But I Want to Serve. . .

It was quite interesting, and a bit sad, reading in Leviticus 21 that the sons of Aaron who were "blemished" would not be able to serve before the Lord.  It is understood that the blemish that is being referred to is a physical deformity of a type, but still, by the Lord's standards, that person could not serve Him before the people of Israel.

Sometimes today, we find that we would like to serve in some capacity to which the Lord seems to say "No." Maybe due to physical challenges, we aren't able to serve as fully as we would like, and it doesn't seem fair.  Honestly, it may not seem very encouraging to know that the Lord has set aside certain people for certain jobs within the body of believers, but what is encouraging is Leviticus 21:21b-23a.

He has a defect; he must not come near to offer the food of his God. 

          He may eat the most holy food of his God, 

          as well as the holy food; 

yet because of his defect, he must not go near the curtain or approach the altar,

Due to this blemish, they were not able to give food to the Lord, but He would still give food to them.  Not just any food, but holy food.  They were not able to serve the Lord as they no doubt truly desired, but He would still care for them.

It is true that is passage was an instruction manual for the priests, but what a wonderful reminder for those of us who desire to serve Him today.  It's a comfort to realize that the Lord truly knows our hearts, and even when we desire to serve and are not able to, He still will give us of His richest blessings if our hearts are serving obediently in the tasks we are given to do.

"I am the Lord your God"

I noticed something interesting in Leviticus 19 - after just about every command they were given, the phrase, "I am the Lord your God." is included.  It may have done this earlier in the book, but it was just in this chapter that it really seemed to stick out to me.

Mixed in with the requirements that the Lord has given, comes the very clear reminder of the ultimate reason why God is able to make the statements He does.  A short statement of His power and authority over every aspect of human life.

As with the obedience of the Israelites, for us to understand the "why?" isn't important, but for us to understand the "WHO" makes all the difference in the world.

Reasons for Obedience

The deeper I get into the full reading of Leviticus, the more I have come to believe that the obedience expected by the Lord back then had several purposes - just as it does for us today.

Back then, the Lord had them follow strict requirements to keep them safe from the physical world around them.  Today, I think that complete obedience also keeps us safe from the world, but it's not the physical world, so much as it is the spiritual world. Their obedience also showed that they were set apart as children of the Lord, just as our obedience does the same thing today.

With all of those rules and requirements, I'm guessing it did set them apart from the rest of the people around them, and, in truth, isn't that exactly how we should be today?