Business Before Party For Reasons
Part 8 of the Epic Mini-Series: God is Good. Mullets are Bad.
There are like 27 chapters of myriads of rules and regs in Leviticus alone. Something like bazillions of Pentateuchal Policy and Procedure in this Book that get really specific, AND quite honestly: feel really, REALLY oppressive.
So much so – and the irony is not lost on me – that it completely blows up my preceding premise (and pretty much the entire middle two-thirds of this literary event) that the more rules you put before your people, the less likely they are to abide.
BUT, I’ve been doing this leadership thing for so long, and this parenting thing for long enough, and being a human being for even longer to know:
I’m also, actually, right.
I have enough life-experience to know that whether you oversee Velociraptors in cages, or kids in cribs, or employees in cubicles, your subordinates unanimously hold this truth to be self-evident:
Rules are meant to be broken.
And whether they’re informed by generational wound, or instinct wound up in genetic code: the more rules you put on them, the more likely you are to become someone’s proverbial, or literal, next meal.
Because, internal nature cannot be contained, and definitely NOT constrained.
So, why then, does GOD set them up for the impossible?!
Why make Moses create the Ultimate Handbook for Life with YHWH when He knows that when left up to His target audience, not one policy will be abided, and not one procedure followed, by the time it’s all said and done?
There must be something greater between the lines that we’re missing.
Here’s something super interesting:
When GOD gets down to brass tacks in Leviticus 19, there’s really nothing new in it. In fact, in ALL my concordances, Leviticus chapter 19 is literally sub-headed in each one, by:
‘A Repetition of Various Laws.’
Now, we know that GOD will use repetition to infer importance. Since fonts and underlines and putting hearts around His favorites weren’t available text formatting options yet, GOD would say the same thing more than once for emphasis and/or to make sure you got it.
And, Leviticus 19 is really just a collection of oldies but goodies; Laws rephrased and/or repackaged:
Everyone will revere their mother and father. Hetold them that, back in Exodus.
Sacrifices will be done well – by cooking them until they’re well-done. Said several times already, in Leviticus.
Do not rob your neighbor, nor your employees. Number 8 in the Big 10.
No eating meat with the blood still in it. WAY back in Genesis.
You will not worship idols or make any. Like, LOTS of times.
And, the Regs He laid down in the other verses in the 19th chapter can, in general, be located in-between other earlier lines of Scripture, as well:
When He reproves evil rituals (subtext: all earlier prohibitions of soliciting enchanters and diviners);
And, He lauds good agricultural practices, the first of which, is offered to GOD, or NOT (subtext: previous references to always give Him the first-born livestock but make sure, zero imperfection);
And, He strongly warns about the defiling of the land, through the devaluing of the children (PLAIN TEXT: you gotta know that immorality always breeds GOD’s contempt).
Hopefully, you get my point: a walk-through Leviticus 19 is Policy-and-Procedure-Déjà-Vu. Everything in this chapter has pretty much all been said and done, before.
And, while you’re paying attention because He Who Is Speaking is also, He Who Can Smoosh you – you’ve heard it all, already.
Heck, He even repeats Himself within the chapter with TWO “You shall keep my statutes,” – once in verse 19, and once more at the very end, in verse 37. He says it TWICE.
That's like He bolded, underlined, and italicized:
OBEY.
You get what I’m putting down. It’s repetition repackaged. Much regurgitation.
Leviticus 19 is GOD basically underlining the things He says are really important by repeating the things He’s said before.
Except for one thing, between the lines…
Neatly tucked between the reminders of old, enduring classics of ‘Keep the Sabbath’ and everyone-stand-to-show-honor-to-your-elders, was actually something brand spankin’ new:
Haircuts.
Turns out, Leviticus 19:27 is the first time in all the Good News that GOD declares mullets to be bad news.
But if it’s true that this entire chapter is basically GOD repeating Himself in order to basically bold, underline, and italicize things for retention – why the seemingly random insert of a line regulating something, new?
Couple early Revelatory possibilities coming to mind:
Maybe because He’s gotta start somewhere, right? GOD saying it here for the first time, means that Policy reemphasis is still just yet to come.
Perhaps, GOD’s Authoring process is like mine – and the post-it about haircuts fell out of His journal while He was dictating the evils of necromancing and He inserted it here, before He forgot to get it in there, later?
OR, since He’s intentional about EVERYTHING could it be this specific Regulation about haircuts is really a Revelation about something more than just personal aesthetic?
What do we know already?
Bad policy is historical-rule-overreach to avoid repeating bad behavior in the future.
Good policy is rules that guide behaviors that are future-reaching.
And, we know GOD is no ordinary HR Associate because He’s the only One Who can see the end loud and clear from the beginning.
So, is there something between these specific lines of historical code that GOD wants us to know – for future conduct?
If I’m going figure out why GOD is seemingly so concerned with the hairs on our heads, I’m looking to the future to figure out why He said it in the past.
God is Good. Mullets are Bad. “Business Before Party For Reasons” Behold(en), still. Copyright © 2023-25 Behold(en), still.