When you come to the point of reading your Bible every day (which is something that EVERY Christian ought to do), you might come to a section that doesn't seem very relevant to your life. I know that I have! We often tend to push the chapter(s) aside and say, "this isn't important to me or my life in the 21st century!" And yet, sometimes God hides gems of truth inside the longest and driest chapters of the Bible. This post is about one truth that I found while reading Leviticus.
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| Photo thanks to my little brother. =) |
Leviticus 13 is titled, "The Law Concerning Leprosy." Haha...a blog post about leprosy? Yes, be forewarned! =)
Leprosy was a common skin disease back in the Biblical times. In some places around the world, it is still common to find. The disease would literally eat away your skin. It was also highly contagious. If you found those "little, white spots" on your skin, you would be forced to leave your family, your friends, and your previous life. You would be confined outside of the camp—alone. Your only company would be other lepers.
Leviticus has lots of rules about how to determine if someone has leprosy. Simply put, if you had white spots, there was a large chance that it was leprosy. (Don't become paranoid that you have it, please! That is NOT the point of this blog post. Haha.)
Those little spots would change your life.
Leprosy is a lot like sin. Maybe you just have "a little bit" of sin. Maybe you've only said "little" lies, thought only a few bad thoughts, or stolen insignificant things. Compared to others around you who have done horrible sins, you might look pretty good right?
Wrong.
Romans 6:23 says, " For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
It doesn't say anything about big or little sins. If you have committed any sins (and we all have), then you are a sinner in need of a Savior. What is worse, is that those "little, white spots" of sin that you have will come between you and Him. Just like leprosy, you are unclean. Sinful. Filthy.
That's where the Good News comes in! Yes, I have sinned. Yes, my heart is was covered in little, white spots. But because Jesus has died for us, "the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
So....how are you going to live your life? Will you say, "My sins are so little compared to all the good I've done. God couldn't possibly hold them against me?" That answer won't work when you come before the Judge. Or, are you going to give up your life for the One who gave His life for you?
Those little white spots will stand between you and Jesus. Are you going to ask His help to take care of them?
Thoughts? Comment below!
Thoughts? Comment below!
How amazing, Hosanna!! It's so true that there's lots of places I come across when reading the Bible that seem unrelatable to me sometimes. But God has a way of showing me things hidden in it, like you found. Thanks again for sharing! <3
ReplyDeleteI agree, Emily! We need to definitely keep paying attention, asking for wisdom, and dig deep into each passage. =) Even when they might not be the most interesting... ;) Thanks for commenting! <3
DeleteGreat post, Hosanna!! Leprosy is a very good analogy to see the results of sin! Thank you for the reminder!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Josiah! It was a surprising discovery for me. =) It's cool how God sometimes shows you new things out of nowhere! =) Thanks for commenting! ;)
DeleteThis is such a good post, Hosanna! I've felt the same way sometimes in reading the Bible...there's just not that much that seems applicable. But it is encouraging when we dig deeper and find "hidden treasures". :)
ReplyDeleteOh yes, Hannah! Hidden treasures! =D Sometimes we can feel like there isn't anything for us to discover, but it's right below the surface! ;) We just need to keep on digging.
DeleteThank you!!
I've never thought of the analogy of leprosy vs sin. There are so many correlations!!! People back then had to be separated just like sin separates us from God. And only a priest could declare them "clean" again...just like only Jesus, our High Priest can declare us clean!! Who knew so many gems were hidden in Leviticus. =)
ReplyDeleteLol, very true Misti! =) I was surprised to see the similarities as well! It's so amazing when God shows you something new out of a book that you have read (sometimes grudgingly) several times before. =) "The Word of God is living, powerful, and sharper than a two edged sword!"
DeleteThanks for commenting! =)
Great post, Hosanna!!!!
ReplyDeleteYeah, there are definitely parts of the Bible that we just completely skip over because they seem boring. Or unimportant. Or monotonous.
Typically, I stick with NT stuff. I've tried reading through the OT, but I didn't have the perseverance to stick with it.
But you're right, girl, there are a TON of treasures in there that we don't take the time to look for! Thank you for sharing one of them with us!!
-Ariel
I'm glad you agree, Ariel! Yes...it's hard sometimes. I read through the NT last year, so here comes the OT. =) Some of it is so interesting! The life of David, Esther, Ruth, Daniel...but then there's Leviticus. =P Hehe.
DeleteWe should ALL take the time to read through the OT as well as the NT! God wouldn't have put it in if there wasn't a divine purpose, right?! You can do all things through CHRIST, Ariel! =)
Thank you for commenting, sweet girl!
all i have to say is PREACH GIRL
ReplyDeleteYou're the best, Chloë! =) Thanks for commenting! That made me laugh. =)
DeleteWhat a great reminder!! Thank you!! Going through the Old Testament it has been hard sometimes to apply things to my life so I really need to try harder instead of pushing it aside like you said. :)
ReplyDeleteOh yes, Clara! It is very hard. Sometimes I just want to put it aside and read more interesting books. ;) I find that it can help if you read another book along with it. For instance, I just finished a book about prayer by Elizabeth George. So if I don't feel like I am getting a lot out of Leviticus, I can also be working on my prayer life...focusing on both. =) For those days when you read a list of how many sacrifices they sacrificed for every single tribe in Israel, you know? ;) Lol
DeleteAnd YES! Dig deeper! I have a hard time with that too...
Thanks for commenting. =D
It's so true that there are some precious gems hidden in parts of the Bible that feel tedious and irrelevant. Thanks for sharing, Hosanna!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your thoughts, Jordy! =) I agree...even though it's hard to read passages like that day after day, it can be so worthwhile! =D And if you think about it...gems are hidden under mounds of soil and rock. You have to dig deep and hard to discover them. It's the same with Biblical truth!!
Delete