I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have found that by writing this daily blog of what I see when I read these scriptures, I get more out of them. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them. I hope that the Spirit is moving in others through these posts as the Spirit has definitely been convicting me.
The passage gives an account of what types of animals may be eaten. It does not list out all of the animals that may be eaten. Rather it gives the characteristics that determine whether an animal may be eaten. In order to make clear what types of animals may and may not be eaten it gives examples of both and why they fall into the category they are in. The rules then go on to spell out what to do if a clean or unclean animal dies and touches containers (or clothing) made of various materials. Based on what we know today about food preparation and disease transmission, these rules make very good sense for a culture with the technologies that were available to the Israelites (and for many centuries after).
The passage goes on to describe the length of time a woman is ceremonially unclean after giving birth. This is the time that her husband cannot have sexual relations with her, she cannot prepare food for others or handle clothing or utensils that others will use. People have often used this passage about a woman being ceremonially unclean after childbirth as an example of a biblical law which mistreats women. However, this law actually enforces that a woman be given a period to rest after she gives birth. I am not sure why she is given longer when she gives birth to a daughter, perhaps to offset the greater social prestige of giving birth to a son.
This passage is one that has an account of a healing inside of an account of another healing. It starts off telling us that the leader of a local synagogue, Jairus, came to Jesus and pleaded for Him to come and heal his daughter. Jesus accompanied Jairus along with a large crowd that pressed in on Jesus from all sides. In that crowd was a woman who had suffered bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal and had spent large sums of money on many doctors, but she only got worse. When she heard about Jesus and that He was coming nearby, she thought that if she could just touch the mere edge of His clothing she would be healed. She approached Jesus from behind in the crowd and touched His cloak. Immediately the bleeding stopped along with her other symptoms. Jesus turned around and asked who had touched Him. His disciples response was, “In this crowd, who can tell?” However Jesus was aware that someone had been healed so He continued to look around. When the women realized what had happened to her, she fell at His feet and told Him the entire story. Jesus responded to her story by telling her that her faith had healed her and to go in peace.
This has always been a story that indicated the power and importance of faith to me. However, a year or two ago, when my wife was struggling with something, she would start to pray, “Just let me touch the hem of His cloak.” This opened up a new insight into this story for me and gave it greater meaning. The woman in this story did not feel that she needed Jesus’ full attention, she just wanted to be in the bare periphery of His presence, the merest touch of His cloak. Do I have similar faith that if I can merely touch the edge of God’s presence, my struggles will be resolved? Do I have the same desire to fight my way through the crowd so that I can experience just the very periphery of God’s presence? There is more to the story than just that. All the woman desired was just the merest touch of Jesus’ cloak, that was all she needed. But when she touched it and experienced His healing, that was not enough for Jesus. He wanted to know who she was and what her story was. It is the same with God, we may be satisfied with just the barest touch of His presence, but He is not. We often feel that God is too big and has more important things to deal with than our little problems. This story is about how Jesus made time for this woman. I will touch on more of that in a moment.
As this interruption came to a conclusion, some people came from Jairus’ house and told him that his daughter was dead, there was no point in bothering Jesus anymore. The delay had cost him his daughter’s life. Except, Jesus didn’t see it that way. He told Jairus not to be afraid, just to have faith. Jesus allowed only Peter, James and John to accompany Him the rest of the way. When He got to the house, Jesus saw the commotion made by the people going into great show of mourning. Jesus asked them why they were making such a fuss? He told them that the girl was merely sleeping. They laughed at Him. They thought He was crazy. He made them all leave. Then He took the mother and father and the three disciples that were with Him in to where the girl lay. He called out to the girl and told her to get up. She did so. Jesus told the parents to not talk about it and to give the girl something to eat.
Notice what happened here. Jesus was delayed and now it was too late, the girl had died. There was nothing more to be done. But that’s not the way it works with God. He does things in His own time and it is never too late as long as we have faith and patiently wait for His action. God may have more important things to deal with than our problems, but He has all the time He needs to deal with our problems and those more important problems. We also need to remember that we do not know which problems God thinks are more important. I am tempted to tell a story here to illustrate the point I am about to make, but the story is too long and takes too much explanation. The point is that we should never be afraid to “interrupt” God with our problems because He cherishes us bringing them to Him. And not just our problems, but our successes and joys. That is what Jesus meant when He said we should be like children. Think about how little children are constantly following their parents around and interrupting them with their joys and their sorrows. That is what God wants from us.
The psalmist cries out to the Lord for rescue. He expresses how his troubles are more than he can bear. He calls on God because he is at the end of his strength and cannot go on. He acknowledges that his troubles are the result of his sins and confesses to God that he has failed to live according to God’s commands. He lays himself before God and begs for His forgiveness. The psalmist has faith that God will answer his plea and patiently awaits God action. I will strive to depend on God and wait for Him, even when I am desperate and nearing the end of my strength,
Today’s proverb tells us that the wise accept commands, while the fool is busy talking about why they should or should not follow the instructions they have been given. The wise understand that there is a time for taking action and doing what those in charge instruct and a time for talking about why things are done the way they are. Those who want to debate every action, no matter how minor, before it is taken are foolish.
Those who have integrity walk in safety and do not need to fear their motives being revealed. Those who attempt to use indirection to get their way will, sooner or later, be caught out as people realize that their stated goals are not what they are truly striving for.