There are so many rich tidbits in our reading today that we can use in our lives. So many beautiful things one could write about and yet what do I find myself drawn to? Poop!!! That's right, the regulation regarding latrines. Upon first reading this regulation one has to shake their head and do a double take. Do the Israelites really need to be instructed to do their "business" outside the camp and to cover it up as opposed to the middle of the sidewalk for all to see (and smell)? Does this regulation really have to be in the Word of God along side instruction on how to be courageous in battle, have concern for the foreigner, respect the aged, and caring for birds and trees? On the surface, no. But the beautiful thing about God's word is it is not meant to remain simply words on the surface of a page but deep instruction to penetrate the heart. So we must then ask, "Lord what am I to learn from this passage on poop?"
We have two dogs. They aren't big dogs. One of them is not very good on the leash and so taking him for a walk is not a pleasant nor easy task. So instead we built an electric fence and all I have to do is open the door and out they go. The only problem this presents is with their poop. Chuck and I are often amazed at how much poop these two small dogs can accumulate in just a few short days. One of the dogs is very good at going as far away from the house as possible to do his business. I appreciate this as our kids and neighbor's kids are always playing in our yard and I don't want them stepping unexpectedly into something left by the dogs and tracking into the house. I think we can all relate to the unpleasant nature of that sort of event. Now the other dog we have is not so kind. For some reason he likes to do his business right in front of the house along the walkway. As gross as it is to discuss, he even goes right on the walkway sometimes. Trust me this is harder to admit then it is for you to read! How embarrassed do you think Chuck and I get when people come over and much to our surprise our little dog has left a stinky gift on the walkway and poop lined along it as well to greet our guest? What a great impression that makes on any visitor to our home. So I find myself having to constantly grab my handy pooper-scooper and clean up the unwanted and stinky mess from our yard. How much easier (and more pleasant) it would be if this little beast of a dog would just learn from the other one to go far away from the house where nobody treads?
Don't judge my little dog too quickly because we are guilty of the same thing spiritually. That is the reason why this regulation in Deuteronomy 23 is so important. Gossip, envy, bitterness, lust, ingratitude, worry, gluttony, lying, pride, etc – they're all piles of poop along the walkway to our heart. Sometimes those piles end up right on the walkway. Why should we be concerned?
"For the LORD your God moves about in your camp to protect you and to deliver your enemies to you. Your camp must be holy, so that he will not see among you anything indecent and turn away from you." Deut 23:14
God lives in your heart. He moves about within you to protect you, guide you, deliver you. He wants you to realize that your sins produce stench filled lumps of waste that should have no place to sit and fester in your heart. He doesn't want to step in your filth and then track it throughout your heart. Just as Chuck and I are embarrassed to have guests come to our home with poop lined walkways we should be embarrassed to have the Lord of our hearts living in those kind of conditions. Imagine the Lord your God, the Holy God, stepping in the stench filled lumps of your sins. Filling the crevices of his sandals. The odor filling his nostrils. Shame is the only thought that comes to my mind. How did I let my heart get like this? Complacency, indifference, laziness, blind eyes turned outward, the list could go on.
God is letting us know in this passage that we must seek the Lord's help and do our part to leave these sins outside the gates to our hearts. Not only should these lumps be removed from us but buried so that they are no longer a distraction to us or to others for that matter. I don't want to step in your Gossip, bitterness or pride when I am trying to keep those things out of my own yard and visa versa. They need to be buried so they can't accidentally be stepped in and brought into the dwelling of our hearts.
We need to get ride of the filth that lines the heart. Just like I have to clean up after the dogs every day throughout the day so we too have to grab the pooper scoopers of our hearts and get ride of the waste, the sin products that don't do anything to help our hearts blossom and grow and be a sweet smelling place for our savior to reign and work in us. We must remove them and burry them far away every time they appear. Just as my dogs seem to supply an endless amount of poop in such a short amount of time, our sins also build up faster then we realize.
How do we clean up the walkways of our heart? Pray! Ask the Lord for help every day. Ask for eyes to see, the ability to remove, the endurance to keep up the daily task, the strength to leave the filth buried, and for trust that the Lord loves you enough to help you through and that he will be there with you when the task seems overwhelming, like he promises to.
This is not pleasant work but it is necessary and brings blessing to our bodies. So grab your shovels and scoopers and ask the Lord to help you to know where to start cleaning up the walkways to your heart.
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