It’s (nearly) all about the sea cow…..

People sometimes ask me how I write this blog. How do I come up with the ideas? Do I plan ahead?

Usually the ideas come as I sit down and read the passage. And yes, occasionally I look ahead to give Andy the heads up when I think there is a passage that he would enjoy writing about ( and tomorrow’s will be a corker!).

So today, I know where I need to be by the end of this blog and have no idea what will come in between. Just a series of random thoughts quite possibly…..

Firstly, the tasks of the three branches of the Levite tribe are elaborated upon.

This new census counts all the men of 30 t0 50 years old who serve in the Tent of Meeting in each branch. The Kohathites receive very clear instructions about how to protect the contents of the Tabernacle when the camp is about to move. The detail is immense – blue and purple cloths and hides of sea cows. Many hides of sea cows. That makes me smile. Manatees in the Bible! Who knew?

Where would the Israelites find sea cows? Were they near the sea? And how did they catch them? Or did they buy them from passing traders? Would they have been known as suckers for a sea cow hide? The mind boggles!

Let’s be clear. Aaron and his sons are to do the covering. The Kohathites are to do the carrying. If a Kohathite touches any of the holy things directly, he will die. See, the sea cow hides are really, really important!

The Gershonites are to carry the curtains and coverings and outer coverings (more sea cow hides!).

The Merarites are to carry the frames of the Tabernacle and all the accompanying paraphernalia.

Assign to each man the specific things he is to carry. Numbers 4:33

Every man knew exactly what he had to do. There was no room for confusion. Not a single tent peg could be left in the ground.

At the beginning of Chapter 5, there is a short reminder about the importance of keeping the camp pure and free from infectious diseases – a bit like I felt at work in the staff room yesterday when I pointed out to everyone who came in that our Security guy had come to work with a stomach bug and not to sit anywhere near him. He felt like he had the plague by the end of it – but in some ways he did! No one wanted to catch that bug in the lead up to Christmas!

There is also a reminder about the protocol about restitution for wrongs. Because spiritual and emotional purity are as important as physical purity. In the same way as physical disease can affect a whole community, so can other diseases such as gossip, dishonesty, jealousy, disrespect and prejudice.

In the same way as I felt the need to stand up against the spread of sickness and diarrhea, I should feel the need to stand up against the spread of gossip, dishonesty, jealousy, disrespect and prejudice.

In the same way as you try to protect you and your family from physical illness, you should be trying to protect yourselves from gossip, dishonesty, jealousy, disrespect and prejudice.

See, now I have (seamlessly!) moved from banter about sea cows into more serious challenging territory. I love how passages from the Bible can speak into our lives today and each day can leave me with something new to think about and be challenged by.

So smile at the sea cows but think about the challenge too.

Let’s keep ourselves, our families and our communities healthy in every way.