Leviticus 11:2
“Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, These are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth.”
Most of todays Christianity would not survive in the Old Testament times because of all the rules God had for His people. God had rules on what they could and could not eat. He had rules on how they were to dress. He had rules on who they could marry. He had rules on how they were to interact with each other. These rules that God had were not loose by any stretch of the imagination, but they were very strict rules by which they were to live. If they lived by these rules, then the blessings God promised were tremendous, but if they disobeyed them the punishments were severe. As I look at these rules, I learn that there are several things these rules reveal about God’s people today.
First, rules reveal the heart of God’s people. The rules showed whether the people were tenderhearted and wanted to do right, or if their hearts were filled with bitterness and rebellion. The same is true today. God’s rules are restrictive, but they are restricting you from heartache. Those who fight against God’s rules are only revealing their heart. So many preachers today say that you will run people off with the rules of Christianity and they try to loosen God’s expectations of His children. God has these rules and expects us to live by them so that they can reveal our heart to Him and to our leaders. The restrictiveness of rules is not restrictive to the obedient and tenderhearted, they are only restrictive to the disobedient and rebellious.
Second, rules reveal your love for God. John 14:15 says, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” When a person fights against God’s rules, they are only revealing their lack of love and respect for Him. For instance, I love my wife and she loves me. We both have rules for each other, and out of love and respect we keep those rules. Likewise the Christian who keeps God’s rules is the Christian who loves God the most.
Third, rules reveal your direction to the world. One of the reasons God set these rules up for Israel was to show to the rest of the world that they were different. God didn’t want Israel to look like and live like the rest of the world. They were God’s people. Likewise, the reason God has rules for His children is because He wants the world to see that you are not going its direction, but your direction in life is to live for God. Sadly, many Christians today look more like the world than they do a Christian. Their lack of obedience to God’s Word is simply showing that their direction is worldly. Those who obey God’s rules are showing they want to be different from the world.
Fourth, rules reveal your desires. Verse 45 says, “For I am the LORD that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.” God set up these rules to make Israel holy as He is holy. Friend, when you live by God’s rules, you are showing that you have a heart that desires holiness. The more you obey God’s rules, the more like Him you become which results in holiness. Rules simply reveal whether or not your true desire is to be holy.
How do you feel about the rules of God? Do you fight against them and try to lower them? God’s rules do have a purpose, and that purpose is to reveal your heart, love, direction and desires for God. I encourage you not to view God’s rules as restrictive, rather let them give you the freedom to be more like Him.