Thurs Devo: Free Atonement

From last week, do you remember what God told Moses after the Israelites blamed Moses and Aaron for killing Korah?

Numbers 16:44-45   ⁴⁴ and the Lord said to Moses, ⁴⁵ “Get away from this assembly so I can put an end to them at once.” And they fell facedown.

Moses and Aaron responded with humility, reverence for God and compassion for the Israelites. Even though the Israelites deserved God’s wrath, Moses and Aaron didn’t say “Yeah, God, you get them! We’ve had enough!” Instead, look what they courageously and selflessly did!!!

Numbers 16:46-50   ⁴⁶ Then Moses said to Aaron, “Take your censer and put incense in it, along with burning coals from the altar, and hurry to the assembly to make atonement for them. Wrath has come out from the Lord; the plague has started.” ⁴⁷ So Aaron did as Moses said, and ran into the midst of the assembly. The plague had already started among the people, but Aaron offered the incense and made atonement for them. ⁴⁸ He stood between the living and the dead, and the plague stopped. ⁴⁹ But 14,700 people died from the plague, in addition to those who had died because of Korah. ⁵⁰ Then Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance to the tent of meeting, for the plague had stopped.

Aaron made atonement [reparation for a sin; reconciliation between God and people] for the Israelites who had personally sinned against him. What a fore-shadow of what Christ perfectly did for all of us, once and for all! We don’t earn Christ’s atonement, just like the Israelites didn’t earn Aaron’s atonement. It was costly to God and Jesus, but free to us!

Romans 3:23-26      ²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴ and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. ²⁵ God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— ²⁶ he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

By faith, we accept Christ’s atonement on our behalf! Then, we can enjoy reconciliation with God!

Do you and I truly realize that we don’t deserve Christ’s sacrifice of atonement, we can’t earn it, but we can fully receive it by faith?

How will you and I appreciate the free atonement offered to us through Jesus Christ?

Alice

Thurs Devo: He Who Dies With the Most Toys Wins?

Have you seen that on a bumper sticker? I have. It didn’t have the question mark after it, either. I have also seen the opposite – “He Who Dies with the Most Toys Still Dies.” When I read that, it usually reminds me to focus on what really matters and not on temporal things or things of little eternal value.

I know we can get very attached to certain possessions and I’ve heard of people being buried with some of their prized possessions. Korah got buried with not just some, but ALL of his belongings!

Numbers 16:28-33   ²⁸ Then Moses said, “This is how you will know that the Lord has sent me to do all these things and that it was not my idea: ²⁹ If these men die a natural death and suffer the fate of all mankind, then the Lord has not sent me. ³⁰ But if the Lord brings about something totally new, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them, with everything that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the realm of the dead, then you will know that these men have treated the Lord with contempt.”

³¹ As soon as he finished saying all this, the ground under them split apart ³² and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households, and all those associated with Korah, together with their possessions. ³³ They went down alive into the realm of the dead, with everything they owned; the earth closed over them, and they perished and were gone from the community.

Wow! Quite drastic! Korah had been given opportunity to repent, but he chose to continue in his rebellion in despising God and rising up against Moses, God’s chosen leader.

What lessons have you and I learned the past few weeks from these devotionals on Korah?

I’ve been reminded how serious and destructive pride is.

I’ve also learned that even when someone else is completely in the wrong, I need to respond with humility, like Moses did.

God is to be consulted first and foremost before any reaction.

God is the ultimate Judge and will have the final say on who “wins.”

Alice