HOPE WHEN DEATH COMES |
| Even before the Creator made a woman for man, He gave Adam a solemn warning: “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” Genesis 2:16-17 Eve and Adam thought they need not be concerned because God would never allow them to die. They both ate of this forbidden fruit only to discover that God means every Word He utters. The Psalmist wrestled with the reality that every human being would die because he was particularly aware of the horrible sins he had committed. He asked the Holy One, What profit is there in my blood, When I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise You? Will it declare Your truth? Hear, O Lord, and have mercy on me; Lord, be my helper!”You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, To the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever. Psalm 30:9-12 David, along with other Jewish people, who learned what it means to put one's faith in God's mercy, discovered a new hope that changed his life. The good news is that God never did think human beings would be able to earn their salvation by their good works, not even David or the prophets. All He could do is offer them hope through His Word which told them what God, Himself, would do for those willing to come to Him in repentance, putting their faith in His promise to redeem those trusting Him. I remember a wonderful Jewish lady who singled me out at a meeting being held in the Synagogue in Westport, NJ. She asked me why I was wearing the Star of David with the cross. (She was more than gracious, and she wanted to really hear what I had to say.) When I told her that I wore the cross and the Star of David together because my faith was a Jewish faith, given to me by wonderful, courageous Jewish people who believed Messiah had come, she just beamed. She responded with, "I like that! Would you like to come and join me with some of my friends at our table." I quickly accepted her invitation as I thanked her and followed her to her table. There were three more Jewish ladies along with three Gentiles who were in social work. It soon became obvious why she invited me as she poured out her heart, totally indifferent to the onlookers, as she told me how she had gone to 9 rabbis asking each one, "Rabbi, what is going to happen to me beyond the grave?" She reported that each one had informed her that she had no business even asking such a question. Then, she sighed and said, "I guess no one can be certain what happens beyond the grave." Everyone at the table agreed with this statement except me. I replied, "I do not mean to be pretentious, but I have to tell you that I know what will happen to me after I die. I welcome this kind of question." Her face lighted up as she eagerly invited me to share with her why I had such confidence. I asked her if she had heard the real story behind the Passover, why the Lord required all of Israel to sacrifice a lamb, eat the lamb that evening, and put the blood of the lamb on the door posts. (We talked about this in the study on the Passover in our third study.) It took some time to point out why the Lamb had to be without blemish, and at its strongest age. (It was a type of Messiah, foretelling of the true Lamb of God yet to come.) We discussed how hyssop was always used for the atonement sacrifice, and hyssop was used to put the blood of the lamb on the door posts and the lintel of each house. (You remember the details from our lesson on the Passover.) Then, I asked, "What would have happened if any Jewish person refused to put the blood on their door posts and lintel as God required?" There was no hesitation as her face became very solemn. "Well, the first born in each family would have died as the angel of death passed over their house." I continued: "This is one of the places where I learned from Israel why I could be confident on the day of judgment. The blood of the lamb turned each house into a house of atonement. As long as each family put its faith in God's word, God's promise, putting the blood on the door posts and the lintel, it was safe from the angel of death who would pass over that house. Every person came under the judgment of the Holy One that night, but those trusting in the blood of the Lamb marking their house escaped judgment because they were counted justified because the angel of death saw the blood of the lamb. Israel learned at Mt. Sinai that it was always dependant upon the atoning sacrifice God offered them so they could enjoy fellowship with a righteous and holy God. Every morning and evening there was a burnt offering where the whole lamb or goat was consumed except for the hide which was given to the priest. Each lamb was an atonement for the sins of Israel. The entrails were cleaned and sacrificed so Israel was offering its passions to God to be used properly. The blood that was shed stood for Israel offering its life to God and claiming the blood as their atonement. They were to be offering their heart, mind, and soul to a merciful God who daily forgave them their sins out of the kindness of goodness of his heart. It is as God declares in Leviticus 17:11-12 says, "For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.’ Therefore I said to the children of Israel, ‘No one among you shall eat blood, nor shall any stranger who dwells among you eat blood.’ What a powerful demonstration of God providing the means to pay the price of sin for mankind. God's grace and mercy was emphasized even more when the Lord had Israel build an ark which became the "house of atonement'. The ark was covered with the Caporeth or mercy seat which covered the law, the rod of Moses, and Mannah. This mercy seat was the place where the priest sprinkled the blood of the atoning sacrifice on the Day of Atonement, reminding Israel that their hope rested in God providing for them an atonement because He loved them. The Psalmist knew how dependant he was on God's mercy when he prayed in Psalm 51:7-9, Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me hear joy and gladness, that the bones You have broken may rejoice. Hide Your face from my sins, And blot out all my iniquities. Once again we are reminded that Israel could not earn salvation by keeping the Law. The Law could only show them how much they needed God's unmerited mercy. No wonder the faithful loved their God so much: He gave them hope because of His love and mercy. God moved Isaiah to write of the Ultimate Lamb of God in chapter 53, verses 4-6, Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. What a glorious hope God gave Israel knowing that the coming Messiah would take on the iniquity of every man, woman and child. Even sinners like us would be healed so we are free of guilt and anxiety. God, Himself, redeems us by allowing His Word to take on flesh to become the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world just as John the Baptist announced to those Israelites listening to him when Jesus came to be baptized. (John 1:29) The day came when God's Word Incarnate, God's son, was taken to the cross to pay the price for the sins of the whole world. He, Yeshua, Jesus, is our Caporeth, our mercy seat. All, who come to Him in genuine repentance, are covered with His blood once and for all. They need not fear the final judgment because God will see the blood of the Lamb and declare us free of all sin, unworthy though we are. My new friend exclaimed, "Oh, I understand, I understand now!" and she began sharing her joy, her confidence in the blood of the Lamb that covered all her sins. Then, she grabbed me by my sleeve and asked, "But pastor, what happens when I still sin?" She was relieved when I reminded her that Israel was always in need of the atonement God provided because every human being sins. God's Spirit will daily bring us to repentance, and we humbly confess our sins and claim Jesus as our only hope. God's Spirit continues to nurture our faith, and God's Spirit empowers us to be obedient sons and daughters who no longer excuse and condone the sin we find in our lives till the day we die. We hate that sin but we dearly love the one who has paid the price for all of our sins. That is why we love Jesus so very much; we have been forgiven so much. The more we are forgiven, the more we want to be like Jesus. Death is no threat to those who know the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. No one has to live in fear of the Holy One who remains in the "House of Atonement." We live with confidence knowing that we will see our Redeemer in the flesh even after our skin is destroyed. We gladly offer ourselves to this wonderful, merciful God who has given us new life that we might glorify him by living for Him. Prayer: Gracious Father, I know that I am an unworthy sinner who cannot keep your law perfectly. I have only one hope; I put my faith in your Lamb who died to pay the price for my sins. Fill me with your Spirit, my God, and give me a new heart that can love and obey you. I know I will never be able to earn my salvation, but I long to serve you because I love you for doing so much for me. Amen. |
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