I am in day 10 of the flu…and to say my mind isn’t clicking…is an understatement. So today I’m sharing a blast from the past…something I wrote several years ago. I’m praying it will be just what you need to read today.
I’m currently reading in the Old Testament and I have to be honest, some of it is rather boring. Who begat who (which includes names I can’t even pronounce) and what animal could or couldn’t be eaten, can, at times, cause my mind to wander. But the other day I came across a verse that caught my attention and even made me chuckle a little bit.
The verse was Exodus 28:35, “Aaron will wear this robe whenever he ministers before the Lord, and the bells will tinkle as he goes in and out of the Lord’s presence in the Holy Place. If he wears it, he will not die.” I know…I have a weird sense of humor, but I just kept picturing Aaron walking around with his bells tinkling and the scene just made me smile.
Of course, it also made me curious. Why did Aaron have to wear bells when he went into the Lord’s presence? Why was it important that he tinkled? These questions took me to several commentaries to see what others thought about this scene.
The consensus of the writers was that the bells were worn so the people knew every move the priest made while he was in the tabernacle. He was there to perform the sacred rite on their behalf and so the tinkling of his bells was proof to them (even though he was out of their sight) that he was doing just that. This was so important that if the priest failed to wear a robe with the bells, he would be put to death!
This really got my mind wandering. What if you and I had to wear a bell so that we tinkled throughout our day? What if, because we tinkled, everyone would know exactly where we were and what we were doing? Would I be ok with doing that? Would you be ok with doing that?
I guess if we are doing exactly what the Lord wants us to do during our day, we shouldn’t mind tinkling. Our day should basically be an open book to those around us and we shouldn’t have any actions that we need to hide. There shouldn’t be books we are reading that are filled with pornography or television shows or movies that take our mind to places not pleasing to the Lord. We should be treating our spouse and our children with the utmost respect and showing love to whomever we come in contact. Our business affairs should be above board with nothing done “under the table” and our employer should see us doing our very best at all times.
I don’t know about you, but I have to admit it made me smile when the priest had to wear the bells…but not nearly as funny if I had to. I like to think that my life is totally focused on the Lord and His desires for my life, but unfortunately, there are times when I would be ashamed to have others listening to my every word. But, of course, there IS Someone that hears my every word and sees my every move and I’m even more ashamed of those times I let Him down and cause Him pain. I’m afraid that I would have been dead a long time ago for not tinkling when I should.
As we go throughout our week, let’s imagine we have a bell around our neck that others will hear. You may even want to put a bell in your pocket as a constant reminder that there is Someone who knows your every move, hears your every response, and knows your every thought. This just might help us remember that we are to be the light in a very dark world and hopefully, even in the darkness, those around us will hear us tinkle J
“So don’t make judgments about anyone ahead of time—
before the Lord returns. For he will bring our
darkest secrets to light and will reveal our private motives.
Then God will give to each one whatever praise is due.”
1 Corinthians 4:5
“You are convinced that you are a guide
for the blind and a light for people
who are lost in darkness.”
Romans 2:19
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