Moses then said to Aaron and his sons, “Cook the meat at the entrance to the tent of meeting and eat it there with the bread from the basket of ordination offerings, as I was commanded: ‘Aaron and his sons are to eat it.’ – Leviticus 8:31

Today’s Scripture Reading (September 27, 2018): Leviticus 8

There is a biological principle that we sometimes seem to forget. In biology, there are essentially two processes: we are either growing or dying. While we spend a lot of energy trying to “stay the same” or “maintain status quo,” that is not within the range of possibilities. Biology dictates that we either grow or die.

And I think biology works as a good illustration of our spiritual lives. Spiritually, we are either growing or dying. And the reality is that we often decide which process it is with which we are engaged. I wish spirituality was like breathing; it just seemed to happen. But even breathing isn’t necessarily automatic. There are many other things with which we need to be involved (eating, exercising, getting proper rest) in order keep the breath going in and out.

Aaron and his sons, who form the first generation of what we understand to be the Aaronic priesthood, were consecrated for their positions through a ritual sacrifice and ritual washing making them clean. But then the next stage of the consecration was that they would move to the entrance of Tabernacle, where the people could see them, and eat. And in many ways, this ritual meal was an illustration for the people about their spiritual lives.

First, eating has to do with maintaining life. The wages of sin might be death, and an animal had died within the consecration process, but we are meant to live. The Vulcan salute of “Live Long and Prosper” is exactly what God wants for us. And that means that we must eat.

Eating is personal. When I am too busy, friends often offer to do something for me. And maybe there are things that they can do, but eating is not one of them. I have to eat. You eating does not maintain my life. Spiritually, we have to eat. We have to do it. We have to read that book, consider that blog. We have to get into the process of reading from the scripture, even if we do not always understand what we are reading. When we consume of the Bible and spiritual reading, we grow instead of die.

Eating is internal. The food is of no use to us if it is just smeared over the outside of our bodies. If it is not consumed, it does us no good. In the same way, we need to internalize the words and the directives of God. Unless they become ours, they will never do us any good.

Eating is active. It is an action, just as our faith can never be allowed to be simply a passive part of who we are. Our faith needs to be part of the action.

Eating arises out of a sense of need. I get it, we eat for many different reasons. I have a friend who is an emotional eater. His eating patterns change around his emotional circumstances. I am not. I am a stomach eater. I eat because I am hungry. If we are in serious about our relationship with Christ, there will arise from within us a spiritual hunger that we must feed. To not feed it, will mean that we have started the process of dying.

God wants us to live and to make a difference, and at least part of that means is that we have to possess a healthy appetite for the things of God. It is time to eat.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Leviticus 9