God Cares About My Stuff?

Leviticus is not the easiest book to read through. It can be quite boring. And, on top of being boring, it is burdensome and sobering. It reveals God's absolute holiness, righteousness, and justice. The very reading of God's law creates a sense of inevitable failure in the reader. It is meant to be so, as Paul writes in Romans 7:9-13, to show us our sin and need for a Savior.

However, even in the Old Testament law, God reveals Himself to be Love. Sometimes it is tucked into a verse, barely noticeable. At other times, it is God Himself declaring who He is to His people. God is holy, but even in His holiness He lets His steadfast love and mercy be known.

"When you come into the land of Canaan, which I give you for a possession, and I put a case of leprous disease in a house in the land of your possession, then he who owns the house shall come and tell the priest, 'There seems to me to be some case of disease in my house.' Then the priest shall command that they empty the house before the priest goes to examine the disease, lest all that is in the house be declared unclean. And afterward the priest shall go in to see the house."

Leviticus 14:34-36 ESV {emphasis mine}

Emptying the house is significant when you think of all the things that would be in the house. Everything needed for staying alive and comfortable (furniture, clothes, kitchen things, food, etc) PLUS any extra luxuries like jewelry or house decorations, and items with personal, sentimental value. Even with a law where clean or unclean is a big deal, God is looking ahead and insuring that His people will be able to keep the things that they need and the little things that are important to them.

I was overwhelmed by God's goodness as I read these verses! Yes, God does care about stuff, and, more specifically, He cares about "my" stuff. The law shows God's harshness towards sin, His judgment, wrath, and holiness, but it also shows us His great mercy, love, and care for us.