A Clean House

Lev. 14:33-42   God not only cares about us having clean and healthy bodies but also a clean environment to live in.  Maid and janitorial services are routinely offered in hotels and businesses but nowadays private homes are getting into the act too.  People want a clean house or room but don’t have the time or want to put the effort in cleaning up.  I can’t say this ranks as one of my favorite things to do.  Apart from the daily battle with dirty dishes, dirty laundry, and decluttering, little else is usually accomplished at the Chan residence.  But God requires much more than an outward shine; He wants a pure and spotless mind and heart.  Verse 41 says “He must have all the inside walls of the house scraped and the material that is scraped off dumped into an unclean place outside the town.”  Can you imagine the amount of elbow grease involved?  Whew!  As a mom, I make it a habit of mine to periodically go through and toss questionable books, newspapers, magazines, CD’s, DVD’s, and other media that have wormed their way into my home.  As long as I don’t put it off, the task is manageable.  What’s worse and harder to control is the ever-present Internet, readily available in several locations around our home, filled with both good and bad at the flip of a switch and the click of a mouse.  It takes persevering diligence and self-control on everyone’s part to achieve a clean house here.  Then we are to build with good and clean materials, as stated in verse 42: “then they are to take other stones to replace these and take new clay and plaster the house.” That means we are to build our hearts and minds NOT with what’s careless, rude, and evil, but with what’s good, pure, and holy (also quoted in Phil. 4:8).  May the Lord give us victory over the areas of our lives that needs cleaning up!  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Lord of All

Lev. 13:9-23 

Last night, I read with my daughter Stephanie the introduction to Leviticus from her Message Bible.  When we read about the part that Leviticus addresses all areas of our lives—family, neighbors, other nations, eating habits, medical conditions, social justice, environment, government, etc—she was curious as to why.  I told her what I had heard many years ago—that if the Lord is not Lord of all, then He’s not Lord at all!  God is concerned with every area of our lives, not just going to church on Sunday.  Leviticus spells it out in excruciating detail.  It’s all important to God!

In this passage, what impresses me was the breadth of responsibility the Israelite priests had over the community—examining the sick, pronouncing the patient clean or unclean, and isolating the patient if needed.  Here, God is very specific about what healthy skin condition is and what is not.  The priest was the shepherd of the community, tending not only to their spiritual well-being but also their physical health.  Even the modern-day Jewish rabbis have the authority to declare whether a certain food is kosher or not.  In our society today, the areas of our lives are compartmentalized with politicians, doctors, psychologists, educators, etc.  overseeing their field of expertise, and the whole person is usually not dealt with.  Would a young man in prison for acts of violence also struggle in his relationship with his father?  Would a student falling behind in class also struggle with his parents’ divorce?  Would a cancer patient fighting for her life also struggle with keeping her hopes up? In these situations, the areas of our lives affect one another—family and neighbor relationships, education and family, physical and emotional health.  We need an Expert who has the authority to handle all areas of our lives.  We need the Lord.

Inside to outside

Inside to Outside

Lev. 13:3  “The priest is to examine the sore on the skin, and if the hair in the sore has turned white and the sore appears to be more than skin deep, it is a defiling skin disease.  When the priest examines that person, he shall pronounce them ceremonially unclean.”

As my daughters and I were wrestling with today’s devotion, Esther asked me “What’s the point of this passage?”  God gave me instant wisdom right there, for I answered her, “As the skin disease was an indication of what’s going on inside the body, so our outward appearance indicates what’s going on inside our hearts.”  A rash or a sore on a person’s skin usually means that something wrong is going on inside that person’s body.  This is different than a slight burn or a scratch coming from the environment outside.  I pointed out to Stephanie that if her facial expression was moody and pouty, I could tell what’s going on inside her heart.  Then I asked my girls what could be done to stop the spread of infection, and they reply that the infected person must be isolated, as written in Lev. 13:4-8.  In order to stop sin from spreading, the sinner must be isolated or pulled aside and dealt with.  That’s why a rambunctious student gets sent to the principal’s office or a dangerous criminal gets sent to jail.  An addicted person must separate from his source of addiction, or he/she could not get “clean.”

Lord, let not the sins and temptations around us infect our hearts.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.