I Love the Old Testament

I love the Old Testament; in fact, Leviticus is one of my favorite books. When I read the Old Testament, I've learned to look at what I see and don't see in the text. What's happening? What's not happening? What is God's reaction? What is He saying? What are His chosen people doing? Is it right in God's eyes, with the people's actions lining up to God's Word? If not - which many times the actions of His people are so not right - then why is it in the Old Testament? What am I learning about God and how does what I learn apply to me today and now?

In 2001, I spent months in Leviticus. When I was done, I cried. Not because I was now some holy, spiritual person but because of what I saw: God chasing His kids wanting desperately to live with them in their community. All of His commands were to show a people, who just spent 400 years in slavery not knowing the basics about living in a functional community, how to live in community. God provided protection to His kids so that He could descend and live right their in the dessert with them. For 40 years, He chose to live in a tent with them providing a means for continual protection so they could live in the presence of a His righteousness. Without His protection being liberally and continually provided, His kids couldn't stand in His presence and would die because of being unholy in front of THE Holy One. And in the end what did those protection steps provide... a meal. A meal to be shared in fellowship with God Himself.

I thought then and think now, how many times has God chased me, loved me, provided for me, forgives me and I ignore Him. Yet, here is God wanting to be my Dad to simply live with me and I with Him.

Time and time again in the Old Testament (like today) God's chosen people do "evil in His eyes" never doing what is right or seldom doing what is right. Seeing God mightily move - literally seeing God demonstrate His power in mighty ways - yet moments later choosing not to follow God and many times creating a "god" from some materials then giving their lives to that thing they created. (I still do this.) Time and time again, I see God's patience, grace, forgiveness and unconditional love. To me, the Old Testament is the New Testament God in action. I have no trouble connecting the God of the Old Testament with the God of the New Testament because, in fact, He is the very same loving and forgiving God.

With that, here are a few things I have noticed previously and again today when reading Exodus. Simple actions that could go overlooked but God caused me to pause then He revealed when I asked, "Why this?"

Exodus 29:19-21, 29
(19-21) Take the other ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on its head. Slaughter it, take some of its blood and put it on the lobes of the right ears of Aaron and his sons, on the thumb of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. Then sprinkle the blood against the alter on all sides. And take some of the blood on the alter and some of the anointing oil and sprinkle it on Aaron and his sons and their garments will be consecrated.
(29) Aaron's sacred garments will belong to his decedents so they can be anointed and ordained in them.

This sacrifice is the final of three during the consecration of Aaron and his sons as the priests of Israel. The laying of hands on the head of the animal is to symbolize the transference of sins to an innocent substitute. This final ram has sections of its meat that will be the meal provided by God to feed Aaron and his sons. The sections are the best cuts of meat, not the worst which tells you something about our God, and they eat it in the presence of God... a meal with God. I always think that is so amazingly cool. God could have had Aaron and his sons eat the meal somewhere else but God says for them to eat it with Him. Dinner with God. Meat, bread, wine.

The blood of this ram is placed onto Aaron's and his sons' right ear lobes, right thumbs and right big toes. As priests, followers of God Almighty - El Shaddai - and leaders of God's people, they are to:

Ear lobe = listen to God
Thumb = do God's will
Toe = walk in God's way

I always thought it was crazy for God to be so specific to Moses concerning the creation and construction of the priestly garments, tent of the meeting, the tabernacle and all of the items and tools, yet the first actions were to cover these items with olive oil and blood of atoning animal sacrifices.

Then God revealed that the garments would reflect the oil of being anointed - chosen - by God to serve as priests and leaders for His people. The blood on the garments were from atoning sacrifices serving as a constant reminder that we His people need atonement for our actions contrary and against God (sin = not meeting God's standard of perfection) so that we can live in community with God - so we can be in His family, He can live with us, provide and share a meal with us - He can be our Dad and we His kids.

Reminders of who we are with God and without Him, who's we are, what we're called to do and who He is.

It's the little things that make me love the Old Testament.

Added July 6, 2011
While praying this morning and thinking about Jesus' enduring the cross for the joy set before Him (Hebrews 12:2), Holy Spirit brought to mind that Jesus died knowing only the truths and the promises of the Old Testament. The New Testament, a testimony to God's plan of salvation through Jesus and the expansion of that plan through His Church, had yet to be written. Jesus knew the truths of God - His unconditional love, His righteousness, His mercy - through the Scriptures of only the Old Testament. He knew God's plan of salvation only through the Old Testament. Jesus knew God so well that He could not deny God, could not deny His truths, could not deny His promises, knew well God's promises for Jesus as Messiah through only the Old Testament. Jesus chose an unjust and unwarranted public death of humiliation over denying God and God's truths through ONLY the Old Testament. Is the Old Testament worth our time to read and listen to God's teachings? Jesus thought so.