Good morning! I hope you are having a great start to your weekend. My morning has been filled with Leviticus 11-15, learning all about cleanliness and what the Israelites could/could not eat, followed by a long run...okay, that is a bit of a stretch. It was run a minute, walk a minute, repeat...but it felt like a very long run to me because my husband was next to me saying "run," "walk," "run," "walk," and so forth. (This morning, I would have been satisfied with a walk!)
But, my run is not what this blog is about so I will get on with it. I've been reading through the Bible chronologically, and am now in Leviticus. Through Exodus to where I am now, each day I am in awe that God has chosen me to be His child, to be able to talk with Him each day, whenever I want to. Notice, it is whenever I want to. Each day of my reading I am baffled at how difficult it was to talk to the Living God back in the day of the Israelites and the wilderness. Moses, and later the priests, were their 'conduit' to God. But Moses did not get to elect when to talk to Jehovah as we, present day, elect to do. Yahweh opened up the lines of communication by telling Moses to come up the mountain at a certain time with a certain amount of elders, so that the Lord could give him a message for the people of Israel. Yet we, who have the cherished gift, blessing, of talking to the Lord whenever we feel the need, fail to do so sometimes on a daily basis. Sometimes, our only communication with God is before meals: "God, thank you for the food. Amen."
The Israelites had to make sacrifices to the Lord for their sins. The priests made the sacrifices for them and sprinkled blood on them. Not just anyone was allowed to enter the temple. I have only made it to Chapter 15 of Leviticus, and I'm sure there will be more 'disqualifications' ahead, but if you had leprosy, or touched the carcass of an unclean animal, or touched the garment of an unclean person, or were on your period, or had discharge at all, you were considered unclean from 1-14 days...or longer depending on if your leprosy, discharge, etc healed or not. If you gave birth, which is a blessing indeed, you were considered unclean for up to 66 days, depending on the gender of the child. 66 days! Can you imagine spending 66 days separated from the Lord. Not being able to make a sacrifice. Not able to become clean. Can you even begin to imagine how you would feel if today God said, "Child, do not come to me for 66 days."??? What if it were only 1 day that He forbid you...would you be distraught, or would it even be a change for you?
I am convicted that I take for granted my time with the Lord. I admit that I sometimes find myself, out of habit, saying the same thing I said the previous days. Oh that I would know Whose Throne I am before when I pray! Because God gave His only Son to suffer and die for our sins, we are encouraged, taught, commanded to pray continuously (1 Thess. 5:17). Nothing stands in our way of coming before the Father and seeking His forgiveness, His healing, His peace...His presence. If only we, as His children, could understand how much of a blessing He has given us! Lord, help me to serve You, to worship You, to love You, all the days of my life, and praise You for the gift You have given me in Your Son's death and resurrection.
We bow our hearts. We bend our knees. Oh Spirit, come make us humble.
We turn our eyes from evil things. Oh Lord, we cast out our idols.
Give us clean hands. Give us pure hearts.
Let us not lift our souls to another.
Give us clean hands. Give us pure hearts.
Let us not lift our souls to another.
Oh God let us be a generation that seeks, seeks Your face, oh God of Jacob.
Oh God let us be a generation that seeks, seeks Your face, oh God of Jacob.
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