THE RULE ABOUT RULES

Leviticus 18:5 "If you obey my decrees and my regulations, you will find life through them."

Do you know many people that are into rules? You know laws, decrees, regulations, whatever it is that you want to call them. If you do, here’s the good news for them. The book of Leviticus is full of rules. As a matter of fact rules is just about all Leviticus is about. There is really no story to it, no characters, no plot; just rules, page after page of rules. There are rules about what you can do and what you can’t do, when you can do it and when you can’t do it. What you can wear and what you can’t wear, what you can eat and what you can’t eat. They just seem to go on and on and on.

Many people struggle with rules. Maybe they’re like Katherine Hepburn who said “If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun”. Or maybe it’s just natural when someone says “don’t” that they say “Oh yes I will.”

The truth is that rules aren’t just implemented to annoy us or to make life less fun, they are often put into place to protect. Either to protect us or to protect others. There are rules in all aspects of our life. There are rules that apply in our families. Curfews. Don’t smack your sister. Don’t smack your brother. There are rules in school: Do your homework, no smoking in the halls. There are rules at work. Don’t steal the paper clips, no personal phone calls. How about social rules? We are all familiar with “No Shirt. No Shoes. No Service.”

So, why so many rules again? If you go to Philadelphia and see the Liberty Bell you would read an inscription from the Book of Leviticus. It says “Proclaim Liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof”. I find it interesting that that statement is included in a list of rules such as Leviticus. God’s word is designed to instruct for our benefit. It is given for our physical good, our social good, and our spiritual good.

My son is a sweet boy, but he is at the age that whenever I give him a rule or instruction, he struggles to accept and follow it, especially if it causes him to change his plans. He gets so upset and sometimes he demonstrates it by acting out. He is five. I will continue teaching and guiding him as he matures. I, however, should not still be acting that way towards rules and instructions, especially by those that come from God’s word. If I am still rejecting truth and living by my own rules, then I demonstrate independence from God and dangerous immaturity. I choose to live under the life-giving promises that are found within his instructions.

His word is designed to bless and protect us. Just as a parent that offers instruction to his child for their benefit. If we are true to God’s word then blessing, prosperity and protection are promised to us. That’s a rule that we all can live with.