“But why?”

Every day we're reading or listening to part of the Bible together and sharing thoughts with you. Today it’s Bern Leckie:

What did I like about today’s passage?

This mixture of rules really made me feel like a child who has hit an obsession with the words: "But why?"

Don't steal (makes sense), and don't swear... but why? Don't seek revenge (makes sense), and don't wear clothing woven of two kinds of material... but why? Show respect for the elderly (makes sense), and don't eat meat with blood in it, clip off the edge of your beard or get a tattoo... but why?!?

God seems to explain many of these laws, but the frequent refrain "I am the Lord your God" reminds me of my mother's answer to too many "but why"s, which was "because I'm your mother!" This doesn't feel entirely comfortable - but I guess that's my problem.

God is not just a lawmaker here, I think, but a parent to us. Some of his boundaries seem odd and I want to push against them, but I can see that God's intention is that his children develop good hearts which aren't undermined by practical harm or hardened by even symbolic rebellion, and that his people are made holy - set apart for a purpose, clean and useful for good things.

What did it show me about Father God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit?

Purely as a list of laws, some seem arbitrary and questionable, but I believe that these instructions reveal the heart of a loving father who wants his children to be safe and to develop healthy, respectful relationship with him as well as with brothers and sisters. The fact that the total burden of these laws seems heavy to bear is partly down to my naturally rebellious heart, but with a wider view of what will happen next, I know that God also intended the law to reveal our need to embrace Jesus.

What am I going to do differently as a result?

I would rather have a heart shaped by relationship with Jesus than by a set of instructions, or my reaction to those instructions! This reminds me that it's not enough just to study the Bible, but I need to grow in prayer, building a real relationship in which putting God's word into practice doesn't seem like an unmanageable chore.

Who am I going to share this with?

I’m looking forward to praying more next week with people on “The SHAPE of you” course. We are discovering what God has made us to be, each unique in lots of ways, but all his children. I want to share more with this group about what that means to me.