I'm behind, friends. Stuck in the latter pages of the Pentateuch (which, at least by page numbers, is a full fifth of the Bible. Sheesh, Moses). As I do read, in stops and fits, I'm chastened by God, made to see His way--even though the law has been perfected in Christ, and we need not worry about being "unclean until the even" anymore, there's still something magisterial (in the many meanings of that word) and often, even today, sensible about it. And I think what I keep running into is how difficult it was to put oneself into proper relationship with God, how many things you had to check off, how many things had to be remembered, how organized your life had to be--just how hard it was for the Israelites in the wilderness, but, oddly, how easy it was, too. Because God always provided for them, gave them what they needed, gave them the promise of something more and, in return, he asked for holiness in their comportment towards him. Holiness that was shown through various outward signs, outward signs that were hard, yes, but that made sense in that they often helped, aided in them experiencing His Providence, etc.
Okay, I'm rambling. What I'm trying to say is this: I've always been a struggler and fighter as it concerns my faith. I always find myself returning to the same old compulsions and sins, finding myself making myself hard towards God, only to fall down and plead the Blood again, realize that I've crucified Him again, and that I'm wretched and in need of God's Providence. I am, then, like the Israelites wandering in the wilderness. And as I read, I find myself both somehow comforted and somehow horrified by that fact, as for me to be holy, I need not remember what sort of wave offering to bring and how long I need to sit apart from the community, but only to have true faith in Our Lord and His redeeming love.
And, sitting here waiting for the sun to rise and listening to the birds sing their pre-dawn chorus, I read this morning's devotion by the always powerful Mr. Chambers, and somehow it makes sense vis-a-vis reading the Bible as well as praying, a sense I've somehow tried to spell out above.
Love to you all.
Thanks for this post, Matt. It brought me good perspective this morning.
ReplyDeleteAlso, as I was reading in Deuteronomy, after reading this post, I kept noticing the prohibition against ingesting the blood of any animal and the command that the blood be poured out on the ground like water. That made me think of what you say here about how now we "plead the Blood" and it also made me think about communion and how communion inverts that prohibition. Rather than being told to pour the blood on the ground, we are told to eat of His flesh and drink of His blood. To me, that earlier prohibition brings even more depth to the later invitation.
Anyway. Now *I'm* rambling.
Thanks for the good thoughts.