Think

I have recently seen on the net, thoughts about how the Bible outlines what we can and cannot do. They go to Leviticus to get their ammunition to tell us, "How can you take the Bible seriously when there are these things in there." Things such as:

• Leviticus 19:27 "Do not trim off the hair on your temples or clip the edges of your beards."
  
• Leviticus 11:10 "You may not, however, eat marine animals that do not have both fins and scales."
  
• Leviticus 11:5 "The same is true of the rock badger, and the hare, so they also may never be eaten."
  

Okay, okay, let's get it straight here. Let's start doing our research and understand why these rules were set up.

'Leviticus was written as a handbook for the priests and the Levites of Israel. It gives detailed rules concerning the daily lives of the Israelites and special procedures for the worship of God. It provides instructions for offering sacrifices. It describes the proper methods for the Israelites to observe major festivals and holidays and for the priests to carry out their duties of their offices.'[paraphrase from a NLT Bible].

Now, do we have even a tiny glimpse of what Leviticus is dealing with here? We need to try to stop and think before we just jump into believing what someone else says that the Bible is saying. We have no comprehension of what needed to be done back in those times to establish a priesthood or to be an Israelite. None whatsoever. If you are a Bible scholar, you then do know what's going on, but just me and my friends sitting around: None.

Leave the Bible alone. "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows." Galatians 6:7

This doesn't mean that at times I don't have questions about God and about what God expects from us. I do have questions, and sometimes I have tons of them. Sometimes I don't have an understanding of some of his laws. I then have to make myself go to the Bible and to other strong Christians that are knowledgable in God's Holy Word , to get a grip on the situation of my questions.

I explained to my children yesterday about why God has set up rules for us to follow. Picture the Grand Canyon, picture a bridge, a wobbly one at that, that has no side rails, it's just you and that bridge getting in touch with nature by trying to get across without a rail....ha. The rules that God has us follow are the boundaries, ie: the siderails that he installs on the wobbly bridge.

If I tell my children not to play in the front yard when I run to the store, I am not trying to ruin their lives, I am not trying to be legalistic and controlling, I am merely knowing that playing in the front yard during that small time that I am away, is a boundary that is there to protect them. Do they always understand why I have put up these boundaries? No, definitely not. But just as a child doesn't understand why it shouldn't reach out and touch the plug in, we don't always understand some of what the Holy Lord has put out in front of us.

God is not afraid of our questions. Go ahead and ask them. But don't desecrate the very Bible that gives you instruction. Make sure that you go to someone who respects the Lord, who doesn't want to paint you a pretty picture and say what you want to hear. Go to someone that will tell you the truth, not their truth, but God's truth.

Jesus came as God incarnate. He came to bring Truth to the world. He testifies to the Truth. The evidence is clearly written out for all to see.

~B

Enough of my blabbing, this question below is what brought on this flood of thoughts:
My Answer by Billy Graham
Q: Why don't Christians follow all the laws in the Old Testament, and not just parts of it like the Ten Commandments? Christians believe it's all part of God's Word, don't they?

— R.T.

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A: Dear R.T.,
Yes, the whole Bible is God's Word, and every part of it has lessons to teach us. The Bible says, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16).

At the same time, Christians have always believed that many of the laws of the Old Testament no longer apply to us the way they once did - and the reason is because Jesus Christ has fulfilled them. They pointed forward to the coming of the Messiah - and once He came, they were no longer needed.

Let me give an example. In Old Testament times, the priests carried out animal sacrifices every day to make atonement for the sins of the people. But through His death on the cross, Jesus paid the final price for our sins - fully and completely. No more sacrifices are needed, because He is a final sacrifice for sin. Our sins have been forgiven because all our sins were placed on Christ, "And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin" (Hebrews 10:18).

Does this mean we should just ignore those parts of the Old Testament? No, not at all. They teach us just how seriously God takes sin, and they remind us too of what it cost God to make our salvation possible. Most of all, they point us to Jesus Christ, who loved us so much that He was willing to give His life for us. Have you responded to His love by giving your life to Him?