Leaning On Leviticus

Leviticus 1:1
Now the LORD called to Moses and spoke to Him from the tabernacle (tent) of meeting, saying........

That is the way the book of Leviticus opens......God speaking.
On the surface, the book is pretty boring.
A whole series of "Do this" and "Don't Do That".
Ritual and strange behaviors that we find hard to relate to.
In fact we use all of this to justify our staying out of the book of Leviticus.
It doesn't translate into our modern society.
Or does it?
Is there something there that I need to see and understand that could help me as I move farther and farther into my recovery?
I think maybe there is.

In Exodus, we had an entire nation caught and held in place by a power that created a race of slaves. Even though the people lived and died...they merely existed. Life as a slave was not what I would classify as living. It was merely existing. Along comes a guy named Moses who made these bodacious claims that he was sent by God to deliver them (the Hebrews) from the bondage and power that was keeping them in this slavery.

God goes to war against the beliefs and rituals of the society that is ruling over the slaves.
Final score: God - 10 .....Egypt - 0. God wins.
People are set free.
They pack up everything they have, all the while singing these incredible songs about this new found freedom and the God who made it possible.
Exist Egypt ---One entire nation of free people.
"See ya later Pharaoh!"
Now what?
Ahh...this is where the rub comes in.
Being free and living free are two entirely different things.
Being free starts one on this journey to a new life.
Living free comes from having an entirely new and different focus on daily life.
You no longer think or act in the same manner as you did when you were a slave.
Because such behavior is foreign to us, we need direction on how to do this.
Enter -- The Book of Leviticus.

God gave this book to Moses to aid the people in how to live.
There were dietary rules.
There were laws and rules about how to approach God.
Rules governing possessions and finances.
Rules that concerned health issues so that the entire camp would be free from disease and sickness.
In other words, what we see as a bunch of overbearing and burdensome rules, were actually a guide on how to live as a free person.
Why the need for such?
Because God knew that if the people were left to their own devices, at the first sign of hardship, they would revert to their old way of thinking and turn their sights back to Egypt.
Got to hand it to God....He is an expert when it come to human nature.
He also created us so i think that gives him a leg up on the whole human nature thing. After all.......He is God!

Moving into recovery is exactly like the story from Exodus and Leviticus.
We were a people in bondage and slavery to addiction.
It ruled every aspect of our life and kept us from experiencing real freedom.
Jesus, His death and resurrection, delivered us and took us out of a kingdom of spiritual darkness, transferring us into a kingdom of light and health and a new way of living.

But what we found, as we entered this world of recovery, living this new way wasn't natural to us. It felt awkward and strange. Sometimes we felt ourselves being drawn back to the old life of addiction, just like the Hebrews were drawn back to Egypt. God knew that we needed a guide and instruction on how to live this new life. That is why He created communities of other people who were on this same journey we were on. By connecting with these people, we found that our cravings and old desires were not strange and that they too experienced the same. But they found that by surrounding themselves with like minded people...people who had been saved and empowered by God, they pressed on.
Funny part was that the longer you stayed on the journey in this new life, the more accustomed you became to this new way of living. It didn't seem so strange any longer. In fact, it felt quiet normal and there was an inner sense of peace that you didn't have when you were out there in your addiction.
The benefits of this new life far outweighed the old lifestyle.
Darn that God.
He does know what He is doing, doesn't He?
Thank you Lord for life this day.
For sobriety and for the sheer fact that I don't have to struggle today.
I can rest in You.
I can rest in You.
I can rest in You.

God on you....
mb