Leviticus and Kids

January 30th, 2011

We’re still reading through the Bible.  Just not in 90 days.  Nearly impossible for 5 kids under 10 and actually do anything else.  But we’re still going.  We’ve made it to Leviticus chapter 20.  Only 7 more chapters to go until we get to Numbers.  It took us not too long to get through Genesis and Exodus.

But Leviticus, oh, Leviticus, my oh my.  Everybody tell me at this point that I did a smart thing deciding to read the whole Bible beginning to end to my young children.  Here’s the progression of my thought process in these first 20 chapters of this little innocuous looking book.

1.) {the fantasy, not yet into the book, thoughts}  Okay, laws, it’s good for the kids to see how God has brought His people out of slavery (which by the way they were in slavery almost twice as long as we’ve been a nation IN SLAVERY that long), into the wilderness, setting up rules for them because they’re clueless, yo?  And it’ll be good to see that we have laws for our good that we can’t live up to.  We’ll see our need for Christ.  It’ll be good.

2.) {the actual reading out loud of the building of the tent} Really?  I’m reading all this detail to my 9, 7, 5, and 3 year olds that God told Moses to say and then we get to read Moses telling the people, and THEN we get to read them actually doing it.  Like teaching the model of an essay: say what you’re going to say, say what you’re saying, say what you said.

3.)  {as I’m reading the rules for sacrifices} blood?  entrails?  more blood?  I get to answer questions like, “Why do they smear the blood on the horns of the altar?”

4.) {beginning reading the rules of who not to “sleep with”} I begin realizing the dreamy ideas of reading the Bible to my kids as a cuddly time has completely flown out the window and I’ve lost my mind for doing this.  I want to stop.  Turn around and pretend we didn’t start.  Because now, I’m in it.  And we all remember how I’ve chosen to protect their innocence for as long as I can.  Well, not here, not in Leviticus, I ain’t .  And if I quit, either openly intentionally or just pretend to get busy, the 9 year old will call me out and ask why we’ve quit reading the Bible.  And what have I taught him about ^{“2Timothy 3:16}All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;” and if I believe that (which I do) then I will not skip or quit.  So my option is to keep going.

I did substitute the words “slept with” and “marry” for the word “sex”.  I know, shoot me.

Which leads right into the place I’m at now.  Humor.  It’s funny to me.  I’m finally able to laugh at myself for having done this, laugh at the questions the kids have (not in front of them, silly!) and generally just laugh.  Because if I didn’t I would still be stuck in the “Oh man, I made a mistake place” and who wants to be there?

In the humor/Leviticus/”sleep with” discussion lemme just tell you a little story.  While reading through the rules of who to not sleep with and why the kids were asking questions about the brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, fathers, mothers rules.  I pointed out examples we had already read of in the prior books (c’mon Abraham, pawn your wife off as your sister, dude?  twice?  to which my oldest said, “Well, it made him richer both times, no wonder he kept doing it.”  see?  hahahaha!) and how God was telling them not to do those things here.  And we talked about how we have one wife or one husband now.  And my 7 year old son said, “But what about now days?”  What do you mean, buddy?  “What about with your brother today?  Is that evil?”  Umm, yes, why?  “Because I sleep with my brother sometimes.”  Hahahahaha!!  Out loud in front of him this time!  I explained that this type of “sleeping with” was like that of man and wife, it didn’t count as a sleep over.  “Whew.”  Poor kid!  At least that’s cleared up now!

5.) Loving the connections.  Yesterday we were listening to goofy 80s songs (which if you’ll rememberlistening and dancing to goofy music is a Saturday tradition around here) my oldest asked for Petra songs (cool within itself, by the way) and Matt obliged.  We started looking at the list and listening to the songs we’ve heard many a time.  But this time the songs took on a deeper meaning.  We paused and talked about the words.  Words that were now a lot more meaningful.

Beyond Belief
Words and music by Bob Hartman
Based on Hebrews 6:1a, Romans 1:17, Philippians 1:6

We’re content to pitch our tent
When the glory’s evident
Seldom do we know the glory came and went

Moving can seem dangerous
In this stranger’s pilgrimage
Knowing that you can’t stand still, you cross the bridge

(Chorus)
There’s a higher place to go, beyond belief, beyond belief
Where we reach the next plateau, beyond belief, beyond belief
And from faith to faith we grow
Towards the center of the flow
Where He beckons us to go, beyond belief, beyond belief

Leap of faith without a net
Makes us want to hedge our bet
Waters never part until our feet get wet

There’s a deeper place to go
Where the road seems hard to hoe
He who has begun this work won’t let it go

And it takes so long to see the change
But we look around and it seems so strange

We have come so far but the journey’s long
And we once were weak but now we’re strong

Take Me In
Words and music by Dave Browning

Take me past the outer courts
Into the Holy place
Past the brazen altar
Lord I want to see Your face
Pass me by the crowds of people
The priests who sing Your praise
I hunger and thirst for Your righteousness
And it’s only found one place

Take me in to the Holy of Holies
Take me in by the blood of the Lamb
Take me in to the Holy of Holies
Take the coal, cleanse my lips, here I am
Take the coal, cleanse my lips, here I am

And that is where I am now.  Seven chapters left in Leviticus and His blessings are already flowing.  In places I least expected it.

(I found an awesome site for Petra fans where you can view all the songs on all their albums and then view lyrics as well it’s called Petra Rocks My World! and it’s where I found those lyrics up there.)

To read more observations on our journey through the entire Bible with our young children browse through The Bible and Kids archives.