Readings for today: Leviticus 5-7
Gravity. It’s the force that holds all things together. It’s the attraction between two bodies. It’s what keeps our feet on the ground. It’s what holds the planets in orbit around the sun. The more massive an object, the stronger it’s gravitational pull. Now think about God. He is the most massive being in the universe. He is the creator. The author. The sustainer of all things. As powerful as our sun is sitting at the center of our solar system. Keeping planets in their orbit. Extending it’s will throughout the galaxy. It simply cannot compare to God. God holds the universe together. God holds every star. Every planet. Every comet. Every living thing. All of it in the palm of His hand.
What does any of this have to do with the sacrifices we’re reading about in Leviticus? I’m glad you asked! :-) Just as God designed our solar system with the sun at its center, so God designs human life with Himself at the center. Everything we say and do should revolve around God. Everything we say and do should be oriented around God. Everything we say and do should flow from God. The Exodus from Egypt represented a new birth for Israel. Before God delivered them, they had no identity. No national consciousness. No idea who they were and - more importantly - whose they were. They were lost. Wandering. A nation without a god. But then God saves them. Rescues them. Baptizes them as His people in the Red Sea. Provides for them like newborns with manna and water in the desert. And now He begins to teach them His way of life. He begins to show them what life looks like when it revolves around Him. It’s a life of worship. A life of sacrifice. A life of almost daily covenant renewal. It’s a life designed to exert a gravitational pull on their hearts so they feel constantly drawn back to Him.
Sin offerings. Grain offerings. Peace offerings. Guilt offerings. The fires at the Temple would have been burning day and night. The smell would have drifted over the entire camp. The reminder that everything Israel possessed belonged to the Lord. Everything they had achieved was made possible by God. They had been bought with a price. They had been purchased. God had set His love upon them and they were now His chosen people. As such, their entire way of life would now revolve around Him. No detail would be too small to escape His notice.
The same is true for us. Just as the planets in our solar system revolve around the sun so our lives are designed by God to revolve around His Son. Christ exerts a will and a force all His own. He pulls us into His orbit. He refuses to let us go. Once He’s captured us, we cannot escape. And this is a good thing! We were not made to be the center of our own little worlds. We were not designed to carry the weight of a god. We are not strong enough. We are not wise enough. Left to our own devices, we will spin out of orbit and drift aimlessly through life like a rock drifting aimlessly through space. Sure, we may have some fun along the way. Sure, we may do some good things. We may make somewhat of an impact. After all, our lives do exert some measure of gravitational pull on those around us. But we will not find the peace we all long for. We will not experience the depth of love we were made for. We will not share the joy God intends for us to experience. Not without Him at the center.
Christianity is as much a way of life as it is a belief system. Centering your life on Christ requires the practice of certain spiritual disciplines that will orient and re-orient your heart every single day. Just as the Israelites brought sacrifices to God, so we should bring sacrifices of praise. Daily. Weekly. Annually. This is why spending time with God each day is essential. Worshipping with God’s people each week a must. Celebrating the great feasts of our faith on Easter and Christmas vitally important as we seek to remain in Christ’s orbit. Frankly, it’s why we feel that pull on our hearts. That tug on our souls. It’s not guilt that drives us to worship God. It’s His Spirit. Calling to us. Reaching out for us. Exerting a gravitational pull on our lives to draw us in.
Readings for tomorrow: Leviticus 8-10