majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him in Deuteronomy 11:8-9,
"Observe therefore all the commands I am giving you today, so that you
may have the strength to go in and take over the land that you are
crossing the Jordan to possess, and so that you may live long in the
land that the Lord swore to your forefathers to give to them and their
descendants, a land flowing with milk and honey."
The happy fulfillment of receiving the Promised Land with the Lord's
blessing was contingent upon Israel keeping all of the commands the
Lord gave Moses. Not keeping the Lord's commands would cause Israel to
miss out on the Lord's blessing as the land would no longer support
them.
As I picture myself in the crux of those circumstances, I see myself
desiring the Lord's blessing and favor with the land producing
abundantly, and cringing at lost opportunity as I find myself unable
to live up to what the Lord required. Later, Jesus would come and
raise the bar higher by clarifying the law was even more stringent
than previously thought. In the sermon on the mount Jesus pointed out
that just looking at someone lustfully or being angry with them
violated the commands against adultery and murder.
Later we learn that these commands were given to Israel, and through
Israel to the world, to demonstrate that all are in desperate need.
The law demonstrates the true nature of our character, our proclivity
to sin and our great need for salvation. "Now we know that whatever
the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every
mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God.
Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing
the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin." Romans
3:19-20. If we do not recognize our sinfulness, we will not look to be
saved as we contemplate our eternal future. To escape the Lord's
judgement against us for our sin we need to recognize our sinfulness
and seek the Lord's payment he made for it on the cross.
This speaks to me of the great love the Lord has for us. Not only did
he send his Son to pay for our sins, he put the law in place to show
us our need for the payment his Son made for us, that we might avail
ourselves of the punishment he took on himself.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd
love to hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment