Ekev “Because”
Get That Out of Here!
"Get that out of my house!" These are words every child from
the beginning of time has heard, words that most of us just did not
understand. Many of us were deeply hurt by them. We just could not understand
why Mom was so against having our pet frog roaming around her house,
wondering “What does she have against that cute little bug anyway?”
Didn't she understand that the mud pie was our contribution to the dinner
table just like the fresh flowers she had picked from outside?
What would a house look like if children were in charge of what comes
in the door? It would certainly be a place most of us would not want
to visit, much less live in. Over time it would be a place of dead and
dying creatures, germs and filth. Given enough time, it would be a place
which would breed disease and even death to those who entered. And in
the meantime the children would go on playing, not understanding the
consequences of their actions.
In Deuteronomy 7:26, the Hebrews are told not to bring something abhorrent
into their house. They are to detest it completely and not have anything
to do with it. Now consider for a moment that these people are called
the “Children” of Israel. We need to look a bit closer at
this verse if we are to find its true meaning.
The Hebrews would first have to ask a very important question regarding
this verse, "Abhorrent to whom?" They certainly could not
use their own standards as a judge. If they were to be the judges of
what was abhorrent and what was not, their very history would tell them
their houses would shortly be pigpens not to be lived in. We all know
that would not be kosher.
In order for their houses to remain clean, they would have to hang a
sign at the entrance which said, "FATHER KNOWS BEST!" They
would have to put Him in charge of telling them what should enter and
what should not. They would not be able to trust family, neighbors,
friends or little voices from this point on. They would have to live
by "It is written" what is good and bad to bring into a house.
Times really have not changed much in a few thousand years. We are still
faced with the same questions. The answers may be a bit more complicated
in our day, but the basic question remains the same. What do we allow
in our house today? By whose standard do we judge what enters and what
does not? Who has the final authority over the doorway of our house?
One thing is for sure. If we do not take charge of what enters into
our natural house, we will certainly not take charge of what enters
into our spiritual house. Remember that physical pigpens and spiritual
pigpens are related.
