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.