Set Apart for God
“You are the sons of the Lord your God. You shall not cut yourselves or make any baldness on your foreheads for the dead. 2 For you are a people holy to the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.
Passage
Deuteronomy 14 - ‘Holy to the Lord Your God.'
Conditions
The warmest morning in about a week. All arose without resistance. There was a little aimlessness before breakfast, which reminds me: it's good to have a focus first thing in the morning. Even for 5-10 minutes before breakfast is ready. Much of our attitude for the day seems to be configured in the first half hour. The children do best when they have something to read at the table while waiting for stragglers.
Time
We had a little more time than usual, which relates to the above. Time is good when well-spent.
Teaching
No rocket science with this one. We read the passage and paused a few times to remember that these dietary instructions are given to set Israel apart. One of the children noticed this quickly. But we emphasied that the Lord doesn't just set Israel apart, or make them different. He sets them apart to Himself. He has a purpose for them and he marks them out for that purpose in these cultural ways.
I asked, "Why does God set Israel apart like this?" He preserved a people, in order to preserve a line, in order to bring forth a Son... much of the Old Testament makes sense when we understand the preparatory nature of it for the coming of Christ.
The dietary laws have been removed. We remembered Peter's vision in Acts. But is the holiness requirement removed also? Clearly not. Speaking of Peter we stopped off to read him reiterating this very thing in 1 Peter 2:9-10.
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
We finished by saying it together.
Reflection
Quite ordinary. I've noticed we've been missing the Shorter Catechism the past week. We need to revive it soon. One of the major principles I've picked up over the years is that of predictable variety. Complete spontanaety isn't useful long term or sustainble on the part of the parent (this one at least). But variety that is known and planned seems to work very well. The reading, some questions/reflection, a couple of shorter catechism questions, and if possible a verse and a chorus of a song. There's a reason this sort of thing has been handed down to us.