Sometimes I wonder if the details of my life matter to God. I mean with billions of people in the universe, why would the details of my life matter before God?
But when I read through the book of Leviticus in the Bible, I realized how much God is in the details.
You see the book of Leviticus very specifically lists the food that the people of Israel could and could not eat. The first question that stands out to me is if God has given us the freedom of choice, why did it seem like he was restricting what His people could eat?
And He even provided specific instructions around hygiene and preventing the spread of infectious among them.
Well, a little back story might help. This generation of Israelites were born into slavery in Egypt. As slaves, they didn’t get a choice on how to conduct their lives. They did what they were told and weren’t allowed to question it.
So now with their newly found freedom, they needed some instruction on how to practically live their lives.
God tells Moses very specifically what his people should eat and not eat. Leviticus 11 is so specific that it can seem like downright petty.
But this was a time before the world knew anything about nutrition, or what we need to eat to be in optimal health.
But God knew.
Although today we know more because God has unveiled the mysteries of science to mankind over time, back then, His people had no idea what was good and what was bad for them.
And if we look at the instructions he gave, especially regarding food and hygiene, we can see that in doing so, He was trying to preserve their health and wellness.
To many it seems like lists of strict rules from a God who just wants to control us. But I understand now that His laws were given because He loves us. When a good parents gives their child boundaries, it’s because they love them.
Our Heavenly Father knows what happens outside of the boundary He has given us….sin and ultimately death. At a time before science had understood what we know today, God lovingly gave laws to protect and preserve his children.
I am so grateful to serve a God that is in the details. Not only in the giving of his laws, but in every detail of my life. He doesn’t miss a thing. He knows when one strand of hair falls from my head.
Knowing that God is in the details, I can trust Him with the details of my life and my future.
-Vijoy