My first trip to Japan involved learning an entirely new way of seeing and interpreting the things around me. I did not understand the language, so I often did not know what was happening. At a restaurant meal with the host missionaries I asked for the bill and mistakenly ordered a tray of beers. On a solo cross country bullet train ride, I got off the train at the wrong stop and the wrong town. I walked into a house with my shoes on only to find that this was also wrong. Sometimes the way we look at things, our paradigm, is confronted by a totally new reality. We have to readjust the ways we look and interpret everything.
There are many facets of the character and nature of God, especially in regard to the ways that He relates to us, that fit into this paradigm shift. Often times our way of thinking is very different than God’s way of acting and relating. We have to learn to take our shoes off.
Daily Readings
Monday, November 14, 2011 Numbers 12
I recently attempted to assist one of my children with their math homework. We were able to work through all of the problems except for one. I looked at it, as a person looks at a foreign language, and finally realized I had no clue how to get to the solution. This child attempted to walk me through the process of finding the answer which did not come to a right answer, nor did the explanation enlighten at all. I finally picked up the book and said “Let’s ask Caleb.” I knew that Caleb had already successfully completed this level of math so I hoped he would remember how to do this type of problem. The two of us joined Caleb who was sitting on his bed, I then handed him the book, the paper, and the pencil. He gave his required teenage sigh, looked at the problem, and begin quickly writing out numbers quickly coming to the solution. I looked in the back of the book to discover that he was right, so I then asked if he could do it slower so that his even slower dad could understand. By this time the child who belonged to this homework was expressing understanding and ready to call it a night. I was not that easy, I wanted to understand. So, Caleb then gave an even bigger sigh, the kind that is necessary when encountering an extremely annoying parent. He then began to try to explain each time coming to the proper solution, each time with a Dad that had no clue. I attempted to explain that it didn’t make sense and he reassured me that this is how it is done, at least in this century. We parted ways as he attempted to reassure me that “it’s ok dad.” Sometimes things don’t make sense, but that does not mean that they are not right. Sometimes things don’t seem fair, but that does not mean they are unjust.
Aaron and Miriam discovered this when they began to complain about the way God was leading the people, particularly about Moses and his wife. They were looking through eyes that were centered on themselves. God soon showed them that His ways are not always the way we think they should be but, nevertheless, His ways are right and best. Do you look at life through a trust in God’s ways, or do you, like Miriam, look with human eyes that are centered on you?
Tuesday, November 15, 2011 Leviticus 12:1-8, 14:21
I recently rushed, with Lily and Isaiah, to watch Hannah and Grace run in a cross country meet being held in Norman (I was running late and their event was about to begin). I had my events pass, and elementary age are seldom charged (at least at Norman meets) an entry fee so I arrived at the meet with no cash in my pocket. As we approached the ticket desk, I held up my pass and continued to walk to the by the desk as I usually do. The lady that was selling tickets stopped me and took a closer look at the pass and said, “I guess we can accept that, but you owe eight dollars for each of the kids.” I later found out that this was not actually a Norman event, another school district was using our facilities for their event, and therefore charging what they normally charged. This was not only more than I expected, it was 100 percent more than I had in my pocket. I considered running to an ATM but a cross country event takes less time than it takes to get to an ATM, so I began to quickly go through the options in my head. I finally verbalized the option to Lily and Isaiah that they stay outside the gate while I run and watch the event and then run back. The looks on their faces permitted me to know and understand their thoughts on that option. Finally the ticket lady said, “Just go on in.” She understood that an allowance had to be made as it was not possible for me to meet the requirements.
As we see God state the requirements for the people in regard to cleanliness and purification two truths become evident. First, God is a very practical God, many of the instructions given to the people dealt with personal health and hygiene (we also see this in regard to the instructions on leprosy beginning in chapter 13). Second, He is considerate of what is realistic for us. He gives a different requirement for the sacrifice based on what a person can do. His call is for personal sacrifice that is truly an equal sacrifice to the person, rather than a equal sacrifice that may be physically equal but not personally equal. God calls on us to approach sacrifice in an honest, individual, and personal way.
Wednesday, November 16 2011 Leviticus 13:1-14:32
Even after it has ceased to be produced, the television show Monk has continued to be one our favorite shows. While we enjoy watching Adrian Monk solve the murder cases, the real entertainment is watching him attempt to be unaffected, and uninfected, physically by the people he interacts with. His assistant is continually ready to give him a sanitized wipe when he shakes a hand, or has any type of contact with a person or anything. He is careful to not go anywhere that might cause him to encounter germs and he stays away from anyone who might share their germs. He wants to be in the world working, but he does not want the world to leave any workings on him.
As God is giving the people instructions about how to confront leprosy, He gives the priests the job of inspecting those who may have the disease. Since many forms of leprosy are contagious one can only assume that the priests risked personal infection each time they worked with someone that had leprosy. Even though they faced this risk, they were called on by God to take the chance. It was what God called them to do. In I Peter 2:9 Christ followers are informed that we are a “royal priesthood...”. Think about this, if God called the priest to interact with those who were dirty, those who were infected, those who were contagious...do we not have the same call as the new priesthood? It may not be leprosy that we risk being exposed to, it may be rejection, it may be people that are different than us, it may be annoying or dirty people (outside or inside). What is God calling you, a priest, to risk?
Thursday, November 17, 2011 Leviticus 14:33-57
Friends of mine, a couple of years ago, discovered that they had toxic mold throughout their home. It was in the walls and cabinets and everywhere. As it was tested it was determined to be unsafe to live in. They had to gut the house, tearing out walls, carpet, cabinets, and everything. Many personal items in the house had to be destroyed because they were carrying the mold as well. To rid the house of the mold they had to remove everything that had been infected with the mold.
As God gives the people instruction on dealing with leprosy He directs them to their houses. They find that the leprosy can be there just as much as it can be attached to a human. They had to clean house and get rid of everything that had the disease. We often have to do this in our lives, remove everything that carries disease. We have remove those things that can harm us in an earthly sense but also in an eternal sense. Does your life need a house cleaning?
Friday, November 18, 2011 Leviticus 16:1-6
One of my girls and I sat out one Saturday afternoon to pick up trash along the mile of road in front of the church. It did not take long until my daughter was expressing her disgust at the filth that people had thrown out their car windows. By the time we had filled two or three garbage bags she had had enough. “I cannot believe that those people are that rude,” she proclaimed, “we should not be picking up their trash, they should!” Although she was correct, the truth was that the people who should have been picking it all up were unable to be there. If the road was to be cleaned we were the ones to do it. Sometimes you have to clean up someone else’s mess, a mess that you did not create, nor should you be cleaning up. Nevertheless, we often are called on to do just that.
Aaron was called to clean up a mess that was created by his sons. Although they should have been cleaning it up themselves, they could not, they were dead. Their mess had also been the cause of their death. Aaron, their father, then was instructed by God to clean it up. God often leads us to continue in the success, and often the mess, of others. Our response is not to argue the merit of assignment but to accept the assignment. What assignment has God given to you?
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