Hues of Scarlet, Obedience, and Deliverance--Day 96 Through the Bible

                                     Bloodroot is one of the first wildflowers in the Western NC woodlands
                                                  to break through the carpet of dead leaves and burst into full bloom.

We find two examples in today’s Scriptures of people being instructed to step out in faith and obey God in order to receive what He was giving them.  First, God told the Israelites they had to go in and possess the land (even though God said He had given it to them).  Secondly, Rahab’s family were told to remain in her house during the battle in order for their lives to be spared.  In both instances, obedience to God would determine the outcome. 

“For by grace are we saved through faith; and that not of ourselves; it is the gift of God: not of works lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).  We, too, have a choice to make just as they did.  We can believe on Jesus and be saved, or we can refuse to believe and die in our sins.  Just as Rahab’s family chose to believe God and remain in her house, even so, if we are to have eternal life, we must choose the safety of salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Otherwise, we will perish as surely as they would have perished had they not believed God and obeyed what He told them. 

Rahab did not hesitate to place the scarlet cord in her window indicating that her house was not to be touched by the soldiers.  She did so immediately.  Rahab did not wait, she did not risk failing to remember to hang the scarlet cord in her window.  Neither should we wait to trust in Christ for our own salvation.  Before leaving Egypt, Israel had smeared the blood of the Passover lamb on their doorposts as a sign for the death angel to pass over that house. 

Today, the blood of Christ is not unlike the Lamb’s blood on the door post or the scarlet cord placed in the window.  We will pay for our own sins unless we put our faith in Him and His blood that was shed for us in order to pay the penalty for our sins (Hebrews 9:22), so that, believing in Him we might receive eternal life (John 3:16).

When we truly encounter Jesus, we will find ourselves sitting at His feet, clothed, and in our right mind spiritually.  What a beautiful account of someone being set free from the chains and bondage of sin.  What a difference Jesus can make in our lives!  Satan was our captor. Through his lies and deceit, he convinced Adam and Eve to believe him rather than God, their Creator.  There is tremendous Good News for us all.  Jesus says we will know the truth and the truth will make us free.  We are no longer in bondage to the captor’s lies and deceit about the subject of sin and about whom we are.  We have been rescued and God has sealed us by His Spirit for eternity.  This is indeed Good News!  This is The Gospel of Christ!  “Be strong and of good courage” as God instructed Joshua.  Step out in faith and believe God!

Glorious Liberty--Day 59 Through the Bible

                                     This beautiful butterfly has a lifespan of approximately one month at best.
                                                                 The Year of Jubilee is a topic in our study today.  
                                                You will learn in this blog that the Bible tells us the entire creation  
                                                                                    is waiting  for liberation!                

February 28

Before finishing the blog, I took a walk on this blustery, snowy morning. (If I allow the weather to hinder my walk, I tend to find other excuses not to walk even in good weather.) During my walk, I heard an unfamiliar “squawk” as I made my way up a hill, and then a loud swooshing of wings. As I looked up, I saw wild turkeys leaving the tops of the trees. These trees are very tall. I know turkeys roost at night, but had no idea how high. I watched as the large birds flew out of sight and had never seen them fly such a long distance.  This brought to mind one of the subjects of today’s study—that of liberty.

The year of Jubilee (the 50^th year) was to be consecrated and liberty proclaimed throughout the land for all its inhabitants. This 50^th year was to bring freedom from debt and the bondage of servitude, and land was restored to its original owners. God told Israel in Leviticus 25:23, “The land shall not be sold permanently, for the land is Mine; for you are strangers and sojourners with Me”.

God is working out a plan that will restore not only man, but the entirety of creation. We see in Romans 8:19-23, that God’s creation is waiting for something. Verses 19, 21 say, “For the earnest expectation of the creature (the Greek word for creature can be translated “creation”) waits for the manifestation of the sons of God.. . .Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God”. (Isaiah 11:6-9 tells of a time of peace in the future when the wolf will dwell with the lamb and there will be an unprecedented time of peace for man and beast.)

God’s Feasts that were covered in the previous chapter are a type of God’s plan from start to finish—from Passover to the 8^th day--the "last great day" of the Feast of Tabernacles, spoken of by Jesus in John 7:37.  Verse 22-23 of Romans 8 continues, “For we know that the whole creation groans and travails in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the first-fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, that is, the redemption of our body”.

It is questionable whether a Jubilee year was ever observed in Israel. Most Bible scholars seem to believe that it was never celebrated. Israel struggled with unbelief and disobedience leading to their 40 year trek in the wilderness and was unable to follow God after their entrance into the Promised Land. Our flesh, as theirs, is corrupt and it is impossible to experience true liberty without the new birth. And as it says in Romans 8, even we who are born again groan as we wait for the redemption of our bodies.

We are living in a time when things are being shaken. During our study in Leviticus, the phrase “I am the Lord Your God” appears over and over. In the days ahead, we would do well as believers to keep this truth in the fore front of our minds. God says that He will shake everything that can be shaken—“that those things which cannot be shaken may remain” (Hebrews 12:27). This study helps root us and ground us in the Word of God, which can never be shaken.  

It gives us hope and comfort to know that God has a plan of liberation for all His creation. We briefly get a glimpse of this need as we see fear reflected in the eyes of a rabbit as he flees for safety. And to think that that little rabbit “waits for the manifestation of the sons of God”! He doesn’t this, but God does. As we live in anticipation of this day, may we be reminded not to oppress one another, as God instructed in Leviticus. God is aware there is a tendency in human nature to do just that. God specifically mentions not charging a brother interest (usury), but to “fear the Lord”.

The Psalmist asks God to, “Save Your people, and bless Your inheritance; shepherd them also, and bear them up forever” (Psalm 28:9). Proverbs 10:19-21, certainly applies today, “In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is wise. The tongue of the righteous is choice silver…the lips of the righteous feed many”. As we continue to live in a world held in bondage, may we follow Jesus’ example of getting alone with God. We are not without a Shepherd! There is safety and rest when we dwell in the secret place of the Most High and abide under His shadow (Psalm 91:1).

Even as Jesus suggested to the disciples, we have the capacity to give the worn-out multitude “something to eat”. Living in bondage is demoralizing. We notice the sad faces around us every where we go. God has liberated us to give the hope of the Gospel to our fellow man—the Good News that liberation is possible! He has left us in the world (John 17:15), to spread the good news and share this hope with others until He returns. As the day approaches, may we see ourselves sojourning with God in the land that belongs to Him. May we be faithful in telling others that the day of spiritual Jubilee has dawned and the day of complete liberation for all creation is coming!