Read Leviticus 7:22-38
For now, our discussion about the sacrificial system has come to a close. I, for one, am breathing a sigh of relief. The book of Leviticus challenges readers today to whom these laws don’t seem relevant. Yet God still speaks to us through his word, even when we don’t understand how it can possibly apply to us.
These final two directions focus on fat consumption and the meat portions for priests. We’ve heard before how God wants us to avoid eating animal fat and how he cares for his servants, the priests. Through these practices, we see how much God cared for his people and wanted to be a good Father.
I can’t help but want to focus on the goodness of God. He is so perfect in all his ways, including his desire to be involved in our lives. How do we respond to the desire of God’s heart? We know God loves to be worshipped. I love the truth in the refrain of worship song, “Good, Good Father” by Chris Tomlin which declares:
You’re a good, good Father
It’s who You are, it’s who You are, it’s who You are
And I’m loved by You
It’s who I am, it’s who I am, it’s who I am.
It’s fantastic to know God wants to be known as a Father and a friend. Another great worship song is “Goodness of God,” by Bethel Worship. Here again, such a beautiful tribute to the Lord in these lyrics:
All my life You have been faithful
All my life You have been so, so good
With every breath that I am able
I will sing of the goodness of God
Our response to God should always be worship. It draws us closer, we can’t be worrying or afraid at the same time we are truly worshipping in the presence of God. In that moment of communication with God, you have hopefully left all of your garbage behind. If only for those brief moments of worship, those problems of the world are put out of mind.
God is so wise. He knew that we would need rules to keep us out of trouble. I can totally relate being the rule setter with having a three-month-old puppy running around our house. These laws imparted to Moses were intentionally focused on safety and for the benefit of keeping God’s people connected to him. My focus with the puppy rules is to keep him alive with all the strange plants, birds of prey, and “creepy crawly” things lurking in the yard.
God shows us how much he cares for us by the rules and boundaries he sets for us. Whether or not we follow these rules in our day is only because God loves us so much that he sent Jesus to rescue us from our own destruction. Jesus came to fulfill the law with his life. The example Jesus set for us was a legacy we all share in. Our hope rests in him and his return. These rules were made complete in the person of Jesus. Hallelujah!
Let’s pray. LORD, you are so good, and your mercies endure forever. Thank you for choosing to reveal yourself to me in my life. I am honored for each moment I can share about you with others. I love being there when the Holy Spirit opens my eyes or the eyes of those around me. You’re a good, good, Father, and I adore you. May I draw closer to you each day. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
