There are times in my life when I clearly know I am doing something wrong. The Holy Spirit convicts me and I am actively disobedient. There are other times when I do wrong, but don't realize it until later. Maybe this is because of my ignorance or lack of seeking God before acting. And still in other cases I know I need to do something and procrastinate (sometimes indefinitely). This might include making a phone call to a long-lost friend that God brings to mind or simply completing a chore that I know needs to be done.
To borrow a quote from Beth Moore... Anybody with me?
God demands that the Israelites actively deal with sin. In several cases throughout these chapters God tells the Israelites that they must "purge the evil." He gives very specific instructions and scenarios to convey His standards. In these chapters, God speaks specifically to a new and unhappy marriage between a man and his wife, inheritance for a first born son who is not born to a loved wife, rebellious sons, dealing with dead bodies, adultery, rape, keeping the camp clean (i.e., "toilets" outside of the camp), who can and cannot enter the assembly of the Lord, keeping vows, and several other laws.
It's clear to me that God cared about the intimate details of the Israelites' lives. He was passionate (and of course still is) about the holiness of His people. God required action or responses from the Israelites and in some cases the action was death to those who had done wrong. I think the action God required can be summarized as follows:
- Do what is right in the eyes of the Lord
- Discipline those who have done wrong
It is so freeing to me to do the right thing and to confess when I've done wrong... to reconcile with God and people I have hurt. It's also amazing how free my mind and spirit are when I no longer have to worry about that thing that keeps bothering me. God tells us in 1 John 1:9,
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."
This New Testament scripture is a promise that God can "purge evil" from our lives today if we confess our sins. Lord, bring unconfessed sin to our minds. Teach us what is right in your eyes and help us deal aggressively with disobedience in our lives.
