Revelations 22:12-21

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Read Revelations 22:12-21 Verses for meditation: Revelations 22:12-13, 16, 20-21 ESV: 12 "Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” 16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.” 20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! 21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen. Reflect How does it feel to be reading the very last few verses of the bible? What do the proclamations, the last few of them, say about Christ? Come, Lord Jesus! Does this really express our desire? How does the greatest book end, and on what note? But is this really the end? Relate With mixed feelings, I'm writing this last devotion based on the final ten verses of the greatest book, the bible. What a journe...
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Numbers 15 / Psalm 84 "Holy Love"

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Read: Numbers 15 / Psalm 84


Verses chosen for meditation: 

Numbers 15:32 “While the people of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering sticks on the Sabbath day. 33 And those who found him gathering sticks brought him to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation. 34 They put him in custody, because it had not been made clear what should be done to him. 35 And the Lord said to Moses, “The man shall be put to death; all the congregation shall stone him with stones outside the camp.” 36 And all the congregation brought him outside the camp and stoned him to death with stones, as the Lord commanded Moses.”


Reflect: 

At first glance, what the man did seemed not worthy of death. He was just gathering sticks on the Sabbath day! However, if we read this passage in the context of Numbers 15:30-31, it is likely to be an example of how a member of the congregation chose to sin intentionally against the Lord. He was an example of “the person who does anything with a high hand”. 


As we have read in previous passages of Leviticus, observing the Sabbath was one of the Ten Commandments. God wanted the people to treat Sabbath seriously. Yet this man intentionally rebelled against the Lord. While he bent down to pick sticks, his heart was raised in defiance against God. 


What he did, threatened the very sanctity of God’s word to the nation of Israel. This was why the Lord commanded Moses to put him to death. As part of God’s covenant with Israel; the penalty of such an intentional transgression was death. The man was stoned to death as a sign of how the community rejected such rebellion that came from the Sabbath breaker.


Relate: 

It is probably very challenging for us to understand why the man had to be stoned to death. We live in a time when Jesus died on the Cross to atone for all of our sins. Even those intentional sins where we rebelled against God with a deep sense of defiance. It is even easier to live a life where we take God’s gift of salvation for granted. We live in the name of being “Christian”; but our behavior speaks of almost a God-less life. 


Having lived for some time as a Christian. I believe that as a worshipper, we cannot truly be grateful for the blood of Christ unless we are convicted of how much “grace” was being poured into that unique act of Christ on the Cross. We cannot truly be pierced by the depth of God’s love unless we understand that through the Old Testament, God was showing His people; that despite His holiness, and our propensity to sin, He wants to be with us. 


This was why God went to such an extent of giving laws, making covenants, guiding Israel to the Promised Land, blessing them with the Aaronic Benediction, protecting them, giving them priests, prophets, kings and eventually even His very own Son! All because of that unchanging desire to have that relationship with you and me. It sounds like some kind of a “crazy” love. But it is true. This is who God is.


The Sabbath breaker had to die because what he did threatened the foundation of that relationship between God and Israel. At that point of Israel’s journey to the Promised Land, they could not afford a rebellion in the camp. It would have destroyed the lives of those who might follow the foolish act of the Sabbath breaker. And from Israel's history, we can deduce that if this were to happen, many lives lost would have been lost.


In the light of how serious God takes holiness and how He desires intimacy with us; how then are we living this new life given through His holy love? 


Are we wasting it away? Or are we living a life that speaks of God’s grace, kindness, compassion, purity and love? Rather than intentionally sinning against God; let us intentionally move towards intimacy with God. And allow that intimacy to empower us to purity and love others as we should.


Rest

Lord my God. Help me to live in holiness and in love. Help me not to waste my new life away; the new life which cost You your very own Son. But help me to live it to the fullest. One that is worthy of being called a living sacrifice on Your very altar. One that brings pleasing aroma to you. This I pray in Jesus’ Name. Amen. 


Jason


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