The Uncommon Sandal

Pioneer Bible Translator's missionaries walking into our home seem to invariably remove their shoes. Many wear some form of sandals. I took time to review sandals in the Bible culture. Though there is evidence of some shoe footwear in the Old Testament the sandal was the common footwear in the hot and dry areas. Sandals were so much a unique part of the wearer that sandal removal  could symbolically represent a change of ownership in buying and selling. This could even extend to the acquisition of a wife (Ruth 4:7-10).


I fondly remember childhood Sunday School classes. The phrase "Holy Ground" entered  my vocabulary in some long forgotten Sunday School lesson. Perhaps we studied Moses and the burning bush (Ex 3:5). It may have been Joshua, before the "Commander of the Lord's army" (Josh 5:15). Both Moses and Joshua were instructed to remove their sandals because they stood on "Holy Ground."

Today, when I enter a cathedral like church sanctuary something deep inside me chides my subconscious with a whispered, "Holy Ground." It may be like this for you also. Guests seem unable to stop themselves as they honor our home by removing their sandals. Alas, I seem unable to find a satisfactory sandal to remove when I enter a church building. I think Jesus understands my predicament. I also think the Holy Spirit intercedes.



"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express."  (Romans 8:26) NIV