by Brian A.
I read this in Deuteronomy today: “And you shall have an implement among your equipment, and when you sit down outside, you shall dig with it and turn and cover your refuse. For the Lord your God walks in the midst of your camp, to deliver you and give your enemies over to you; therefore your camp shall be holy, that He may see no unclean thing among you, and turn away from you.” (23:13-14).
God lives within us and walks among us. But if there is anything unclean “in our camp”, it may cause Him to turn away from us, according to this verse. We have to cover up the stinky mess that comes from our minds at times. Just as no one wants to see a pile of poop on the ground, so God doesn’t want to have to look at our dirty thoughts. He has given us an “implement” for covering them — the blood of Jesus that makes atonement (covering) for our sins. I think this verse just means that we have to apply the blood of Jesus when our thoughts get dirty. A quick prayer like, “Lord, forgive me for that in Jesus’ name” or “Lord, I put that sin under the blood” will do the trick. The blood of the Lamb takes away the sin of the world. It covers everything over and makes God feel welcomed so that He will walk among us and deliver us from our enemies.