September 05, 2008 09:49 am
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As I study the Old Testament, I’m beginning to realize why some of the laws that seem so extreme in Leviticus were required.
For example, if a man touched a dead animal, he was considered unclean and no one could touch him until the end of the day. If they touched him before this time, they were also considered unclean.
When we read about such laws today, we may scrunch our eyebrows and wonder why God would be so strict with his people.
The answer is that he wanted to protect them, and he wanted them to remain pure before him.
In biblical times no veterinarians gave animals shots, no physicians offered vaccines, and no grocery stores sold antibacterial soap.
If a man handled a diseased carcass, he could become ill. If he interacted with others without washing the germs off his body and clothing, then his family and others in the camp could acquire the disease.
If this trend continued, God’s chosen people could suffer death and defeat because of illness.
In addition, God wanted those who approached his altar to be pure in body, mind and spirit.
This is why Paul tells believers to “present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” (Romans 12:1, NKJV)
God desires his people to honor him with purity.
Even though we have vaccinations and Germ-X today, we often approach God with an impure spirit or impure motivations.
We wonder why it seems our prayers fall on deaf ears, but we do not stop to think about the filth that covers our spirits.
If we partake in thoughts and actions that do not honor God, we must cleanse ourselves before approaching his altar.
Matthew 5:23-24 instructs us, “Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go on your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come offer your gift.” (NKJV)
In other words, if we realize that we have done something to hurt or offend another, we must make amends before we approach the Throne of Grace.
When we have a pure heart, and yes, a pure conscience, we are better able to live according to God’s will.
One of my favorite scriptures is Psalm 37:4. “Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.” (NKJV)
Too often we recall the second part of this verse but forget the first and most important part.
When waiting on God to intervene in a situation or answer a prayer, we say, “Well, God tells us he will give us the desires of our hearts. What’s the hold up?”
What he actually says is that if we delight ourselves in him, he will give us the desires of our hearts.
This means if we seek to be pure and righteous, if we seek his will instead of our own, if we strive to be in relationship with him, then he will give us he desires of our hearts.
We also gloss over another very important message when we read the passage in Matthew that tells us not to worry,
When we offer prayers of supplication to God, we remind him that he has promised to provide for all of our needs.
But, once again, we miss the disclaimer.
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33, NKJV)
If we have been consistently asking for God to answer our prayers or supply for our needs but feel like he is not responding, then it is likely time to reevaluate.
Maybe we are not seeking first the kingdom of God because we are praying for selfish desires, putting our will before God’s will or failing to truly rely on his provision.
Or maybe, we are simply not approaching him with a clean heart.
Sometimes we just have to spend some time on our knees purifying our hearts before God can work in our lives. Otherwise, all of the muck contaminates our spirit until we admit we have touched something unclean and wash ourselves in prayer and confession.
God is a gracious God, but he is also a holy God who expects us to come before him with reverence.
We cannot take advantage of his grace and expect him to protect us.
Remember, he will allow us to fall if it means the fall will humbly bring us back to him.
Our God is the same God who allowed his chosen people to wander in the desert for 40 years.
Even after he rescued them, they complained about the food he provided and missed the more extravagant lifestyle.
They took God’s protection and provision for granted, and he allowed them to wander around aimlessly until they surrendered their lives to him.
If you have been wandering around a desert, trying to determine why God has allowed you or your family to stay in a difficult situation, maybe it’s time to do a little cleansing.
Ask God what you need to do in order to purely, righteously approach his throne. Then, ask him to teach you how to delight in him.
He is patiently waiting to give you an answer.
Misty Shultz holds master’s degrees in marriage and family counseling and Christian education. She can be reached at mmenos_7@yahoo.com.
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