Repent, Turn and Live

God graciously gives every person the opportunity to experience a relationship with God founded upon His unfailing love.  He has also allowed every human being to make a personal choice if they will trust and love Him or not.  Our Maker allows us to freely choose if we will accept Him as Master.  He is not cruel or brutal for extending this once in a lifetime opportunity to us every day of our lives on earth at the expense of the life of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.

From a young age, people generally understand the rights of ownership.  As a child I could comprehend there was a difference between my toys and those owned by my brother and sister.  There were also responsibilities that came with ownership, whether it be a pet or a vehicle.  As the owner of a car it was my decision if I chose to paint or modify the car, to buy new tyres or sell it.  I could wash and wax my car every week or I could avoid cleaning it altogether.  It was my right as a car owner to drive and maintain it as I pleased.  Regardless what other people thought about me or the state of my car, it was mine and I had the final say.

Because God is the Creator of the world and all that is in it, He has every right to do whatever He wants with anything and everyone because everything is all His.  In our Bible study at Calvary Chapel Sydney last night, we spoke about the responsibilities in the Mosaic Law of the owner of a bull that was known to "push with the horn," to be aggressive and dangerous.  Exodus 21:28-29 reads, "If an ox gores a man or a woman to death, then the ox shall surely be stoned, and its flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall be acquitted. ²⁹ But if the ox tended to thrust with its horn in times past, and it has been made known to his owner, and he has not kept it confined, so that it has killed a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned and its owner also shall be put to death."  A dangerous bull needed to be kept in a paddock to prevent him from hurting anyone.  If the owner of a bull was deemed negligent to adequately restrain his ox whose rampage resulted in someone's death, both the ox and owner would be executed.

The owner of a rogue ox faced a tough predicament.  A bull was a very valuable animal that could accomplish great labour through its strength, but if the bull refused to be trained to wear a yoke and lashed out at people, it was a liability that put his own life and others at risk.  If the ox had ability to reason like a human being, it would need to make a decision that its life and future depended on:  would it rather submit to the yoke and the commands of its master and live, or would continuance in stubbornness and aggression make it most useful to the master by slaughter for meat, leather, tallow and glue?  The loss of the bull's life would be a loss felt by the master, but no one could blame him for dispatching a dangerous animal to mitigate the risk of personal injury or death and to benefit as much as possible on his investment of time, feed and money.

God issued a warning to the proud in Psalm 75:4-5, "I said to the boastful, 'Do not deal boastfully,' and to the wicked, 'Do not lift up the horn. ⁵ Do not lift up your horn on high; do not speak with a stiff neck.'"  God who created mankind has given us the choice if we will trust and submit to Him in faith or we will continue in our pride and self-reliance.  Jesus came to earth as a human being to offer forgiveness and eternal life for sinners headed to ruin in hell forever.  God will be glorified by those who repent and trust in Him or by the destruction of the proud who lash out at Him with hatred.  Either way, God's power and strength will be on full display.  God's heart of love toward sinners is shown in His appeal to reason in Ezekiel 18:30-32:  "Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways," says the Lord GOD. "Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin. ³¹ Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel? ³² For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies," says the Lord GOD. "Therefore turn and live!"

Heeding God's Teaching

Jesus rebuked scribes and Pharisees to their face when they complained that His disciples failed to observe the tradition of the elders by neglect of ceremonial hand washing.  Jesus fired back at their hypocrisy and explained how they made the word of God by no effect through their tradition.  The oral traditions of the elders had overshadowed God's word to the point disobedience to God's commands could be justified.  Jesus said in Matthew 15:7-9:  "Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: ⁸ 'These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. ⁹ And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'"  The departure from reliance upon God's word led to people's hearts to depart from God and worship Him in vain--divine truth the Jewish religious rulers likely refused to accept.

The laying aside of God's word to accept and promote the traditions of men is a common practice to this day.  I was reminded of this when I browsed the website for the Temple Institute in Israel and read concerning the priestly garments.  Among sprinkled verses of the Old Testament, the main thrust of the article espoused traditional teachings by rabbis what is absolutely foreign to the Torah.  During one of my trips to the Temple Institute, one question asked from our tourist group asked was how sins are atoned for seeing there is no sanctified temple or high priest (among other things) to follow the Mosaic sacrificial system today.  We were told prayer was the means of atonement by the authority of rabbis (not the Bible), and observe what the site says concerning the vestments of the high priest which works to make God's commands of no effect.  The article says "it is taught" (not by Moses or God's word) that priestly garments worn by sanctified priests serve to atone for the sins of Israel even as offerings do.

