all the feminists
and egalitarians!
ππΌππππβππ ππ:ππ
"He shall remain unclean as long
as he has the disease. He is unclean. He shall live alone. His dwelling shall
be outside the camp."
Leprosy (a disease) made a person
unclean. He must dwell outside the camp. He shall live alone.
The worst thing disease can do to a
person is death.
Leprosy is contagious, but it doesn't
spread to everyone. Not everyone gets leprosy. But he who gets leprosy is cast
out from the camp to dwell alone. Leprosy is that serious. Even if the person
would die, they let him die outside the camp.
Now, Sin is contagious and deadly. It
spreads to everyone and everyone will die. However, the people of God are cured
of sin. Now, why would God allow an unrepentant sinner to dwell in the camp? He
shall be cast out into utter darkness where there shall be gnashing of teeth!
Sin is far serious than leprosy. An
unrepentant sinner would be treated worse than a leper.
Reading this chapter enriches an
understanding of God's desire for holiness!
ππΌππππβππ ππ:π
"And he who is to be cleansed
shall wash his clothes and shave off all his hair and bathe himself in water,
and he shall be clean. And after that he may come into the camp, but live
outside his tent seven days."
Another chapter on cleansing a leper.
I see a lot of similarities between cleansing a leper and cleansing a sinner.
First, let's set it straight. I don't
think it's a typology. Nor do I think it to be an allegory, but a suitable
analogy.
Leprosy is serious, excommunicable,
lonely, dreadful, contagious, and deadly. Cleansing a leper, reconciling him to
society, making him acceptable, declaring him clean [again] is a meticulous
task requiring a lot of time, evaluation ceremonies, and the priest of God.
If so, why would the reconciliation
of a sinner to God's fellowship be taken lightly? In actuality, it takes the
death of The Eternal Priest of God, Jesus Christ, our Lord. In ceremonial
practice, we are commanded to take water baptism once and communion as often as
we can. In piety, we are to confess our sins and take up our cross.
It was real for the leper, why won't
it be real for a sinner? What a joy it must be for a leper that was declared
cleansed! He would not complain of these requirements because the state of
being a leper is worse than the process of becoming cleansed. And I am sure the
thought of freedom after the cleansing would fill his soul with delight. He
must be very glad before, through, and after the procedure.
Christian living is much more so.
ππΌππππβππ ππ:ππ
"Thus you shall keep the sons of
Israel separated from their uncleanness, so that they will not die in their
uncleanness by their defiling My tabernacle that is among them."
To me, this is one of the most
disgusting chapters in the entire Bible. I don't like to read it, but it's in
the Bible. Bible, indeed, has sufficient instructions for everyone to live a
holy life before man and God.
ππΌππππβππ ππ:π-π
"Now the LORD spoke to Moses
after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they had approached the presence
of the LORD and died. The LORD said to Moses: ‘Tell your brother Aaron that he
shall not enter at any time into the holy place inside the veil, before the
mercy seat which is on the ark, or he will die; for I will appear in the cloud
over the mercy seat.’"
This account always fascinates me. God
has just killed the sons of Aaron. Then Aaron was commanded to not mourn but to
keep doing his priestly duties faithfully or else he too shall die.
A tyrant killed people and threatened
to kill more. He is obeyed by force, torture, and fear. God is not a tyranny.
God is a loving Father. He is a good God. And there's no fear in love. We want
to serve God in delight. God wants us to enjoy Him. God even gives us a will, a
choice, a free life. Moreover, God is long-suffering, compassionate, and
gracious. Yet what He demanded of Aaron was very sobering.
Aaron must be extremely sad about the
demise of his two sons (not only one). His reputation among the people was at
stake. He wasn't even allowed to mourn. Moreover, God still demanded
faithfulness.
God was not afraid to hurt Aaron. God
was not afraid if Aaron would threaten to resign. God did not back down.
Indeed, what is of God is greater than anything of us.