Organization Is Not Bad

The LORD said to Moses, “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. If anyone makes a special vow to dedicate someone to the Lord by paying the value of that person, here is the scale of values to be used. A man between the ages of twenty and sixty is valued at fifty shekels of silver, as measured by the sanctuary shekel. A woman of that age is valued at thirty shekels of silver. A boy between the ages of five and twenty is valued at twenty shekels of silver; a girl of that age is valued at ten shekels of silver. A boy between the ages of one month and five years is valued at five shekels of silver; a girl of that age is valued at three shekels of silver. A man older than sixty is valued at fifteen shekels of silver; a woman of that age is valued at ten shekels of silver. [Leviticus 27.1-7]

I guess God is out of touch with political correctness. Go figure... He goes and creates humans and the world in which they live and then thinks He can determine values upon them. Huh. I mean, what right does He have to say who is worth what? Just because He created humans does not mean He knows what they are worth, right?

Well, the paragraph above is just silly. In fact, God has every right to do whatever He wants. Thankfully for us, He lives by His own rules. However, we tend to really struggle with His rules.

When we read passages like the one above from Leviticus (and there are others just as politically offensive in modern culture), we are reminded that our Creator has a design, plan, and purpose for everyone. The human who is at peace with God is the human who understands this and works within its parameters.

Interestingly enough, God did not ask anyone's opinion when determining the human values set in Leviticus. And, you know what? I am not going to question Him about it! In fact, according to the standards above, my value just dropped a few weeks ago as I breeched my sixtieth birthday.

If we can just put our political-correctness swords down for a moment, we might actually learn something from Leviticus 27.1-7. Here is what I mean: what if the value placed upon humans directly correlates to the responsibility God expects of them? Hmm. What if value and responsibility are directly tied together? If that is the case, then higher value means less independence of responsibility (any true leader recognizes this statement to be absolutely accurate).

As with any structured organization, it is a well-known fact that not everybody can be leaders. Some lead, and some follow. That is just the way it is. God or no God, people have seen this to be true in humanity. We are just fortunate that God, in His Word, addressed the merit of leadership early on because of its remedy against chaos. Ours is not to question God's arrangement, but to work within it. Then, and only then, will we begin to see God's purpose and plan unfold. God's plan is simply this: He wants the world to be saved and understand the truth. He wants us to convey this message: there is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.

Organization is not bad. In fact, organization is how things get accomplished. Remember, God created the world in a particular order and timing...

Father, You are Supreme Ruler. Help me not forget that - and help me to work within the parameters You have set from long ago.