By Gina Caswell Kelly
In Sunday school, we have been going through the book of Exodus. I love teaching Old Testament. It is just about my favorite thing to do! I know. I am strange like that. There are passages in Exodus, and other books in the Old Testament where God lays out very specific plans for building things. Like the Tabernacle. He lists for us, all these years later, every detail of the building from the materials to the lengths, etc. He also, in various places in the Bible, lists out long lines of genealogy. From the earliest to the latest. Some of this, I will admit, can get kind of long and maybe even a bit tedious to read. Every word in His Word is of value to us. I have heard that all my life. Nothing is in His book that does not serve a purpose. But these detailed instructions? These long lines of genealogy? What purpose could these serve?
Here is my thought. Nothing in His Word is wasted. Everything was written under the divine inspiration of God. Everything. So, I think that reading all these long details and long lists show us something about who God is. And show us something about what He wants for our lives.
I definitely believe that God is very much in the details of life. I have had many instances in my life where God was amazingly present in the very mundane areas of my life. From helping me open jars, to keeping my cattle in the pasture when the fence was down. He loves the details! There is nothing too small for God to care about, and nothing so big that He can’t handle it. I think the small details in the Bible serve as a reminder to us that He very much cares about the small details in our lives.
My other thought is this, I think He also wants His kids to understand how very serious He is about our obedience to His commands. If you spend any time reading the Old Testament at all, you might think there was a lot of cruelty in those days. And there was, but as our society has gotten more and more tolerant of sin, what was simply punishment for breaking laws in those days seems more harsh. God is extremely serious about wanting us to follow His ways. Why? Not because He is some cruel task master! Instead, it is because He loves us so very much and He knows that our lives are infinitely better if we follow Him and His plan for our lives. He doesn’t give us commands as suggestions, or as a way to earn our way into heaven. He gave us His commands as a plumb line or straight edge in order that we can see where we are falling short in following Him.
The other thing to remember in all of this is that His free gift of forgiveness is waiting for us each second of each day. Following His commands and following His path are certainly the best way to find peace and contentment in our lives, but knowing that His offer of forgiveness can give us a fresh start is so reassuring to us as we live our lives.
God is in the details! God is in the journey! And that makes a difference!
