I haven’t  written anything for a while – I’ve been making-like a happy puppy let off a leash in my Bible reading instead.  No form or structure to what I’m reading about (like there was when I studied The Feasts in the first half of the year) just following my nose and following short trails – mostly having a party in the Old Testament!

Due to the events of the last few years,  the vast majority of my preconceived ideas and understandings of the Bible and its teaching – have come up for new scrutiny.  I have realised of late, that most of the Bible reading I have done has been done with an overarching idea already in place, and I have read The Word fairly selectively, often to ‘prove’ what I already believed.

For example... When I was expecting our first baby someone have me a tape that told me I could have a pain free labour if my faith was right.  Ohhhhh how I studied this!!!  I would get out my Bibles and concordance and sit at the kitchen table from the time Rod left for work at 7am – often till early afternoon – for months on end.  I searched all the references, and tried to understand and tried to believe and tried to enact the principles of the meassage – and failed.

Many women I have met over the years have been through similar crises of faith as they felt God had let them down though this teaching.  Now most of us had healthy babies but that fact was glossed over in the disappointment of God not having done what we thought He should.  We ticked our boxes!  We spoke positive faith confessions!  We BELIEVed!!!

Actually we didn’t – we hoped.  There’s a difference.

I see now that the reason I studied so much in that time was to try and make pieces from different puzzles fit together.  I couldn’t leave it alone because the picture wasn’t right or complete, but it’s taken till I’ve read some of these same passages 20 year on, to SEE and UNDERSTAND why!

The mammoth blessing of my Bible pursuits this year has been finding answers to mysteries drift into my heart unbidden as I read - as these days I read for INTEREST – pure and simple – free from trying to prove something I want to prove.

Something that isgoing to reshape some of my Purity Paradigm ideas came from reading Deuteronomy just last week.

See – I’ve been captivated by the first 5 books of the OT and had read Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy straight through in several nights – as though it was a novel that I couldn’t leave alone.  Reading it with that kind of flow put lots of the famous pieces of parenting Scriptures into perspective and context.

There is lots to be said about the place or significance of the OT law which I’m not going into here as it will bog me down into a writing effort that will take me a week instead of a few hours.  That being said – just a few things…

• The first 5 books of the Bible are INCREDIBLY RELEVANT to today and to Christians in these modern times. This is not the common impression so I recommend you get into it for your self and see if you agree.
• Many of the laws have practical applications that because they were law, helped to make them an extremely healthy people group.  Imagine it – LAW that kept you healthy!  Many other people groups had no idea of hygiene etc that these laws assisted in.
• Many of the laws have been ‘written off’ by mainstream western church as irrelevant, though many of them hold some form of illustrative or even prophetic purpose beyond a simple right or wrong. 
• The 10 Commandments, The 7 Feasts of the Lord and about 600 other laws were given to the Hebrew people in their first little while in the wilderness after Moses led them out of Egypt.  This body of Law was like their Constitution – it was the beginning of government – a way for them to manage the affairs of life, worship and behaviour both good and bad.  (Although with a Roman twist on Commandment number 4, the 10 Commandments carried over into Common Law and all English colonies and our current day laws). Joseph brought his family to Egypt at famine time – 400 years later a nation of millions left Egypt with Moses. No prior government was known to them other than the laws of slavery and the ways of pagan Egypt.
• These laws for whichever line of reasoning or personal position on law and grace - still provide the baseline of right or wrong.

The book of Deuteronomy is Moses’  farewell speech to the people.  God had told him his days were up – it was time to die - so Moses gathered the people and the bulk of Deuteronomy seems to have been given in a single address.  It’s a kind of summary of their 40 years wandering.  A synopsis of events, a retelling of the laws; encouragement and warnings to be sure and obey.

So what is it that affects some of my Purity Paradigm ideas?

This instruction:

DT 31:9-13  So Moses wrote down this law and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and to all the elders of Israel.  Then Moses commanded them: "At the end of every seven years, in the year for canceling debts, during the Feast of Tabernacles,  when all Israel comes to appear before the LORD your God at the place he will choose, you shall read this law before them in their hearing.  Assemble the people--men, women and children,and the aliens living in your towns--so they can listen and learn to fear theLORD your God and follow carefully all the words of this law.  Their children, who do not know this law, must hear it and learn to fear the LORD your God as long as you live in the land you are crossing the Jordanto possess."

Why?

Well have a look at this portion for example… these versesare not among any I’ve ever read to our children – in fact they are verses I would endeavour to avoid yet God mentions Children hearing the words of the law twice in the above reference.

DT 27:20-23

"Cursed is the man who sleeps with his father's wife, for hedishonors his father's bed." 

Then all the people shall say, "Amen!"

 

"Cursed is the man who has sexual relations with any animal."

Then all the people shall say, "Amen!"

 

"Cursed is the man who sleeps with his sister, the daughter of hisfather or the daughter of his mother."

Then all the people shall say, "Amen!"

 

"Cursed is the man who sleeps with his mother-in-law."

Then all the people shall say, "Amen!"

Is God telling us to read the book of Deuteronomy in it’s entirety to our children?  Is that the point?

No and no.

For one thing I think the reading of the Law was probably Genesis through to Deuteronomy not JUST Deuteronomy. :-)

More seriously though - this instruction was to help form the Hebrew heritage and the formation of a distinctive nationality BUT the principle I derive is that children were to be included in the reading of even these laws.  The kind of wording and concepts I would have considered better to leave till early adulthood!

God was dealing with the immorality of the day.  Remember – there had previously been no law.  He was drawing the boundaries forthe first time.  Therefore we are free to warn against the immorality of our day in equally clear language – including to our children.

The reading was to happen once every seven years so one might argue this to be very infrequent with no undue emphasis or detail.  However it is also Deuteronomy that brings us the famous parenting Scripture

DT 6:4-9 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.  Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.  These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.  Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.  Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.  Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates.

The formal reading was occasional, but the informal teaching (of all the laws) are to be part of our daily existence.

Do I still believe in balancing innocence and wisdom?  YES!

Scripture uses a few specific terms for certain body parts and euphemisms or generalities for others and it does not revel in description or detail.

But the instruction of Deut 31 9-13 for the children to hear adds another layer of dimension.

So I give it to you to think about too!

And by the way – I have begun reading Deuteronomy to our middle 4 children.  NOT because I think I "have to" or "should", but because there is so much in there worthy of discussion and I have a sense of ‘permission’ from “On High” to include the lot!!!  It’s gonna take a while – it’s been 2 weeks and we’re only in the second chapter!

ISA 40:11 He tends his flock like a shepherd:He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.