The time has come, sin has filled the Land and the Lord is
prepared to judge the people, bring utter devastation on them. Think back to when they first conquered the
Land, beginning in Jericho and continuing even through Saul. Remember what the Lord told them to do? They were to utterly destroy and devastate the
Land, leaving nothing, taking nothing. The
same will now be done and for the same reasons, sin has filled the Land. This time, however, the sin is the sin of
God's own people, a holy nation, a royal priesthood. The difference in the destruction and
devastation now and then is that people will be spared, there will be a remnant
left, He has not abandoned the covenant relationship, it is everlasting. His people cannot be completely annihilated. They will, however, lose everything, see all
that they take pride in be destroyed. Nothing
will be left untouched.
The nation longed for restoration for so many years of
exile. Ezra, Nehemiah and Zechariah oversaw
the restoration of the city and the temple, and now they live in the Land and are
at peace but there is a bittersweet quality to this peace, it is not shalom of
God they enjoy but the pax Romana, the peace Rome provides them. They are not under the rule of God, they are
under the rule of Rome. Jesus sends the
seventy-two out to proclaim by word and deed the kingdom of God, offering the
shalom peace of God evidenced by true restoration, restoration to the time
promised when the diseases of the nations would not come upon them, that they
would enjoy God's blessing in every aspect of their lives. Would they receive that peace or would they
settle for Roman peace? Rome asked less
of them than God, they didn't have to change their ways any longer to have a
Roman peace. Where do we hear this same
truth in our lives? Do we really long
for God's kingdom to come?
The argument here relates to the first part of this chapter,
the part we read yesterday. We know that
in Jesus the promise of God for forgiveness of sins and resurrection to life is
sure. His resurrection from the dead is
proof that God is not only able to do this but is willing to do so, but on His
terms. Just as Moses was given a promise
by God and this was sworn on oath on God's Name, so is Jesus. We have a surety of the promise in His
resurrection that is impossible to get any other way, through any created thing
sacrificed. A sacrifice died and was not
resurrected to life, Jesus' resurrection gives us certainty that nothing else
provides. We know for certain that His sacrifice
was acceptable to God, we know then also what sort of life we are called to
live. Are we seeking to see not only His
kingdom to come but His will to be done in us in the same way Jesus did? Sin must be dealt with, rebellion is serious
business.
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