Leviticus 18:1-5  The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘I am the Lord your God. You must not do as they do in Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. Do not follow their practices. You must obey my laws and be careful to follow my decrees. I am the Lord your God. Keep my decrees and laws, for the person who obeys them will live by them. I am the Lord.” (NIV)

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Obedience is a life-giving response to God’s plans for our lives. 

God’s laws and commandments liberate us to live Edenic lives. They protect life. They preserve life. They enhance life. They display the good life for all to see.

Egypt had not been a life-giving place for Israel. Early in the pages of Exodus, we read how the official government position toward the Hebrews was to kill all the boys at their birth. This was the last straw for God. (Read Exodus 1 again for context.)

The final plague of the ten that proved God’s power over the gods of Egypt was the death of the firstborn sons. Even this was a merciful plague since, by comparison, only firstborn sons were killed. Pharaoh wanted all Hebrew boys killed. 

When God gave the Law to this mob that was becoming a nation, a unique people group through whom God could express his love to the whole world, he provided laws that were life-giving and life-protecting. Pharaoh was capricious. Whether you lived or died depended in part on which side of the bed he got up on. His Yes was often eclipsed by his Greater No. 

The people groups in the land where Israel was bound likewise engaged in evil actions and retaliation that were anything but good, just, kind, and compassionate. Some of them sought more personal power by sacrificing their children in the fire. This was demonic.

God wants his people, those called by his name, those who live in a loving relationship with him, to protect and defend life, to make health and wholeness normal, to create a community that is trustworthy and that looks out for one another. 

Every people group creates its own social contract, do’s and don’ts that provide a form of order. With God’s guidance and laws shaped by his nature and character, there can be peaceful coexistence. Without God’s guidance and laws shaped by his nature and character, life and community are shaped by the whims of the most powerful.

Far better it is to obey our faithful, loving, holy God than to fall into the hands of capricious people who are a law unto themselves. 

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I will follow God’s directions for my life which empower me to thrive.

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Our Father, thank you for your instructions that protect and defend life. Thank you for guidances that empowers us to live fruitful and effective lives. Thank you for truth we can stand on and build our lives, families, and communities upon. Thank you for liberating us from capricious rules and rulers who would treat us like crops or herds to be devoured. Amen.