February 22 – Today’s Readings – Leviticus 16-18 and Psalms 52
In Chapter 18 of Leviticus we find a most fascinating statement – the land “vomited out the nations”. I get the impression that the sins mentioned in this section of Scripture were so contrary to what God intended in creation that creation itself was made sick by all of it.
What were the sins revealed? – Marrying 2 sisters – Sleeping with your father’s wife – Lying with a man as one lies with a woman – Sleeping with your neighbor’s wife – Offering your children to be burned to death on the altar of Molech – Making sacrifices in the open fields!
These folk were more or less like people in our society! In our nation, we legalize and even promote sexual sin and call it a “new normal” or a “personal choice”. We make divorce as easy as marriage, we promote and pay for abortion, we legalize euthanasia, and think nothing of adultery and rebellion against God’s laws.
Somehow, in the mysterious workings of creation, there is an almost mystical connection between increased sin in the land resulting in the land and the atmosphere suffering and becoming ill.
As a side note, God never said that we were free to abuse this beautiful planet but that we should be good managers of it. (Genesis 9: 2-3) Whenever sin increases in a nation, the Earth itself suffers from the ravages of man’s abuses. We, as Christians need to be part of the crowd that desires good management of Earth’s resources – not part of the crowd that seeks only has contempt and disregard for this Earth God gave us. Don’t get me wrong – I’m not a “greenpeace” guy – nor do I hug trees – I just want sanity to be part of our stewardship of God’s Earth. Let’s increase funding to fight more forest fires and decrease C02 emissions – they are the major problem!
It is clear in this passage that God makes a direct link between the inherited sinfulness of mankind and the judgment of various kinds of sins. The point to be considered here is that there is eternal judgment as well as direct immediate results for certain sinful lifestyle choices. If sins increase in a nation, that nation will not longer be allowed to exist. The ground (creation) itself will reject its people and God will no longer keep quiet about the issues. The eternal result however, will be far worse. We must keep speaking sanity to our nation and praying for it. There is no doubt that destructive lifestyle patterns are on the increase in our culture and in some cases these sins are being sanctioned by our governments and even our Churches!
As you read through the rest of these “laws”, circle the ones that make sense to you. The Law of God is there as a “taskmaster”. It is a standard by which everything on Earth is measured but it is no longer a tool of condemnation for us in the Devil’s hand. No longer can he say of me that I am guilty of breaking the Law in this or that way. I died to the Law and am hidden in Christ. My master is the Holy Spirit. When I sin, He is faithful to convict me, lead me quickly to repent, to forgive my sin and lead to me in the paths of righteousness. The way out of sinning is to keep in step with the Holy Spirit – something that even a child can do.
Questions:
1. Give a simple strategy for the healing of our nation’s ills.