God's Grace Everywhere

God's awesome grace is constantly affirmed in the Bible and will be for all eternity.  Once our eyes of faith are opened to God's goodness we see the prevalence of His grace everywhere--even in unexpected situations.  God's grace is not like a fragile orchid that can only grow and flourish in a carefully controlled and maintained environment, but is as enduring and eternally hearty as He is.  In our imperfect world among sinners, God's grace flourishes everywhere.

In Numbers 12, the older siblings of Moses complained about his choice of spouse.  The text suggests the  motive behind the complaint of Miriam and Aaron was to undermine his authority before the people, for they said:  "Has the LORD only spoken through Moses?  Hasn't He also spoken through us?"  God heard their comments and bid them all appear before the LORD at the tabernacle.  God rebuked Miriam and Aaron for their trespass and when His presence departed Miriam was struck with an advanced case of leprosy.  Aaron begged Moses would not hold their foolish sin against them, and Moses instinctively cried out to God for healing.  By God's grace Miriam was restored to health.

As a consequence for Miriam's sin, God commanded she be shut out of the camp for seven days before she be received again.  Numbers 12:15-16 says, "So Miriam was shut out of the camp seven days, and the people did not journey till Miriam was brought in again. ¹⁶ And afterward the people moved from Hazeroth and camped in the Wilderness of Paran."  God's grace toward Miriam, her family and people is displayed yet again because the movement of the camp was God's choice.  Previously in the book of Numbers we read how God directed when it was time to move, where to go and how long to stay.  The people did not journey until Miriam was brought in again, and this shows God's hand in facilitating her restoration to her people and Himself.

We might imagine because of our sin God moves on without us or leaves us behind, but this passage illustrates the opposite is true.  Sin brings awful, deadly consequences even for believers, yet let us never lose sight of God's grace to forgive, heal and restore us to Himself.  For the sake of one person God waited 7 days so she could be received before breaking camp and moving on.  While no stone or pillar was erected, God has memorialised His awesome goodness in the scripture for us to consider and rejoice He has extended such grace to us.  People might leave or abandon us because humans are fickle, but God is faithful.  We deserve eternal death for our sins, yet God gives the Gospel of grace so we sinners might draw near to Him as He has to us.

Valuing Christ In Us

As a kid I was taught the value of saving money for planned purchases, not frivolously spending money for items I did not need or want.  I would store loose change in a piggy bank and sometimes deposit money in a bank account.  In those days it was not uncommon for me to make a purchase entirely with change--including pennies!  I remember dumping all the coins out, putting them in stacks that added to one dollar each, and made a mental note of how much I have saved.

Though I was pleased to see the change add up over the time, on many occasions I found something I would gladly trade every single one of them to buy and possess.  After several years of saving money, I almost emptied my bank account to buy a bicycle.  When I washed cars or mowed lawns for cash, part of the reason I was motivated was to finally own a Maui Blue 1987 GT Performer and ride around.  In my mind, a BMX bike was a worthy exchange for those dollars and cents.  Sadly we can adopt a transactional approach toward God, to give only in the expectation of a return--not realising all Jesus has already done and is for us.

In a parable Jesus told, a man found treasure in a field and was glad to sell all he had to buy the field--knowing the treasure was included in the purchase by the unwitting seller.  This man wisely counted the cost and was joyful though it cost him all, for he would gain exponentially more.  Sometimes Christians are unduly focused or concerned about what it means to "deny themselves" or how much they are required to give to follow Jesus.  The answer is sobering for those who value their lives most:  they must give all.  But like a kid who is happy to give all his money in exchange for a bike, the Christian wisely sees only benefit in the life Jesus Christ freely offers those who trust in Him.  Recognising His atoning sacrifice for us outshines every sacrifice we could ever make for God shifts our focus from ourselves and to our glorious Saviour Jesus.

The Christian walk is one of submission and obedience to God, denying ourselves, taking up our cross daily and following Jesus.  This death of self means the life of Jesus can now be lived out in the lives of the spiritually regenerated believer through faith in Christ.  Our old, sinful ways of thinking and feeling corrupted with pride, selfishness and lust can supernaturally give way to the love, mercy and grace of God at work in our hearts.  Even as we prefer an eternal place in heaven for ourselves rather than hell, we ought to desire and value the life of Jesus Christ at work in our own lives today.  Along with Paul we can say, "To live is Christ" because He is in us:  the Son of God Jesus Christ, the hope of glory.  Having experienced the real, lasting and abundant life by faith in Jesus, what of our lives before or since knowing Him can compare?

