In Obedience, When Matters

Matthew Henry used the following sentence regarding sinning during the peace offering (Lev 7:16-18), "if any person ate of what was so left their conduct should be animadverted upon as a very high misdemeanor," (Henry Commentary 368).

I had to look up animadversion.  It means "harsh criticism".  There's your word for the morning.

On a spiritual note, it is interesting that the only thing that separated righteousness and sin in this case is time: eating the meat one day was worship, the next was sin.  It's a tough principal, but many deeds are not timelessly righteous: sex, obedience, playfulness, mourning - each at times are appropriate, but at others are sinful.  When matters.

If loving God is rightly demonstrated by obeying His commands (John 14:21), and if the Holy Spirit is the One who empowers the Christian to rightly obey God (John 14:26), then in addition to praying for the Holy Spirit to show us WHAT to do, we must pray for wisdom to know WHEN to do it.

Consider these examples:

o   Sex is glorious, when in the context of marriage.  Pre-mature love, or pre-marital sex (even when the couple is engaged) is not beautiful, but sinful.

o   Drinking is permissible for one whose conscience is not violated at the age of 25, but for a 15 year old, there is no question: it is sinful.

o   A 30-year old man may need to talk to his father more as a peer, though still with respect.  It would not be right for the father to expect a strict obedience from his grown son.  Yet, a 10-year old son may not treat his father as a peer, but must exhibit humble obedience.

o   When a baby eats and decorates its face with spaghetti sauce, it is cute.  If a teenager throws food at the table, it is not cute.

o   When a young boy plays video games with his friends, it is good fun.  When a grown man plays video games with his friends, it is sad.