Reflection on Leviticus 26

When God talks to you, it’s not a loud voice. It’s up to you to respond to it or not.

I’ve never been comfortable talking about myself. Nobody likes to be vulnerable. But I asked God what to say today and this is what kept coming to mind. I hope someone will be blessed by this reflection.

Read these positive verses below:

Leviticus 26:3-5 NKJV – 3 ‘If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments, and perform them,

4 then I will give you rain in its season, the land shall yield its produce, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.

5 Your threshing shall last till the time of vintage, and the vintage shall last till the time of sowing;

you shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely.

Leviticus 26:9 NKJV – 9 ‘For I will look on you favorably and make you fruitful, multiply you and confirm My covenant with you.

Now compare them to these negative verses:

Leviticus 26:14-18 NKJV – 14 ‘But if you do not obey Me, and do not observe all these commandments,

15 and if you despise My statutes, or if your soul abhors My judgments, so that you do not perform all My commandments, but break My covenant,

16 I also will do this to you:

I will even appoint terror over you, wasting disease and fever which shall consume the eyes and cause sorrow of heart.

And you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.

17 I will set My face against you, and you shall be defeated by your enemies.

Those who hate you shall reign over you, and you shall flee when no one pursues you.

18 ‘And after all this, if you do not obey Me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins.

God seems to be a very harsh and conditional parent to the Israelites. I was a bit taken back when I read this chapter, but after giving it some thought I realized the entire chapter is still positive. God was showing love even through the “negative” verses.

Only because I’m now a parent do I view this chapter in love. I can see how many people can misinterpret this kind of punishment as something fearful. I love my kids with all my heart but I still “punish” them when they dont listen because I am training them to do the right thing. I am hopefully engraving in their brain what is right so when they grow up and they are on their own in the world they will remember what I have taught them. Like the Bible says, train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6). I think God was doing the same thing with the israelites. They are His children, so He was setting them straight and preparing them for the challenges ahead. Still love. Do I enjoy punishing my kids? No. But I want the best for them. That’s how I view God in this chapter.

When I was younger, I never dreamed of having kids. Recently, I am noticing more and more Satan trying to destroy families and make having a family very difficult and unattractive. But having kids is a direct command from God. He said to go forth and mulitply (Genesis 1:28). At least I know that’s what He wants for me. Being a parent is difficult, but it’s only difficult because we live in a sinful world. Satan makes it difficult to carry out God’s will.

I’m glad I am not alone at raising a family. I have a wonderful loving husband, mine and his parents, my extended family, and my church family to remind me that I am on the right track. Everyone’s love and support has kept me going.

And only because God has made me a mom has my faith grown leaps and bounds. I truly believe perfection of character comes through raising children. It is the ulitmate character refinement. At least that is what my journey or my experience has been. I know it’s not for everyone. Again, it’s not easy but I am not alone. I know God is with me.

The Clear Word

“But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.” Psalm 1:2 ESV

As an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter, I get the chance to facilitate communication between deaf and hearing people during their doctor appointments. It is very important that I communicate clearly and effectively because one wrong word can ruin the entire conversation, especially if they are discussing diagnoses or medications. I need to be fully attentive the entire time and not be afraid to ask for clarification if there are things I didn’t understand. I also need to be constantly reviewing medical terms and medicine names to keep up and make sure I am fully equipped and ready for work.

There are some ASL signs that are very similar in production but have a different meaning depending on the position of your hand or the number of fingers being used. For example, the letter A uses a closed handed fist with the thumb on the side of the pointer finger, while the letter S is a closed handed fist with the thumb in front of the whole fist. The sign for RED uses the pointer finger stroking the chin downward repeatedly, while the sign CUTE uses the pointer and middle finger stroking the chin downward repeatedly. If I am not careful with these subtle nuances, my mistakes can cause miscommunication between the hearing and deaf consumers. Sometimes it may even cause mistrust.

Jesus gave us His Word as a way to communicate with us. The Holy Spirit interprets spiritual things that we cannot understand by ourselves. It is imperative that we keep up with God’s Word because Satan will misconstrue one or two sentences to try to trick us. Satan will try to act as a fake interpreter so that we lose trust in God and in His Word. We should be grounded in the Bible, asking for clarification if there are things that are unclear. Jesus has fully equipped us for His work – to spread the gospel and to show people His love for them. We must correctly represent Christ to others so they will not misinterpret God’s wonderful character.

Reflections on Exodus 3 & 4

There were most likely more than a hundred years that passed between the death of Joseph and the birth of Moses. The Bible says that the new Pharaoh did not know Joseph, therefore he did not have a relationship with the Israelites and thus feared them. That’s why he decided to make them slaves and to oppress them so they don’t overpower the Egyptians.

When God called Moses out of Midian to deliver the Israelites out of Egypt, Moses had the nerve to complain about his lack of speech eloquence. “And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses…” I think this means that the Lord was disappointed, because He already reminded Moses that He is the Creator and He can make Moses a great orator, but Moses kept complaining. And God in His mercy worked with Moses; He decided to have Aaron be the mouthpiece for Moses.

How embarrassing is it to show doubt in front of God, especially when talking to Him face to face. I imagine the Queen of England coming to see me and giving me a task and I complain in front of her face. Sadly that is the culture we live in today. Sin has ruined our ability to be respectful. We feel more and more entitled because we value self and our opinions above trust and faith. Praise God in His infinite love that He still works with us and helps us grow through our deficiencies.

I also wonder why God had to harden Pharaoh’s heart. God said that Pharaoh would not believe, and would not let the Israelites go. The Israelites probably have not seen miracles happen for many years, so for Moses to suddenly come and claim that God had sent him to free them, they were sure to doubt it. That’s why God gave Moses the signs to perform for them to believe. I think sending the plagues to Pharaoh was also a way for the Israelites to be converted and believe again in God. If the people did not believe the signs that Moses showed them, they had all those plagues to reflect and believe that God is real; same thing goes for the Egyptians. God doesn’t just display His power to show off; He always does it for our benefit and to save us because He loves us.

Nowadays, it will be even harder to discern which miracles are real and which are counterfeit. Satan has the ability to pretend to be like Jesus, and if we don’t see past all the fake signs, we will surely fall into the wrong path. Back in the days of Moses, other people were also copying the plagues and miracles and doing it their way. Maybe some of the Israelites were confused on whom to believe. What’s most important in our generation today is that we grasp on to the Word of God, know it inside out, have a relationship with Jesus, and take time everyday to be still and listen to His voice so we don’t confuse the real with the counterfeit. It’s going to be hard in the last days, so we should start now to discern the differences between good and evil. When the end of time comes, we will be ready. Nothing will be a surprise.

Caiaphas Almost Convinced

In the Bible, Matthew 26:57-67 and John 11:45-53 tell the story of when Jesus was being accused of blasphemy and was brought before the high priest Caiaphas for trial. He had the opportunity to help the crowd realize that Jesus was the true Messiah, but for selfish reasons Caiaphas declared Jesus guilty.

Take a look at Ellen G. White’s commentary in the next two paragraphs below:

“Caiaphas belonged to the Sadducees, some of whom were now the most desperate enemies of Jesus. He himself, though wanting in force of character, was fully as severe, heartless, and unscrupulous as was Annas. He would leave no means untried to destroy Jesus. … Caiaphas had regarded Jesus as his rival. The eagerness of the people to hear the Saviour, and their apparent readiness to accept His teachings, had aroused the bitter jealousy of the high priest. But as Caiaphas now looked upon the prisoner, he was struck with admiration for His noble and dignified bearing. A conviction came over him that this Man was akin to God. The next instant he scornfully banished the thought. Immediately his voice was heard in sneering, haughty tones demanding that Jesus work one of His mighty miracles before them. But his words fell upon the Saviour’s ears as though He heard them not.”—The Desire of Ages, pp. 703–705.

