I made it through car line yesterday morning in the nick of time.
It was raining, and I was late getting out the door. I made it to the back of the long car line, and as we inched closer to the school building, I kept my eye on the clock.
The school has a strict tardy policy. So, naturally, parents are scrambling and competitive when it comes to car line.
Yesterday, we heard angry honks and witnessed people cutting in line to assure their child wasn’t late.
We finally made it to the front of school, and…success! My daughter was out of the car at the last acceptable minute.
What a morning! I was exhausted, and it wasn’t even 8 am!
Why such strict rules? Why cause parents such stress?
Ultimately, to allow school to start in time, but also to build discipline.
In our Bible readings this week, we enter the book of Leviticus, which gives specific laws and regulations regarding worship and ceremonial cleansing.
And when we say specific, we mean, “pay-attention-to-every-detail-or-you-will-be-excommunicated”, kind of specific. There is not much room for error.
For example, when a member of the community sins, he must bring a female goat without defect, lay his hand on the goat’s head, and slaughter it. The blood is placed by the priest on specific parts of the altar (Leviticus 4:27). This allows for atonement of the person’s sins.
That one sacrifice had multiple steps involved.
It made me wonder why the Lord did not make an easier…less complex way to atone for sins.
Ultimately, it is because we serve a holy God.
According to the commentary of the NIV Study Bible, the book of Leviticus shows us how “spiritual holiness is symbolized by physical perfection”.
In a parenting book that I am reading, the author stated that healthy bonding requires both love and limits.
Could it be that God allowed for those laws because he loved the Israelites and wanted to set limits on their actions? Rules and laws are in place for safety…discipline…love… and even holiness.
God’s laws in Leviticus were in place to establish the Israelites as God’s holy people.
Welcome to 2017, where we live in the Age of Grace. We don’t follow the same laws and regulations because Jesus was the sacrificial Lamb, and when Jesus died on the cross, “…the curtain of the temple was torn in two…” (Matthew 27:50-51)
This symbolized that His sacrifice served as atonement for sins. The way into the Holy of Holies was opened to all people and that God “…no longer dwelled in a temple made with hands…” (Acts 17:24)
What a relief to know that if I mess up…and I know I will…that I serve a loving and forgiving God who made a way for me to him through Jesus Christ.
Jesus came to fulfill the law (Matthew 5:17), and because of his sacrifice, I can approach God’s throne boldly as his loved daughter (Hebrews 4:16).
-betsy