A wise man once told me, "Look in the natural, and you'll see in the spiritual." That sounds kind of oxymoronic until you really think about it. Especially when you consider quite a few of the Old Testament prophets. The Lord told them to do somethings that didn't really make sense, but there was a message behind what he was saying. Long story short, the natural things that we do, some very common place, allude to concepts that are major points to consider in our faith.
I was talking with my brother from another mother the other day and his daughter asked him, "Daddy, why do we have to get naked to take a bath?" The question caught him off guard, but it was an extremely teachable moment. I would like to take a moment to lay all this out and hopefully it will mess you up like it did me.
The answer to why we have to get naked to bathe goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden to the first mention of clothing because the basis of the question is about the clothes. Adam and Eve, or man and woman, were in the garden and were naked. They were so aware of God that they were not aware that they were naked. The serpent came, they ate from the forbidden tree and what happened? They made clothes for themselves. Basically they were trying to cover something up.
Intimacy is a relationship in which all are fully known and fully accepted. Adam and Eve had a fully intimate relationship with God. In their sin, they opened the door for shame to come in and rule them. They needed clothes to cover their shame and try to hide their sin from the Lord. Did it work? Of course not, but bare with me.
Jesus is the ultimate High Priest. One of the duties of the High Priest was cleansing. In all of Jesus' ministry, He was more concerned with what was in the heart than what was on the exterior. For example: "If you look at a woman with lust in your heart, then you have committed adultery" It was all about the heart/intention and cleansing.
Here is the beginning of the climax to this hill that we're climbing. Have you ever tried to bathe without removing your clothing? We cannot get completely clean without removing all of the attempts to cover our own sins. Let's face facts, our clothing contains traces of the filth of our daily life. Our attempts to cover our sins carry the stench of idolatry. I know that this is rough and uncomfortable, but I say it unapologetically. When we, like Adam and Eve, fruitlessly try and cover our sin, we put ourselves on the same level as our Creator. That is, at its basest form, idolatry. The point is that we must get intimate with our Father before we can be cleansed.
But wait, THERE'S MORE!!! What is the job of the plumbing that is attached to the bottom of the place where we bathe (tub, shower, etc.)? To carry the water with the filth that we washed off of us away from us.
Ephesians 4:31 "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you." Even the plumbing plays a part in fulfilling scripture.
After learning all of this, I reiterate the statement of wisdom that was imparted to me. Look in the natural to see in the spiritual. You will be shocked by the things you learn about the love of God and the application of Scripture to daily life.
Grace and Peace be with you Always.
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