Daily Archives: February 2, 2022

WHAT CHANGED EVERYTHING?

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WHAT CHANGED EVERYTHING?

You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, because they could not bear what was commanded: ‘If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.’ The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, ‘I am trembling with fear.’ (Heb. 12: 18-21).

Why did God reveal Himself to His people in such a terrifying way? Could He not have tempered His appearance to them and made it a little less majestic and frightening?

We must remember that this is the same person who met Moses at the burning bush; the one who called Himself “I AM”. He was the same one who, when He was here in the flesh, said, “Before Abraham was, I AM.” The pre-incarnate Jesus revealed Himself to people time and again before He came to earth as a man. He often appeared as “the angel of the Lord” and spoke as God. This was the majesty and glory of the one who was to become the Son of God, a humble servant who came as a man.

The people of God had lived under the shadow of the Egyptians who worshipped the heavenly bodies and multiple other gods which were represented by idols. How was God going to impress upon them who He was so that they would take Him seriously and obey the word that He spoke to them through Moses?

His appearance on top of the mountain in blazing fire and smoke so dense that it shrouded the mountain top with darkness and gloom, and the terrifying noise of the accompanying trumpet and the sound of His voice, was something they ought never to have forgotten. It should have been a reminder to them and to their children, that their God was not one to be trifled with. He was holy and untouchable, unlike the Egyptian gods who were just like them.

This spectacle should have been indelibly imprinted on their hearts. They should have taught it to their descendants, that the God who visited them in the desert, and who came to dwell among them in the tabernacle, was real. He required them to obey Him because the consequences of disobedience would be in keeping with who He was.

Why are we no longer terrified of this God? Has He changed? Has He relented and down-scaled His glory? What changed everything? Where is the unapproachable, untouchable God? Where is the God who demanded the death of an animal who strayed too near the mountain? Where is the God who demanded blood for every infringement of His holy standards?

But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, who names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel (Heb, 12: 22-24).

God has not changed, but He put in place, through Jesus, the plan He set up before the creation of the world, that would change the hearts of people. His appearance at Mount Sinai as the unapproachable God was the stark reality of the monstrous barrier of sin that separated people from Him. No amount of animal blood could remove that barrier. It could only remind them of the sin that stood between them and God as an insurmountable obstacle to the presence of God..

The picture is different now – not terror but celebration; not fire and smoke and gloom and darkness and trembling and weeping and pleading with Moses to stop, but a huge party attended by angels and people of all races, languages and cultures. No longer Mount Sinai, but Mount Zion – the place where God has established His name forever. No longer a God who was hidden behind an impenetrable curtain but Emmanuel, God with us. No longer fear, but perfect love. No more guilt and shame but laughter and joy and worship and thanksgiving.

God has not changed. We have because He changed us. Abel’s blood cried for revenge. The blood of Jesus speaks mercy. Hallelujah!

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

DON’T DO IT

Bible Study, ,

DON’T DO IT

See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau who, for a single meal sold his inheritance as the oldest son. Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. Even though he sought the blessing with tears, he could not change what he had done (Heb. 12: 16-17).

Some things we have done in our lives can be changed. Other things can never be changed and what remains is the pain of regret. Some sins can be forgiven and the consequences will fade into the distant past. Other sins, forgiven though they may be, will stay with us and haunt us for the rest of our lives.

As far as the sin of our unregenerate past is concerned, God wipes the slate clean.

As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us (Psa 103: 12).

However, there are consequences we cannot escape which will follow us for the rest of our lives. King David knew this only too well. His moment of indiscretion with Bathsheba dogged him and his family for the rest of their lives, wrought havoc between him and his children, and resulted in rivalry, bloodshed and war. Even the legitimate son, Solomon, born of his union with Bathsheba, turned out to be a failure and paved the way for a split in Israel which was never healed.

What the writer points to here is two kinds of behaviour that stem from a dangerous mind-set that will inevitably lead to disaster; sexual immorality – a spiritual disease that has gripped the world because people ignore God and make their own rules. Let’s examine this attitude a little more deeply. Why has the world dispensed with God’s instruction not to be sexually immoral?

Let’s look at it this way. People worship false gods, not so much because they are convinced that their gods and what they stand for are the truth but because their gods approve of their sinful behaviour. They ignore God because they are looking for instant gratification. Instead of understanding that God created us in His image and that our lives must be lived in line with who He is, people have created gods in their image because they want to live as they choose. Inevitably, false gods approve of what is basest in human nature, sexual immorality and violence to get their own way.

In my country, our so-called democracy is a cover-up for mob rule. Marches and protests, which are supposed to bring about change, usually end in bloodshed, vandalism and looting. Sexual immorality, which is approved by the gods the people worship, has resulted in both an exploding population of illegitimate children and an out-of-control epidemic of AIDS and AIDS-related deaths.

Government coffers have been so plundered by greedy politicians and civil servants that the people groan under the weight of taxation and escalating costs. The country’s infrastructure is gradually collapsing because the money supposed to be used to run the country is either leaking into private pockets or given to the masses to support their ever-increasing number of illegitimate or orphaned children.

Why is this happening? The bottom line is that the majority of people want instant gratification with no thought for the future or for consequences. That was King David’s problem – hence he took Bathsheba; and it was Esau’s problem, hence he sold his birth right for a bowl of beans.

The difference between the godly and the ungodly boils down to this – the ungodly live only for now and for what they can grab for themselves while the godly take God seriously and live with an eye on the future because every choice they make now affects what happens to them later. 

Casual sexual liaisons leave a trail of consequences which cannot be changed. Living only for now and making choices for instant gratification results in the same thing, a trail of devastation which cannot be changed. The writer says, “Don’t do it!” Jesus is a clear example of someone who kept He eye on the goal and moved steadfastly towards it.

And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (Heb. 12: 1b-2).

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.