Standing Between the Living and the Dead
Grand Sweep Daily Reading: Numbers 16, 17, 18
Numbers 16:46-48 (NIV)
46 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Take your censer and put incense in it, along with fire 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.
Hebrews 7:25 (NIV)
25 Therefore, He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them.
Good morning!
Grumbling will get us into trouble every time! I’ve been carrying a nail with me since our Ash Wednesday worship service. Pastor Jeff suggested that we take a nail from the basket at the altar, keeping it in a place where we could see it, feel it, and think about the price that was paid for our salvation. He asked the congregation to pick that nail up and squeeze it in their hand every time they grumbled, complained, or murmured. The nail reminds us that it is our thoughts and words, motives and greed that pinned our Savior to the tree. Jesus willingly traded our sin for His righteousness. He bore it all on the cross, totally separating himself from a perfect and Holy Father, just to give us new life and relationship with God. Jesus died and rose again, conquering death once and for all. He did this for you and for me. If we truly understand the cost, how can we continue to grumble, gripe, and complain?
The Israelites were not happy campers. It wasn’t enough that the very presence of God hovered over their lives in the visual form of a cloud by day and fire by night. Ungrateful for the daily manna they received each day from the hand of heaven, the Israelites continued to distrust the faithful leadership of Moses and Aaron. Their negative and nasty attitude thrust them into open rebellion with God Almighty. Moses and Aaron spent a lot of time falling face down, begging God to forgive their ignorance and haughty, disrespectful spirit.
Oh, to have a great, high priest stand between the living and the dead, crying out for our souls in intercessory prayer! Moses instructed Aaron to take his censer, fill it with incense and fire from the altar of the Lord, and run to the assembly to make atonement for them. The Lord’s anger filled the desert as a plague began to consume humanity. Almost 15,000 people died before the Lord accepted Aaron’s prayers for atonement. Grumbling and complaining can wipe out an entire nation, separating the body through division and strife. When we take our eyes off the great high priest and begin to banter with God, disaster is sure to strike. Do you really think you have a better game plan than the Lord? Have you ever experienced the cause and effect when the redeemed ones choose to take their eyes off the main thing and insist on doing things their own way?
When you find that sin and separation is far too heavy to bear, turn around and take a long, hard look at the Great High Priest who intercedes for you. Jesus Christ died to set you free! He offers you everlasting life, relationship with the Father, and a peace that surpasses all human understanding. His life can light your way. Squeeze the nail in your hand today, and ask the Lord to forgive your sin and help you trust Him all the more. Let Jesus Christ tame your tongue, control your thoughts, and lead you home.
Grace and peace,
Deb Spaulding
www.songofdeborah.com
Pray for: the Great High Priest, who is holy, blameless, pure, and set apart from sin, to redeem your body, mind and soul today. Won’t you invite Jesus Christ to come and live inside your heart and be the Lord of your life?
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© Copyright 2007, Deb Spaulding
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