Do you remember who the Edomites were? They were the
descendants of Esau, Jacob who became Israel's twin brother. They were of the line God rejected from being
His people particularly. It didn't mean
that they couldn't come into the covenant but they weren't the chosen
line. Here we see that old animosities
die hard. About five hundred years have
passed since the brothers made a mess of their relationship but they will not
let the nation pass through their land unmolested. They will not guarantee safe passage, in
fact, they refuse to let Israel even pass through at all. Kinship is meaningless to them. At this time the old guard is passing from the
scene. In yesterday's lesson Miriam,
Moses' sister passed away and now, the Lord tells Moses that Aaron too is going
to die soon and is instructed to take the priestly garments off him, just as he
once had clothed him in them, and now clothe Aaron's son Eleazar for the job. How difficult that must have been for Moses and
to see his brother die as the transition occurs on the mountain. All these years together leading the people
through difficulty and hardship and now Moses is alone.
Jesus knows what is coming and is fully in charge of all
this scene. He first orders the disciples
to procure a donkey for him to ride into the city and if anyone asks they are
to say the Lord needs it. The owner had
the pride of seeing this scene unfolding and knowing he played a central role
in providing the donkey for the king to enter His kingdom. The prophecy of Zechariah would surely have
been on everyone's mind as Jesus rode in to fulfill the prophecy. Passover was coming and now the fulfillment
of all their hopes for Passover were going to be realized. The Son of David was coming to restore the
kingdom. When people asked what this
was, the answer seems a bit odd though, the prophet Jesus from Nazareth of
Galilee. It is all a bit confusing.
Grace is the principle of salvation. It is not, however, license to sin that grace
may about all the more. Grace is the
principle by which we are delivered from sin, not only the penalty for sin but
also from sin itself. If we sin that
grace may abound there is no grace at all.
We are to consider ourselves dead to sin. Repentance means agreeing with God regarding
the gravity of sin and turning away from that way of life to His way. We are to consider ourselves dead to sin and
alive to Christ, at one in living the life we live to God and nothing or no one
else. We can't have salvation on our own
terms, only the terms of the one who is the author and perfecter of
salvation. He is not only the prophet
from Nazareth in Galilee, He is the incarnate Son of God by whose death we are
redeemed to life eternal.
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