"This is one of the deeper aims of wearing these garments, and something for the kohen to ponder while they are upon him. For his everyday actions in the Temple transcend his own personal idiom and take on a more universal theme... he makes atonement and spiritual rectification for all humanity.

Thus we are taught:

• The tunic, which covers most of the priest's body, atones for killing. 

• The pants atone for sexual transgressions. 

• The turban, worn on the head, atone for haughtiness. 

• The belt, wound about the body and worn over the heart, atones for "sins of the heart" - improper thoughts 

• The breastplate atones for errors in judgment.

• The ephod atones for idolatry.

• The robe atones for evil speech.

• The High Priest's crown atones for arrogance."

The Bible teaches sanctified priests were commanded to offer a burnt offering daily as a sin offering for atonement in Exodus 29:36.  Exodus 30:10 says concerning the altar of incense in the holy place:  "And Aaron shall make atonement upon its horns once a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonement; once a year he shall make atonement upon it throughout your generations. It is most holy to the LORD."  When a census was taken of the people, men numbered over 20 years old were required to give a half-shekel offering to the LORD to atone for their souls (Exodus 30:13-15).  In almost every case under Law, the blood of a clean, animal sacrificed by sanctified priests was required to provide atonement.  There is no suggestion in Scripture what is routinely taught today, that the priestly garments provide "atonement and spiritual rectification for all humanity."  Atonement is a sticky subject because we are all sinners, sinners need atonement by God, and no atonement according to Law is possible because of the lack of the necessary temple, sanctified altar and high priest.  Given the Law even the appearance of atonement under Law today is impossible--just as we sinners cannot keep God's Law without fail.

Paul explained the purpose of the Law of Moses was to shut the mouths of sinners and reveal all as guilty before God, to compel us to trust in Jesus Christ whose shed blood provided atonement for the sins of the world received by grace for all who trust in Him--who atoned for all our sins all at once!  Romans 5:6-11 shows Jesus Christ to be the propitiation for our sins:  "For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. ⁸ But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹ Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. ¹⁰ For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. ¹¹ And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement." (KJV, bold emphasis mine)  Jesus is revealed to be the KING OF KINGS as well as our great High Priest, and the book of Hebrews goes into great detail on this point.

While the teachings of men extol intricate garments worn by the priests, God has exalted His only begotten Son Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God whose shed blood atones for sin.  Having been born again and washed clean from sin by the Gospel having received atonement, we are called to "put on" the LORD Jesus Christ in Romans 13:13-14:  "Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. ¹⁴ But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts."  Since Jesus has provided atonement for our sins, we ought to live lives sanctified for His glory, led by the Holy Spirit, heeding our Saviour's commands.  There will always be a temptation to lift tradition or teachings above God's word, but Jesus identifies the wise as those who hear His word and do it.  The new covenant in Christ's blood does for us forever what was and would be impossible to do for ourselves even if the priesthood and sacrificial system in Jerusalem was in full swing.  Following the teachings of men causes our hearts to stray from God and vain worship, but heeding God's word guides us to trust in Jesus Christ who provides eternal atonement.

The Contrite Heart

"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart--these, O God, You will not despise."

Psalm 51:17

At times I have wondered how people who lived thousands of years ago would react to common experiences today--like riding in a car on the motorway.  This is something most of us have experienced regularly throughout our lives.  As small children we rode in the backseat an looked forward to have a chance to sit up front and see everything better.  I imagine it would be exhilarating or terrifying to be moving so quickly and yet experience the insulated quiet and stillness of a modern vehicle cabin.

I wonder what people from ancient times would think if they were suited up and led into an operating theatre to watch surgery in progress.  They might be shocked to discover there was a living person on the table opened up with organs exposed, cruel torture taking place before their eyes!  I imagine them watching in horror as a surgeon made an incision or removed cancer, and the observers might have judgments about the expert medical professional that is far from the truth--that the surgeon is a barbaric butcher when the procedure actually "went well" with the intent to promote the health of the patients.

I believe there are some today who have a similar misunderstanding about God, for they condemn Him as cruel and bloodthirsty without ever knowing Him.  Based on what they know, they would not want to know Him.  What some do not understand is man is solely responsible for bringing death into the world through sin (which God specifically warned against), and the sacrificial system in the Old Testament was a physical means by which spiritual cleansing and union with God was miraculously possible.  God condemned human sacrifice as an abominable practice, and He allowed select animals to provide substitutionary sacrifice for guilty sinners.  It wasn't blood God desired to see but broken and contrite hearts as David said.  God despises sin, but He loves to see humble people approach Him in faith marked by obedience.

