A Little Leaven
One Year Bible (July 31)
2 Chronicles 29:1-36
A Little Leaven
Perhaps you have heard the saying, “A little leaven leavens the whole loaf”.
Do you know what that means and where it came from? Well, today we will look at that very principle…
When I was but a young bride, the boxes of Jello were not my friend! Somehow and for some reason they think that you are going to read every single little direction on the back of that box and follow it to a “T”. I don’t know, but something escaped my notice…
I made my very first chocolate pie. (Well, that was the plan, Stan! Then, I hopped on the BUS with Gus! Actually, I hopped in the car with Ed and we SHRED!)
Back in that day, he was wearing a long-sleeved dress white shirt with a tie on… (Hard to comprehend, I know.) He was preaching for a Sunday evening service of about 500 people.
All I was in charge of was “The Homemade pie”. Frozen pie crust and a little box of chocolate jello pudding mix. The results would be a glorious chocolate “Homemade pie” of the caliber that my grandma often made. I was filled with anticipation!
I was holding the pie in my hands as we headed to church as I was to bring it for a big “Pie fellowship” following the evening service. As we turned a corner some of the chocolate pie mixture flew out and hit the front window and some landed on his white shirt. Then as we turned in the opposite direction it went all over my window.
The food channel people always say to just “eyeball it” and put in a little of this and that!
My pie never “set up” because it obviously had a SLIGHT VARIATION in ingredients.
When “the church ladies” saw my Emulsified Slight Variation on the Theme of PIE, they dumped it in the trash faster than you can say “AMEN”. I had been CHOPPED!
As for our car, It looked like a scene from NCIS just sitting in the church parking lot for all to see!
When King Hezekiah took the throne it looked like an NCIS episode as well, as there had been king after king who had played a Sonata with “SLIGHT VARIATIONS”.
This good and faithful king set out to reopen the doors of the Temple and restore the people to God. Before they could do this, he called all of the Priests and Levites to purify themselves according to God’s original RECIPE. NO VARIATIONS!
Listen to the scene that they found in the Temple, “Remove all the DEFILED things from the sanctuary. Our ancestors were unfaithful and did what was evil in the sight of the LORD our God. They abandoned the LORD and his dwelling place; they turned their backs on him. They also shut the doors to the Temple’s entry room, and they snuffed out the lamps. (This was God’s abiding presence.) They stopped burning incense and presenting burnt offerings at the sanctuary of the God of Israel.” ( 29:5-7)
The Lord had made Judah “an object of DREAD, HORROR, and RIDICULE”! (29:7)
Look at what King Hezekiah asked of the people, "Purify. Cleanse. Be Careful. Consecrate. Return to Covenant. Offer Sacrifice. Rejoice. Give Thanks".
These were the Ingredients of the ORIGINAL RECIPE.
Many kings had “TWEAKED THE RECIPE, and some had made complete unholy substitutions. All deviations were DETESTABLE in God’s sight!
Man doesn’t DEFINE the TEMPLE of God, God DEFINES our TEMPLE!
Speaking of “SLIGHT VARIATIONS” let’s take a look at leaven in Galatians 5:9, “A little leaven leavens the whole lump”. What does this referring metaphor used by the apostle Paul refer to in this passage?
A “leaven” figuratively means anything that spreads SILENTLY, QUIETLY, or SECRETLY that has a STRONG INFLUENCE in changing conditions or opinions.
Leaven causes FERMENTATION to the entire loaf or body.
You see, “The Secret Recipe” of the family spreads to affect and infect the entire BODY!
Recently, I drove by a church marquee and saw posted a symbol and slogan that was contrary to the teachings and Word of God. They like many other churches have made “Slight Variations” to the Original Instructions. The result of their “Slight tweak in the recipe” will be devastating to the “PIE that they bake”.
Deviation caused disaster and leprosy for Uzziah and many others who followed his “Secret Family Recipe”.
Hezekiah was there to remind the people to “Purify themselves and Return to God’s plan. There would be no more Tweaking, Twisting, or Altering the message of God!
There is an important message found here for God’s people today, “A little leaven leavens the whole Loaf”!
