I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading. I had been using One Year Bible Online, but it was time for a change.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Leviticus 26-27.

    Today’s passage describes how things will go in the land if the people of Israel are faithful to God, and if they are unfaithful. When I read this passage, I think of when God told Abraham that He would not destroy Sodom if He found 10 righteous people there. A nation where the people worship and fear the Lord will prosper and become mighty. For this to happen it does not require that all of the people genuinely worship God. It does not even require that the majority do so. It only requires that some critical mass do so. If that critical mass fears and worships God, they will act like yeast in that society. Their righteousness will permeate the entire society, changing it so that everyone is inclined to act righteously.

When I think of the yeast metaphor, I am reminded of making wine. If you put enough yeast in the juice, you will get wine. Unless you allow the juice to be “infected” with too many of certain other microbes. If you allow that to happen, rather than turn into wine the juice will become foul and disgusting. This passage warns us about what will happen to society if that happens as well. I really like the metaphor of wine making for the impact of righteous people on society. Juice left to itself in an open container may turn into wine, or it may turn into a foul liquid that not even the most desperate alcoholic would consider drinking. Under certain circumstances the yeast takes over and makes conditions so that the damaging microbes cannot thrive. Under other circumstances, those other microbes take over and make conditions inhospitable to the yeast. Which kind of society do we have today?