Pastor Bob DuPar
February 24, 2008

Journal Entry


Scripture

Leviticus 15:1-16:28; Mark 7:1-23; Psalm 40:11-17; Proverbs 10:13-14.

Observation

O.K. let’s add bodily discharges to open sores and skin diseases. My fondness for Leviticus grows everyday! I feel like playing a round of biblical jeopardy: “I’ll take disgusting skin & bodily conditions for $500!” Yuck! Like I said before, I don’t think I would have ever opted for the priesthood. Priests were like the dysfunction and ailment magnet. I can’t imagine having all of these people with their contagious conditions coming to me. The priests must have been blessed with super immunities. Either that or they got protein shakes at Blenders everyday with a shot of multivitamin and immunity boost. And, like I said before, where did they get all this water to wash away the contaminates when they were out in the middle of the desert?

It’s interesting that Leviticus 16:8 seems to give us the origin of the term “scapegoat.”

Mark’s words in 7:6-8 convict me everyday I read them:

“These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men. You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men.”

I find it highly ironic that Jesus says, “Nothing outside a man can make him unclean…” after we’ve just read a slew of verses in the OT telling us what’s unclean and impure and how long it’s going to take us before we can be pronounced clean again.

Application

Mark’s words cause me to analyze my life to see whether I am all words and no action. Does God have my heart or just my rhetoric? Do I obey the things I want to obey and discard the commands that don’t fit with my goals and ambitions? Honoring God quite simply means obeying God. How well do I honor Him by this definition?

Prayer

“Lord, may I honor you with my actions. Would You help me to discover in my own life the truth of 1 John 5:3, “By this we know that we have come to love Him, that we keep His commandments and they are not burdensome.”