Grace, Plagues and Wholeness

"And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague."

Mark 5:34 (KJV)

The wisdom of God is supremely superior to the wisdom of this world.  Believers who are partakers of God's grace and goodness have eyes that have been opened to perceive what was previously unknown by men and angels by the power of the Holy Spirit.  In Egypt God demonstrated His power over all the idols of the land by plagues, and in the New Testament God showed His authority and love by delivering people from them.  Who but God could have imagined a plague suffered over 12 years would be an impetus for woman to come to Jesus in faith?

The Gospel of Luke tells us this woman over a decade had become impoverished as she sought the aid of doctors who only made her physical condition worse.  This flow of blood made her ceremonially unclean to the Jews, cut her off from society and likely resulted in discomfort and fatigue.  Her aim was to be physically healed, but God's design was wholeness:  to heal her body from the plague, to save her soul and provide peace forever.  The severity of the plague was employed by God to draw her to Himself so she could experience spiritual wholeness that impacted body, heart, mind and soul.

It is important we realise God can and does use the painful and troubling situations of life to accomplish His good purposes and plans.  The death of Jesus on the cross reveals His redemptive power to take what Satan and wicked men intended for evil and turned it into an opportunity for salvation for all lost sinners.  Who are we to condemn God's means when He can achieve such ends?  We would foolishly avoid what is troubling and thus miss the miraculous opportunity for wholeness and perfect peace God stands waiting to provide by grace.  This passage and all of scripture affirms that in the worst situations of life, God's grace and mercy are not absent because He is always near to those who seek Him.

The woman could only think about being healed, and Jesus desired infinitely more than that.  Sometimes our best medicines and treatments are incapable of making a sick body or mind well; if left to our own devices not a single soul would be made whole or delivered from sin.  Praise be to God, for He who has the power to plague can restore health and bring wholeness.  Thus even in a plague or conflict that seems to have no end we can rejoice in the goodness of God and His grace to use it to draw us to Himself.

The New Covenant is Better

"But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises."

Hebrews 8:6

When Jesus established a new covenant in His own blood, it was a covenant far superior to the covenant of the Law of Moses.  In our Friday night Bible study, we discussed Peter's introduction to the Jewish believers scattered from the land God promised to give them in 1 Peter 1:1-2:  "Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, ² elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: grace to you and peace be multiplied."  God's chosen people received the commands of God, and their entry into the land and future prosperity depended largely upon their obedience.

Moses took the blood of an animal sacrifice and sprinkled it upon the altar and the people.  The basic conditions of God's covenant was to obey His Law, offer sacrifices for the atonement of sin, and they would dwell in the land He promised to give them.  The new covenant, rather than depending upon the obedience of men, was dependent on the obedience of Jesus Christ.  He obeyed God in offering Himself as a sacrifice on Calvary to atone for lost sinners and provided entry into the kingdom of God, a heavenly kingdom where we will dwell in the glorious presence of God forever.  The Gospel is not a command to do but all about what Jesus has done, and by faith in Jesus we enter into the new covenant God has made for our salvation.  His resurrection from the dead shows Jesus is able to forgive sins and provide eternal life for all who trust Him.

The establishment of a new covenant makes the first obsolete as a basis for establishing man's righteousness as it says in Colossians 2:13-14:  "And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, ¹⁴ having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross."  Some are concerned that if the Law is nailed to the cross it will promote lawlessness.  This is hardly the case for people born again and sanctified by faith in Jesus.  By the Law is the knowledge of sin that leads the guilty to Jesus for cleansing and salvation.  In providing the Holy Spirit Jesus established a higher moral standard than what is written in the Law, for He said "It has been written...but I say unto you..."  Knowing we are chosen, sprinkled with the precious blood of Jesus, sanctified unto God for obedience, and by grace we are credited with righteousness and enabled to walk righteously.

The book of Hebrews goes into great detail in how the new covenant is superior to the old because of Jesus and all He has accomplished and continues to do.  He has not left us alone but has given the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, Who teaches, guides and helps us to do God's will.  Praise the LORD for His grace and peace we can experience today because of our awesome Saviour, Jesus Christ.  Instead of having our external behaviour governed by the letter of the law that kills, our lives are being transformed from within by the divine power that raised Jesus from the dead.