If the mold has spread in the fabric ... the article is unclean. (Leviticus 13:51 NIV)"Wash your hands before dinner," my mom would shout from the kitchen. As a child, I wanted to know why. Later I learned: because of germs. Invisible to the naked eye, germs are dangerous if ingested. Before 1676, when Dutch scientist Anton van Leeuwnhock saw bacteria under the first microscope, no one had ever seen a germ.
Certainly the Israelites had never seen a germ. The Israelites couldn't know exactly why God made these laws. They were just told to obey. If I had lived then, I probably would have said, "So what if I have a spot on my sandal? These laws are too nitpicky." That would have been the wrong decision.
We now can see how cleanliness laws protected God's people from disease. The Israelites managed to follow the laws well enough that they were not wiped out by any epidemics during their time in the wilderness. Even germs, invisible to the naked eye, are known by their Creator.
God calls us to obey even - and especially - when we don't understand. We wonder: Why would God call me to care for this person who won't love me back? Why should I live honestly and purely when others do the opposite and appear to be happy? Because God sees what we cannot. Praise God, he sees the whole picture: angels, demons, motives, germs, and all.
Creator God, we praise you for your wisdom. May we follow your commands.
