Saturday, July 16, 2016

REBELLIOUS BUT REDEEMED (PART 1)




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In Christ, Mark
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“And say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: On the day I chose Israel, I swore with uplifted hand to the descendants of Jacob and revealed myself to them in Egypt. With uplifted hand I said to them, “I am the Lord your God.” On that day I swore to them that I would bring them out of Egypt into a land I had searched out for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands. And I said to them, “Each of you, get rid of the vile images you have set your eyes on, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.’”

“‘But they rebelled against Me and would not listen to Me; they did not get rid of the vile images they had set their eyes on, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt. So I said I would pour out my wrath on them and spend My anger against them in Egypt. But for the sake of my name, I brought them out of Egypt. I did it to keep My name from being profaned in the eyes of the nations among whom they lived and in whose sight I had revealed myself to the Israelites. Therefore I led them out of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness. I gave them My decrees and made known to them My laws, by which the person who obeys them will live. Also I gave them My Sabbaths as a sign between us, so they would know that I the Lord made them holy.”

Ezekiel 20:5-12

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

One of the greatest, most amazing experiences I will have in my life has yet to happen but will. For despite the sins I have committed and the times I have rebelled against God, disobeying His will and way to follow my own, He is still willing to save me through His Son Jesus and want to live with me forever.

It’s a truth that will forever blow me away, one I will be eternally grateful for.

Why do I go into this personal testimony?

Because this matter of being rebellious toward God and yet redeemed is not a new concept. As we see in our continuing study of Ezekiel, Chapter 20, it happened in Old Testament days and we’ll be taking a look at this through a three devotion series. Look at the scriptures which serve as the foundation for part one:

“And say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: On the day I chose Israel, I swore with uplifted hand to the descendants of Jacob and revealed myself to them in Egypt. With uplifted hand I said to them, “I am the Lord your God.” On that day I swore to them that I would bring them out of Egypt into a land I had searched out for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands. And I said to them, “Each of you, get rid of the vile images you have set your eyes on, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.’”

“‘But they rebelled against Me and would not listen to Me; they did not get rid of the vile images they had set their eyes on, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt. So I said I would pour out my wrath on them and spend My anger against them in Egypt. But for the sake of my name, I brought them out of Egypt. I did it to keep My name from being profaned in the eyes of the nations among whom they lived and in whose sight I had revealed myself to the Israelites. Therefore I led them out of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness. I gave them My decrees and made known to them My laws, by which the person who obeys them will live. Also I gave them My Sabbaths as a sign between us, so they would know that I the Lord made them holy.”  Ezekiel 20:5-12

You may recall Moses’ encounter with God at a bush that mysteriously ignited and burned before him. During that engagement, God said these words to the leader He had chosen to bring His people out of Egypt:

“I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”  Exodus 3:7-10

This is important for us to revisit for it is the very reference point the Lord is referring to as He speaks in Ezekiel 20. He made a promise through Moses to rescue His people from the oppression they were under in Egypt and deliver them to a new land, one they would be given to settle in, one that was “the most beautiful of all lands”, a “land flowing with milk and honey”.

There was just one condition.

The people of God were to turn away from the “vile images” and idols of Egypt, adopting a stance where they would not defile themselves by sinning against God.

Unfortunately, they didn’t live up to their end of the bargain. For God tells us Himself that His people rebelled against Him and refused to listen, continuing to hold onto Egypt’s vile images and worship its idols.

Well, this incited God’s wrath and frankly, He could have pulled back His promise and poured out His judgment upon the Israelites but that’s not what He did. God did not desire to be profaned in the sight of the nations among whom His people lived and so He continued to make good on His vow and keep His side of the agreement, despite the Israelites failing on their end.

We know the rest of the story. God did indeed lead His people out of Egypt with Moses in charge, ensuring they made it into the wilderness safely to start a forty-day journey (or exodus) to the land God had promised. And of course, we know one of the main events of that sojourn was God delivering His decrees to His people through Moses at Mount Sinai, decrees best known as “The Ten Commandments” (Exodus 20).  

God had commanded His people to not worship other entities outside of Himself in Egypt and the people didn’t listen. Still, He still delivered them to a place of refuge and life as He promised.

Today, all of us have sinned and rebelled against God in some way, violating His word, will, and way. And yet, He still loves us enough to want to redeem us and abide with us forever if we just put our faith, hope, and trust in the Son He sent to die in our place, the Lamb of God who was sacrificed for the sins of all, the man named Jesus who was, is, and will always be the Savior of the world.

Amen

In Christ,

Mark

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