The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Numbers 15:15-16,
"The community is to have the same rules for you and for the foreigner residing among you; this is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. You and the foreigner shall be the same before the Lord: The same laws and regulations will apply both to you and to the foreigner residing among you."
Here the Lord makes clear that the law he gave Moses was to apply to Jew and Gentile (the "foreigner") alike. For Gentiles who became a part of the Israelite community, they were held to the same expectations by the Lord.
Stated in the negative we read, "But anyone who sins defiantly, whether native-born or foreigner, blasphemes the Lord and must be cut off from the people of Israel. Because they have despised the Lord's word and broken his commands, they must surely be cut off; their guilt remains on them." Verse 30.
The purpose of the law was not to establish a standing of righteousness before the Lord. On the contrary, the law was put in place by the Lord to show people how inadequate they were for gaining or maintaining a righteous standing with him. The result that was desired by the Lord was to convince all they needed to throw themselves at the feet of God's mercy and embrace the salvation he offers.
Here is Paul's observation of this in Romans 3:20-25, "Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God's sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin. But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith."
Where Jesus Christ first presented the gospel to Israel, we see that from the beginning the Lord intended to extend his plan of redemption to Jew and Gentile alike. God wants us all! "This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth." 1 Timothy 2:3-4.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
"The community is to have the same rules for you and for the foreigner residing among you; this is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. You and the foreigner shall be the same before the Lord: The same laws and regulations will apply both to you and to the foreigner residing among you."
Here the Lord makes clear that the law he gave Moses was to apply to Jew and Gentile (the "foreigner") alike. For Gentiles who became a part of the Israelite community, they were held to the same expectations by the Lord.
Stated in the negative we read, "But anyone who sins defiantly, whether native-born or foreigner, blasphemes the Lord and must be cut off from the people of Israel. Because they have despised the Lord's word and broken his commands, they must surely be cut off; their guilt remains on them." Verse 30.
The purpose of the law was not to establish a standing of righteousness before the Lord. On the contrary, the law was put in place by the Lord to show people how inadequate they were for gaining or maintaining a righteous standing with him. The result that was desired by the Lord was to convince all they needed to throw themselves at the feet of God's mercy and embrace the salvation he offers.
Here is Paul's observation of this in Romans 3:20-25, "Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God's sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin. But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith."
Where Jesus Christ first presented the gospel to Israel, we see that from the beginning the Lord intended to extend his plan of redemption to Jew and Gentile alike. God wants us all! "This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth." 1 Timothy 2:3-4.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
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