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A Step in the Right Direction

                Many people think that God is harsh, mean and demanding.  As evidence of this, they point to incidences where people did not follow the exact letter of the law and God punished them on the spot.  While those stories do exist, let me tell you a different story.
                For years, God’s people had neglected him.  Then, in 715 BC, a new king, a 25-year-old named Hezekiah, came to the throne.  He re-opened the temple and invited everyone to Jerusalem to celebrate the great feast called “Passover”.  There were a few problems though.
                First, they had waited too long.  Passover was to be held on the fourteenth day of the first month of the year.  That date was too close, so they decided that they would celebrate on the fourteenth day of the second month instead (2 Chronicles 30:2).
                Second, God’s instructions clearly stated that the people must offer their own sacrifice.  Unfortunately, the people had not performed the proper cleansing rituals leading up to the feast.  Therefore, the Levites had to kill the Passover lambs for them (verse 17).
                Lastly, the same uncleanliness that kept them from offering the sacrifice should have disqualified them from eating it.  However, Hezekiah told them to eat it anyway (verse 18).
                To recap, they celebrated at the wrong time, the sacrifice was offered incorrectly and they ate the meal even though they should be disqualified.  You would expect God to be mad, right? 
                No!  In fact, scripture says that, “God heard… and healed his people” (verse 20).   What happened to the mean God who hates anything done incorrectly?
                Well, God is not mean.  He is good!  God will punish those who are rebellious, but that was not the case here.  In fact, their hearts were set on seeking God (verse 19).  They did not do everything perfectly, but God has always been more concerned about a proper heart than proper actions.
                We ought to listen to God and do what he says.  Sloppiness is never good.  But, do not let the fact that you will not get everything right the first time keep you from doing the good thing you know that you should do.  God will celebrate your faltering, incorrect, stumbling steps if they are leading you closer to him. 
                “Draw near to God and he will draw near to you” (James 4:8).

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