The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in Joshua 21:44,
"The Lord gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their forefathers. Not one of their enemies withstood them; the Lord handed all their enemies over to them."
As I think of the rest the Lord provided Israel, following their possession of the promised land, it causes me to think of the rest the Lord has provided us today through the sacrifice of his Son, Jesus Christ.
To be sure, those of us who have embraced Jesus Christ in faith are not without challenges. We are told our enemy, the devil, is on the prowl, "Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." 1 Peter 5:8. We are at odds with the world, "Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you." 1 John 3:13. We struggle with that inner sinful nature, "For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want." Galatians 5:17. We need to take caution in the way we live our lives and the teachings we adhere to, "Watch your life and doctrine closely." 1 Timothy 4:16. We are to watch out for others who oppose us, "You too should be on your guard against him, because he strongly opposed our message." 2 Timothy 4:15.
On the other hand, we have a rest, just like the Lord provided rest for Israel against her enemies. Our greatest enemy was God himself - our sin brings judgment from God. When we were his enemies he provided us victory over his own judgment against us. "God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!" Romans 5:8-10.
We rest from our own efforts at attempting to escape God's justice. Efforts at proving to God we don't deserve to be cast into a lake of burning sulfur in the resurrection can all be laid to rest. We never would have enjoyed success in the effort anyway, and now that he has made a way for us we can rest in it! As the writer of Hebrews tells us, "Now we who have believed enter that rest... anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his." Hebrews 4:3,10.
As far as the challenges we face, as God's children, he has made provision for each of us in those areas as well. How wonderful is our heavenly Father that he has done these things for us in the rest he brings us!
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
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