Matthew 15

Today's passage is a mix of story and teaching, and since the story part is largely the same stuff as the last few chapters (healing, feeding multitudes, etc) I want to focus on the teaching part. Specifically, I am pondering the idea that "It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.” (verse 11, NASB)

This stood in contrast to the arbitrary, man-made rules that many of the religious Jews in Jesus' time followed. The example here in Matthew 15 is of the disciples eating with dirty hands - which was a big no-no apparently in that time and place (and would likely be somewhat frowned upon here in our day as well). But what Jesus says is that isn't what you put in your body that makes us unclean in God's eyes... but instead what comes out of us in terms of words - and presumably thoughts and actions as well, from the context.

At the same time, we need to guard our hearts against letting in some things; not food, so much, but ideas and images of sinful behavior. Letting those into our lives is going to make us more likely to integrate wrong ideas into our lives, and then begin to have those things coming out in the forms that Jesus warned against.

Numbers 11

Wow, an interesting chapter today! I suppose one could take this as a warning against gluttony, as well as against complaining about what God has provided. Often in our lives God may provide what we need, but we still desire other things in our sinful nature - and perhaps we should look to the example of the Israelites here as a lesson not to. Not only did God choose to give them what they wanted in excess quantities, but He also struck many of them down with a plague. While God doesn't seem to act in quite such direct methods today He is certainly active in our lives, so we should be careful what we wish for :)

That is something I should work on: wishing and praying for God's will to be manifest in my life, rather than the things I selfishly want. I'm sure I'd be happier and healthier if I pursued that goal instead of my own.

Leviticus 22

This chapter covers laws about how priests are to deal with the portion of offerings that belonged to them as food, as well as some commands about certain types of sacrifices the Israelites made. What I liked here - and what I recall seeing on occasion in previous chapters - is that there was a clause for someone who accidentally ate the priests' food if he wasn't supposed to. God knows we are human, and far from perfect, and He set up His laws accordingly.

Also, it sticks in my memory that at some point David had his men eat from the food dedicated to priests (when he was on the run, I think). I can't pinpoint where I remember reading that, but when I get into those later books of the Bible I will have to keep that in mind and see if I can find it.

Leviticus 11

The passage today cover the food rules that God gave the Israelites. I've always been fascinated by these, as the reasons behind the rules often seemed odd. For example, why only livestock that have cloven hoofs and chew their cud? What sort of logic is there to that? I can only figure that either the rules were arbitrary and God simply wanted them followed, or that they were for health reasons and just happened to be easier to describe with physical characteristics. Someday I plan to ask :)

Oh, and I'm glad these no longer apply: I don't think I could live without pork!