Is God messy?

 

 

READ Numbers 1–4

We drank tea and had a brief discussion on messy house-keeping. I remarked that the more God worked in my life, I seemed more motivated to be organized and to deal with clutter. Part of that is making daily lists of what needs to be done based on the tasks God puts in front of me or on my heart. I feel as if the state of my home and my activity is a reflection of my spiritual life. When my house is messy, it is because my mind is messy. She hesitated, then told me her spouse keeps everything.

To clarify, I told her I was not certain that was a universal phenomena and didn’t want to imply that hoarding was evidence of a cluttered mind or some other problem. However, this morning’s readings showed me something about the will of God for His people.

Numbers is one of those OT books that most people don’t want to read. It is filled with much census-taking and lists of genealogies. Boring? A bit, but this time I noticed the orderliness of God. He may have had many reasons for what He asked His people to do, but all of it seemed to illustrate the truth of 1 Corinthians 14:33, “God is not a God of confusion but of peace . . . .”

God is not haphazard about anything nor could He be called messy. Numbers begins with a census that listed all “the people of Israel, by their fathers’ houses, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war” (Numbers 1:45–46) without saying why. However, the Levites were not listed along with them. They were not to be involved in battle but were appointed “over the tabernacle of the testimony, and over all its furnishings, and over all that belongs to it. They are to carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings, and they shall take care of it and shall camp around the tabernacle.” (Numbers 1:47–50) In other words, the people were divided into two groups according to their duties.

They were also divided into where they were encamped with three tribes on each side of the central place of worship. These directions were also specific and orderly. “The people of Israel shall camp each by his own standard, with the banners of their fathers’ houses. They shall camp facing the tent of meeting on every side.” (Numbers 2:1–2)

The priests and Levites also has specific instructions with various tribes within those larger groups given specific job descriptions to care for and guard the temple. This was important to the point that “if any outsider comes near, he shall be put to death.” (Numbers 3:5–10; 38)

There were rules regarding the redemption of the firstborn and money collected and given to Aaron and his sons. When the camp moved, each clan had specific duties with specific instructions even down to the colors of the cloths used to cover the items from the tabernacle that were being moved. The entire description shows how God is never haphazard and wants all things done “decently and in order” — which says much to me about how I’m to conduct my life. Yes, His instructions may often seem like surprises or interruptions, but only to my scattered mind. In His mind, all is orderly and with purpose.

The last few verses in this reading sums up: “All those who were listed of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron and the chiefs of Israel listed, by their clans and their fathers’ houses, from thirty years old up to fifty years old, everyone who could come to do the service of ministry and the service of bearing burdens in the tent of meeting, those listed were 8,580. According to the commandment of the Lord through Moses they were listed, each one with his task of serving or carrying. Thus they were listed by him, as the Lord commanded Moses.” (Numbers 4:46–49)

God is orderly. He calls me to be transformed into His image . . . and that must include being orderly, not messy and not having a house filled with stuff that I don’t need or use. Everything has a reason for being where it is and why I have it. That said, I am reasonable organized and tidy, but after reading this and doing a brief study on the problem of hoarders, some spaces in my home (and likely in my life) still need a good decluttering! While ‘cleanliness is next to godliness’ is not in the Bible, the idea of God being orderly rather than messy makes sense. The challenge is to get at it and keep at it!