Rules

Rules.  Sometimes they seem unnecessary.  Sometimes they seem constricting.  Limiting.  Confining.  Especially the most specific of rules.  Often I wonder if the rules are in place simply to give the ruler a power kick.

            When it comes to rules, I think you’re either a follower or a breaker.  You follow them to a T, trusting that they’re there for a reason, whether or not you understand the purpose. Or you rebel and break the rules simply because you can.  I must admit I’m completely a follower.  I follow the rules, blindly, simply because they’re there, and I just CAN’T break them.  At school, I was the naïve teacher’s pet, abhorred by the other students, because I obeyed every rule – and I mean, every rule:  Don’t talk in the hallways.  Walk.  Don’t cheat.  Share.  Do your homework and turn it in on time.  The one time I scored a detention was a misunderstanding on the teacher’s part and didn’t count on my record.  I was the perfect student.

            Why?

            At the time, I thought it was because that made me a good person.  It might have been a bit arrogant of me, but I thought that made me a “good” Christian.  Obey because the teacher said to obey. 

            Well, there are a lot of rules in the Old Testament.  Just throughout Exodus and Leviticus alone, God gives the Israelites thousands of lines of specific instructions to build the Tabernacle and all of its holy contents.  Then He gave them directions on offering sacrifices and rules for social conduct.  Detailed rules that explained the food they were allowed to eat, the type of lifestyle they were to live, and especially commandments governing their relationships.   

He expected perfect obedience.  If they disobeyed, they would face the consequences.  In Leviticus He warns that the disobedient would be “cut off” or even “put to death.”  Serious stuff.  And it all leads me to wonder why it was so important.

To make their lives miserable?

To test their loyalty?

“You must distinguish between the holy and the common, between the unclean and the clean” (Lev. 10:10).

When I read Leviticus before, I missed so much, trying to fly through it because I was bored.  I missed the characters and stories of the first two Books.  I wanted more of the mystery and excitement, the grief and joy I experienced through the lives of the characters. 

But now, I see Leviticus has its own characters, its own story.  God, Moses as the narrator, and the people of Israel.  He presents them with a holy lifestyle and they are to follow His lead.  He commands them to “consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the Lord your God.  Keep my decrees and follow them.  I am the Lord who makes you holy….who has set you apart from the nations” (20:7-8, 24).

Over the winter, I studied the Gospels and made a startling discovery.  John 14 & 15 record Jesus’ message of obedience, explaining that obedience is the fulfillment of love.  “If you love Me, you will obey what I command…My Father will love him, and we will come to Him and make our home with Him” (14:15, 23).

Then through our obedience, we receive joy: “If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in His love.  I have told you this so that My joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete” (15:10-11).

            All this to say, I don’t believe the commands of Exodus and Leviticus were just for the Israelites.  They were under that Old Law, one that required sacrifices that are now unnecessary after Jesus became that sacrifice.  However, these rules are still important for believers today - rules that focus on idolatry, sexuality, profanity, compassion, revenge, sorcery, respect, ect.  Galatians reminds us that once Christ died and resurrected, a believer, Jew or Gentile alike, is a child of God through faith in Christ (3:26-29).  Now, we don’t have to offer sacrifices to receive God’s forgiveness (praise the Lord!), but I think it benefits us to follow the standards He set for the Israelites. 

            And I believe He desires for us to obey.  Not simply because the rules are in place, but because we love Him and we demonstrate our love for Him through our obedience.  My immature perspective of rules as a child was full of pride and fear.  I wanted to please my parents, teachers, and relatives, desiring to be in their good graces and avoid detention.  Now I realize that it’s all a matter of the heart.  Obey not out of tradition or fear.  But out of love for the Savior who became the sacrifice. 

            In the end, I think the root of our problems with rules is (again) trust.  Do we trust Him enough to follow His commands?  To know without a doubt that the rules are there for a reason?  For our good?

            I’m learning to do that.  What can I say? I’m a work in progress.  But I’m encouraged by His promises!  Have you noticed that each command is followed by a promise? 

-                    “ ‘Follow My decrees and be careful to obey My laws, and you will live safely in the land’” (Lev. 25:18). 

-                    “ ‘Do not make idols…Observe My Sabbaths…If you follow My decrees, I will provide rain for your harvest.  I will grant peace in the land. I will look upon you with favor and make you fruitful and increase in number, and I will keep My covenant with you’ ” (26:1-13).

These are just a couple of examples.  I could quote the entire book of Leviticus.  Instead, I’m just going to trust that He knows what’s best for me, take His advice, and expect His promises to be fulfilled! J