Meditation for Monday
After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do, and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do, neither shall ye walk in their ordinances. Leviticus 18:3
A tiny island off the coast of Nova Scotia has been called the ‘graveyard of the Atlantic’. Since the first shipwreck off Sable Island in 1583, more than 350 ships have gone down around the island. The island is a 44-kilometer sandbar that is situated in the path of most of the storms that track up the Atlantic coast. It also lies in the middle of the main shipping lanes between Europe and Atlantic Canada. The island is shrouded in fog 125 days of the year, and the waters around the island are filled with treacherous currents. Many of the ships that have wrecked on Sable Island have done so because they have been caught in the storms and currents. A shipwreck is a tragic thing, because of the loss of property and often the loss of lives. It occurs, not because the ship is in the sea, but because the sea gets into the ship. Our text warns the Israelites to avoid shipwreck in the sea of sinfulness around them. We need the same warning today.
Many of the customs and ideas of Egypt had been absorbed by the Israelites as they lived in their former land of bondage. Too many of those customs and ideas travelled with them into the wilderness. The land to which they were going was also inhabited with people of customs and ideas that were not good for God’s people. By adopting the commandments that God dictated to Moses, the Israelites could shed the bad influence of Egypt and avoid the evil influence of Canaan. In the verse that follows our text, God told the Israelites, ‘Ye shall do My judgments and keep mine ordinances’. Like those Israelites, God has given us something better. Instead of the contaminated and destructive things of the world, He has given to us His Word, and His Holy Spirit, that we might walk in obedience to Himself.
It is possible for Christians to make shipwreck of their lives for God. Like a ship that sinks because it fills with the sea, this can happen if Christians allow the world to seep into our lives and replace the good things that God has given to us. Before we were saved, we learned words and expressions that we need to stop saying. We learned ideas and attitudes that are contrary to the Word of God. We learned habits that defile and are not in keeping with holy living. Like the doings of the land of Egypt, we must leave these things behind. We must also shun the godless influences of the world in which we live today. Satan has filled this world with toys and activities that will try to take the place of Bible reading and prayer, with fellowship with the Lord’s people, and with service to God.
To do God’s judgments and keep His ordinances, we need to leave behind the things of our former life and shun the sinful influences of the world. -Jim MacIntosh