God demonstrated His love for sinful mankind by becoming a man, Jesus Christ, and He provided His own life as a sacrifice for the sins of the world.  Jesus humbled and allowed Himself to be killed by sinful men on the cross, that whosoever believes on Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  His shed blood provided atonement so those who were cut off from God by their own sin could draw near to God in repentance for sin by faith in Jesus.  It is not the one proud of themselves but the humble heart God looks upon as it is written in Psalm 138:6:  "Though the LORD is on high, yet He regards the lowly; but the proud He knows from afar."  James 4:6 also says, "But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble."

God does not despise a broken spirit and contrite heart, but the proud heart rises up with enmity against Him.  The fool justifies himself while criticising and condemning God he does not know rather than submitting to God who knows all hearts.  Consider the love and grace of God, that He would lay down His life so those who hate Him could come to know Him!  This is the case for every Christian, for we were once aliens of the commonwealth of God and headed for ruin when the grace of God appeared by Christ crucified.  It was not Jesus but the Romans who invented crucifixion, and though Jesus did no wrong the Jewish rulers arrested Him and condemned Him to death.  By laying down His life Jesus conquered sin and death, evidenced by His resurrection from the dead 3 days later and His ascension into heaven.

We will pay big bucks for a medical procedure which requires us to bleed in the wish for a positive medical outcome:  should we condemn or criticise God for freely shedding His blood so we could be guaranteed forgiveness and eternal life by faith in Jesus?  God has sanctified believers with the blood of Christ (Heb. 13:12), and Acts 20:28 explains God's purpose in His sacrifice:  "Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. "  How humbling it is God has extended His grace to us in our low estate, and how blessed we are to know God in truth.  It is well for the humble, contrite heart before God.

God's Enduring Mercy

Psalm 136 has the highest concentration of the mention of God's mercy in all the Bible--24 times in 24 verses.  Over and over the phrase is repeated, "For His mercy endures forever."  There are only 11 other occasions in the Old Testament this exact phrase is used.  God's mercy has been well described in the 1828 Webster's Dictionary:  "That benevolence, mildness or tenderness of heart which disposes a person to overlook injuries, or to treat an offender better than he deserves; the disposition that tempers justice, and induces an injured person to forgive trespasses and injuries, and to forbear punishment, or inflict less than law or justice will warrant. In this sense, there is perhaps no word in our language precisely synonymous with mercy. That which comes nearest to it is grace. It implies benevolence, tenderness, mildness, pity or compassion, and clemency, but exercised only towards offenders. Mercy is a distinguishing attribute of the Supreme Being."  Man's natural disposition is thoroughly contrary to mercy, but God's mercy endures forever.

God's mercy is demonstrated by who God is as it is written in Psalm 136:1-2:  "Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. ² Oh, give thanks to the God of gods! For His mercy endures forever."  His mercy is seen through everything He has done, does and will do, for His mercy endures forever.  The song references things God has done which, on the surface, may not seem merciful.  But we can know without a doubt God is merciful, and as His people we are in the best position to receive and benefit from it continually.  Man often credits himself for what God alone is responsible for as He extends the richness of His grace to all people--even to His enemies.

The song recounts how God smote Egypt in their firstborn as the final plague the LORD visited upon the nation who oppressed His people.  Pharaoh showed no mercy to the Hebrews, for he enslaved them and commanded their male infants be cruelly thrown into the Nile river.  Before the final plague was unleashed upon Egypt, God mercifully provided a way for everyone who believed and obeyed Him to be spared by striking the blood of a male lamb or goat of the first year they ate for dinner upon the doorposts and lintel of the family home.  God did not have to warn anyone; God was under no obligation to preserve life He created.  His mercy was revealed by the great salvation and deliverance of His people, for His mercy endures forever.

There were times in the history of Israel when they suffered greatly for their sin as the Law of Moses had forewarned.  When the prophet Jeremiah looked around and felt like all his hope and strength had perished, he came to realise the hope that remained in God in Lamentations 3:22-25:  "Through the LORD'S mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. ²³ They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. ²⁴ "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I hope in Him!" ²⁵ The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him."  The consequences of sin were awful and brutal (for the soul that sins will surely die), yet there remained hope in God because His mercy endures forever.  Born again followers of Jesus Christ are granted eternal life by the Gospel because God's mercy endures forever.  There is no question if God is merciful:  the question is will we hope in Him, wait for Him and seek Him?