Just Start In the Beginning and Go

Permission Granted
by Candace Nicole
(all rights reserved)

Last week I had a great idea - I decided to read the Bible.  And not just some portions, bits and pieces, here and there.  I want to read the Bible from cover to cover - just start in the beginning and go.... and keep going, and going, and going, and going.... past the creation of all things great and small, the inspiring lineage of Abraham, the trials of Moses... then right into some of the most difficult reading material I have ever come across. And all I could to continue was think "Just keep reading. Get past the Pentateuch... this will improve."

So, in the interest of quickly reading past the intricacies of building the tabernacle, the excruciating details of the six sacrifices, the repetitive language hidden in the laws of Leviticus, I turned to the study notes at the bottom of the page... and what happened next shocks me.  I began to move even more slowly through the pages. You see, it was here, beginning with the Ten Commandments leading into the graphic language of rites and rituals, laws and punishments, where I began to see the Truth.

The Truth being that God created us for a special purpose and loves each one of us. Our daily routines, our mistakes and mishaps.  Equally alike : the rich, the poor, the anointed, the slave.  He cares so much about each of us that He took the time to detail specifically what is expected of us, His chosen people.  And though it must have been tedious to the Old Testament believers to learn and know all the laws, He did make it very clear how they should live.  Imagine living not knowing what to do, and having no way to find out. (After all, the internet was not readily available until the 1990's, folks.)

One study note I starred had this to say about the story of Moses and the Israelites : "Obedience, like faith, is a response to what God has already done for us.  It is the evidence of our love toward God.  Obedience is 'walking by faith', and 'faith working through love.'"  Those poor Israelites who certainly did not always have the most clear understanding of what God wanted. However, they never lost site of the notion that God loved them - so much so he navigated their freedom. And in return, through their love for Him, they obediently followed His direction out of Egypt and the grasp of Pharaoh's rule - just as He promised!

The next mark, a double check mark for emphasis, said : "These verses (Exodus 35:30-36:7) portray the potential and power of the people of God when led by the spirit to deploy fully their gifts and talents for the mission of God."  When you get a chance, visit The Tabernacle Place to see what all went into the physical structure of the Tabernacle, each item donated as a free will offering from the Israelites.  Israelites who were living in faithful obedience, employing the skills given to them by their God (Exodus 31:6).  And again, I just find myself stunned at what God has done through His people - the people He created special and unique!

Admittedly this process has not been all stars and check marks... I was definitely halted by words like "blood," "kidneys," "entrails," and "dung."   Yet, I in my study I continue to find comfort in learning what it truly means to be holy in the sight of the Lord, the covenant into which we are bonded with our Lord and how each aspect of our lives can be shaped to please God simply by loving Him and each other - modeled by how He loves us!

Today, I'm still on the journey of my spiritual growth... 150 pages into the 1,500.  Choose to do the same and be blessed to learn God's loves you, He promises to bless you, and He has great plans for who He made you to be.  It's all right there starting "In the beginning..."

 

Quoted study notes are from the NRSV Wesley Study Bible