Today I read Numbers 29 which is a continuation of the Lord laying out what sacrifices to make, how to make them and when to make them. It got me thinking, in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we have some laws that are left a little ambiguous because we are supposed to think for ourselves. Doctrine and Covenants 58 states that the person who has to be commanded in all things is a slothful and not a wise servant. But despite this, there are those in the LDS church that want it all spelled out.
For example, in the Law of Chastity, it states that we are not to have any sexual relations with anyone other than our legal and lawfully wedded spouse, and that's all it says. It leaves it up to us to determine what a sexual relation is. It also does not say anything about kissing or other activities that lead to sex. Some would like to have it all spelled out, such as a rule saying only kissing with mouths closed for no more than 2 seconds. And yet, it if was all spelled out, it would be just like this chapter that I read today, dry and only important to those who are actually going to be performing the sacrifices. God purposefully does not command us about everything because we are meant to think for ourselves and come to our own conclusions.
The Word of Wisdom is another good example. It only specifies liquor, tobacco, tea, coffee and illegal drugs, that's it. But you better believe that there are way more substances out there that will harm the body than just those named. Some people think caffeine should be added to the list. I personally say that if caffeine hurts your body, don't drink/eat it. Stay away from it. I personally can't have chocolate, it wreaks havoc on my body so I stay away from it. But that doesn't mean it should be included in the Word of Wisdom. I also only eat sugar in extreme moderation because again, it does bad things to my body. But I'm not going to impose it on everyone else in the church. I just make the decision for myself to lessen my intake.
People who want all the commandments laid out for them, an exact list of do's and don'ts, don't really realize what they are asking for. They don't realize that such a desire is not pleasing to Heavenly Father. The only reason He did it for the Israelites, I believe anyway, is because that was the only way they would obey it. They had to be led around by the hand with very explicit instructions. Heavenly Father expects more from us than that. He expects us to be anxiously engaged in a good cause. Let's not let Him down. Until tomorrow.
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