July 23, 2009

Texts:
Leviticus 19 and 20
Psalm 23 and 24

Leviticus:
Perhaps I should have read chapter 19 before taking Elliott to see Harry Potter today. "Do not turn to mediums or wizards; do not seek them out, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God." (19:31) I think this is THE main verse that keeps people from reading Harry Potter (and other similar books). But I wonder how many of those same people pay attention to the rest of the chapter?

It isn't the Ten Commandments, exactly, but it brings them to mind. And it expands upon them with some helpful (and perhaps not so helpful) instructions. There are issues of justice for people, fairness in business, safety in exploring new foods.

And I'm not exactly sure what kind of practices were going on that required chapter 20. Really? Did these rules need to be spelled out? Because you don't need to make rules against behaviors that people aren't exhibiting. You don't put up signs in the kitchen saying, "don't leave dirty dishes on the counter" unless people are leaving dirty dishes on the counter.

Psalms:
The 23rd psalm is so familiar for so many people. If that is true for you, ask God to show you something new as you read it. Is there a verse or phrase that is particularly true for you today?