“Caiaphas had denied the doctrine of the resurrection, the judgment, and a future life. Now he was maddened by satanic fury. … Rending his robe, that the people might see his pretended horror, he demanded that without further preliminaries the prisoner be condemned for blasphemy. …Conviction mingled with passion led Caiaphas to do as he did. He was furious with himself for believing Christ’s words, and instead of rending his heart under a deep sense of truth, and confessing that Jesus was the Messiah, he rent his priestly robes in determined resistance. This act was deeply significant. Little did Caiaphas realize its meaning. In this act, done to influence the judges and secure Christ’s condemnation, the high priest had condemned himself. By the law of God he was disqualified for the priesthood. He had pronounced upon himself the death sentence.”—The Desire of Ages, p. 708.

After I read these paragraphs, I felt so heartbroken for Caiaphas. He prevented himself from believing in God. The outcome could have been very different. He was already convinced that Jesus was Lord but he shunned those thoughts away, leading to his eternal demise.

How many of us hear the voice of God yet continue to block him out? How many times has Jesus knocked on the door of our hearts yet we refuse to let Him in? How many more signs are we going to ignore before we recognize God’s presence?

I believe that the spread of the Corona Virus did one positive thing – it brought people’s attention back to God. We are nearing the time of Jesus’s return and this lockdown is the perfect opportunity to get back on your knees and renew your relationships with God. Don’t be like Caiaphas and miss out on eternal life. Don’t let pride harbor in your heart. Accept Jesus – He already loves you. Grab the opportunity to experience God’s love to the fullest.

Was Eve Framed?

As I was driving to work one day, I read a bumper sticker that said, “Eve was framed.” The thought of Eve being framed has been stuck on my mind ever since. So I did a little research to see if I could prove this statement.

I started reading Patriarchs and Prophets by Ellen G. White. It explicitly said in page 52 that angels have warned Adam and Eve about Lucifer who deceived many angels with his lies and that the couple need to be vigilant because Lucifer resided now on earth.

Eve was also told directly by God not to separate herself from Adam and wander by herself for a long period of time. God also said not to eat the fruit from a specific tree called the “Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.” Adam and Eve were not to go near it nor touch it. They were to leave it alone.

Despite the warnings, Eve managed to find herself separated from Adam and standing in front of the forbidden tree. Lucifer was already at the tree and he lured Eve into temptation that ultimately led to her demise.

Eve was not framed. She gave into her passions despite the warnings. And most of us today are doing the same thing – ignoring the signs and going against our better judgment.

I also observed something else when I read the story again in the book of Genesis. In chapter 3:6, it says, “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate” (NKJV). Eve committed the three most deadly passions that the Bible warns us about in the New Testament. “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.” This is found in 1 John 2:15-17 (NKJV).

The three passions John is warning us from are (1) the lust of the flesh, (2) the lust of the eyes, and (3) the pride of life. Eve was the first to commit all three at the same time. She “saw that the tree was good for food,” which is the same as lust of the flesh, or in other words, gluttony, which is one of the seven deadly sins. Secondly, Eve saw that “it was pleasing to the eyes,” which is the definition of lust of the eyes. Lastly, she believed that the tree was “desirable to make one wise.” Isn’t it our pride and joy these days to be all-knowing and wise? Look at Jeopardy, for example. We take much pride in our knowledge and wisdom.

I know it’s unfortunate that our first parents made this grave mistake. It’s not fair that we have to pay the price for something we did not do. But we have to face reality. The wages of sin is death, and we need to find a way out or else we’re doomed. Thankfully Jesus has already given us a way out through His death and resurrection. He offers us the gift of salvation. All we need to do is believe in Him and accept His gift. Jesus had to die because of something He did not do. But He willingly did it anyway because He loves us. Let’s focus on having a relationship with Him as a response to our faith and gratitude.