2002-01-01
Good Morning Dear Ones,
It may seem a strange thing to begin a daily devotion with the subject of murder, but it is appropriate to talk about this business of Satan to understand one of the roles of our Kinsman-Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Murder pollutes the land, and God knows this. Satan, in the form of the serpent in GN 3: 2-5 plots the murder of Adam, Eve, and ultimately, mankind. “We may eat the fruit of any tree in the garden,” The woman answered. “ ‘Except the tree in the middle of it. God told us not to eat the fruit of that tree or even touch it; if we do, we will die.’ The serpent replied, ‘That is not true. You will not die. God said that because He knows that when you eat it, you will be like God and know what is good and what is evil.’ “ We all know that Eve gave into this temptation and led Adam into it as well. It was at this point that Satan grasped dominion over the Earth out of God’s hands. That set up a conflict that will last until the completion of the seven years of Jacob’s Trouble (the Tribulation). The Protevangelium is the name given to that famous verse, GN 3: 15, which sets up the conflict between man and Satan. “I will make you and the woman hate each other; her offspring and yours will always be enemies. Her offspring will crush your head, and you will bite their heel.”
As you can see, both God and mankind are faced with a problem. In looking carefully at the wording of the Proevangelium, we notice that crushing the serpent’s head is eventual sure death for him, while biting mankind’s heel is a cause of pain, but is not terminal. In this, we see God’s compassion for mankind. Only God has the power to reverse the damage Satan has done with his deceptions, temptations, and evil. When we turn to REV 5: 1-5, we see the method revealed of how God will finally solve this problem. [The apostle John speaking describing his vision of the Revelation] “I saw a scroll in the right hand of the One Who sits on the throne; it was covered with writing on both sides and was sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel, who announced in a loud voice, ‘Who is worthy to break the seven seals and open the scroll?’ But there was no one in heaven or on earth or in the world below who could open the scroll and look inside it. Then one of the elders said to me, ‘Do not cry. Look! The Lion from Judah’s tribe, the great Descendant of David, has won the victory, and He can break the seven seals and open the scroll.’ “ Who is this Lion of Judah, this great Descendant of David? It is Jesus Christ, our Kinsman-Redeemer! And thus, He will fulfill the role of wresting dominion of the earth out of Satan’s hands for good and returning it to its rightful Owner, our Father in heaven.
Our Kinsman-Redeemer presents a solution to mankind’s problem as well. Before Christ’s death on the cross, man had no choice but to sin. It was inherited from Adam, imputed to his account, and had sway over his whole life. Because our Lord loves us the way He does, we can well imagine how this distressed Him. Jehovah doesn’t make promises lightly; He wants us to recognize that He is a consistent promise keeper. As far back as GN 3:21, He indicated that He wanted to provide a way to forgiveness, so that mankind wouldn’t be caught permanently in this trap of evil. Our Lord has never wanted men to suffer spiritual death and probably isn’t happy that they must suffer physical death either. “And the Lord God made clothes out of animal skins for Adam and his wife, and He clothed them.” In case it isn’t clear that God is offering a promise of a way out from the consequences of sin in this citation, ask what had to happen for there to be animal skins for God’s use in clothing Adam and Eve before their expulsion from the Garden of Eden. Yes, an animal had to be slain, its blood poured out. Both LV 17: 11 and HE 9: 22 make it clear that blood must be poured for forgiveness for sin to be opened.
It is hard to say whether God underestimated the extent of man’s sin or if it was a matter of God’s perfect timing, that it was necessary for mankind to go through a period which we call the Old Covenant. My Jewish ancestors certainly lived through that period before our Kinsman-Redeemer provided the once-for-all, sufficient Sacrifice that opened the way for all believers in Him to be saved and to have eternal forgiveness. That Old Covenant period was a foreshadowing of the New Covenant to come, one which God inspired Jeremiah to prophesy in JER 31: 31-34, three hundred years before Christ’s Atonement actually happened. “The Lord says, ‘The time is coming when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. It will not be like the old covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and led them out of Egypt. Although I was like a husband to them, they did not keep that covenant. The new covenant that I will make with the people of Israel will be this: I will put my law within them and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. None of them will have to teach his fellow countryman to know the Lord, because all will know Me, from the least to the greatest. I will forgive their sins and will no longer remember their wrongs. I, the Lord, have spoken.” As many times as I have cited these words, they are beautiful to me. Our Kinsman-Redeemer provides for us a way out of slavery to sin. He provided the price that bought us out of that evil market place. Our faith in Him brings us into the light of God’s most splendid grace.
Revel in the words of JN 8: 31, 34-36, “So Jesus said to those who believed in Him, ‘If you obey my teachings, you are really my disciples; you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’ Jesus said to them [His disciples], ‘I am telling you the truth: Everyone who sins is a slave of sin. A slave does not belong to a family permanently, but a son belongs there forever. If the Son sets you free, then you will really be free.’ “ Together we can share in the hope of the resurrection, because of this great demonstration of God’s love for us that is the Atonement. Whatever sufferings we endure, we will overcome if we will only endure in our faith in Him.
PRAYER: O Lord, our Kinsman-Redeemer is the greatest gift of Your grace that we have ever received. Because of our faith in Him, You grant us victory over the wages of sin. In Him, You have found the only One Who is worthy to finally put an end to the evil of Satan. You empower Him to accomplish solving Your own problems and ours. Only a God with profound compassion and love for His creations would make such a sacrifice. In Him, You grant us the freedom that comes from faith, self-discipline, and victory over the flesh. We honor, adore, worship, glorify, and praise You, Dear Lord. You are awesome in Your power and in Your love. We confess our faith in You and in the Son. In His holy name, amen.
On a personal note, I would like all of you to know that I can report that enduring in faith has brought a wonderful blessing to Peter and me. Last night after 18 months of searching, Peter was finally offered a career position. God has blessed us with the opportunity to remain living where we are and go on with serving Him at Woodbury Lutheran Church. We would like to offer you our utmost, heartfelt thanks for all the prayers you have offered on behalf of us. We hope you will continue praying that we can offer our lives as a living sacrifice pleasing and acceptable to Him as we serve Him. Know that by sharing our faith together, we are unifying and edifying the Body of Christ. That is what our Lord wants us to do. I am honored to be allowed to share my faith with you. God loves you, and so do Peter and I.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn