The curse of the cross

Deuteronomy 21:22,23

Being cursed was one of the most severe punishments that could happen to an Israelite. Deuteronomy 27 outlines a series of sins which would result in a person being cursed. Most notable is verse 26, ‘Cursed is he who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them’ which indicates that this will apply to everyone. To be cursed is the opposite of being blessed (see chapters 27-29 of Deuteronomy). So to be cursed by God means that you have lost His blessings. To be cursed by God means that you no longer have the status of being part of the people of God. You no longer have an inheritance. You no longer belong. You are cut off from God.

The Old Testament allowed various methods of capital punishment for serious crimes. These methods included ‘being hanged on a tree’ or crucifixion. This was one of the most excruciatingly painful ways to die. It is important to note that a person who is crucified is cursed by God (21:23). So severe and extreme is this method of death that it indicates in and of itself the judgement of God because the person is cursed and cut off from Him. Crucifixion is not simply a physical punishment; it is a spiritual one as well. It indicates that the crimes you have committed make you worthy of physical death and spiritual separation from God.

When we read of crucifixion we cannot help but think of Jesus who was killed in this way. Given Deuteronomy 27, it is clear that we are all cursed by the law as all of us have committed sins which mean we are cursed and therefore due for punishment.

Incredibly, Christ in being crucified Himself became a curse for us and thus redeemed us from the curse of the law. He could not be cursed by breaking the law because in His sinless perfection He kept the law in its entirety. And so, because ‘Cursed is anyone who hangs on a tree’ (Galatians 3:13), Jesus endured the horrors of crucifixion for us so that He could become a curse for us.

And now we are redeemed from the curse we should have been under!

Further reading:    Galatians 3:10-14

Worship video:


To think about:
God promises us that he will never leave us or forsake us so when we feel alone and without God, who has moved?

If we are no longer under a curse we must be under God’s blessing. What are some of the elements of His blessing in your life?

Creative Response:

Journal page by Bernice

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The bronze serpent

Numbers 21:4-9

Following the exodus from Egypt, the people of Israel spent some time travelling around the wilderness before God allowed them into the Promised Land. During this wandering the inherent rebelliousness of the people was highlighted again and again. On the occasion described in this chapter the people became impatient with God and Moses and complained about the journey, the lack of water and the quality of the food (vv4,5). God, in His merciful provision, had given the people manna to eat day after day. They never went hungry. But the people quickly forgot this and complained.

Their grumbling and rebellion resulted in God sending some poisonous snakes amongst the people which bit them and caused many to die (v6). The judgment caused the people to come to their senses, realise that they had sinned and they asked Moses for help (v7). Moses prayed for the people. God told him to build a bronze serpent, hoist it up on a pole so that the people could see it and when a person was bitten by a snake all they had to do was look at the snake and they would not die (v8). Moses made the serpent and the people who looked at the snake lived (v9).

This story provides us with a wonderful picture of salvation in Jesus. When Jesus is talking with the Jewish teacher Nicodemus He says, ‘As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man (i.e. me!) be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life’ (John 3:14,15).

There are two elements to this. Firstly, the Son of Man will be lifted up, elevated, in such a way as to be observed by the people. Secondly, all someone has to do to live is to look at Him. No other action is necessary. The Israelites didn’t even need to move towards the snake - all they had to do was look. For us by looking at the crucified Christ a person is demonstrates that they have faith in God’s means of salvation and so is saved!

Further reading:    John 3:1-21

Worship video:

To think about:
Think back to the time that you accepted Jesus and received salvation.  How did your life change?

Creative Response:

Journal page by Bernice

Please remember to go back to previous blog posts to see the creative responses that have been added. Click on the thumbnail pictures to view them.

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The Day of Atonement

Leviticus 16

The book of Leviticus outlines in great detail the sacrificial system which God instituted to help deal with sin, which is the biggest problem mankind has. The book centres on chapter 16 which is all about the Day of Atonement. The chapter consists of an overview of the Day of Atonement (vv3-10) and then each part of the ceremony described again in more detail (vv11-22).

There were three stages to the Day of Atonement:
Stage 1: Cleansing the high priest (vv3-6,11-14) This was the only time in the year when the high priest was allowed to enter the Holy of Holies. To enter into the presence of God he had to be cleansed of his sin. He did this by offering a bull as a sin offering for atonement for his and his family’s sins.

Stage 2: The first goat - the sin offering (vv7-9, 15-19) Once the high priest was cleansed he was able to enter the holy of holies on behalf of the people to make atonement for their sins. Two goats were presented to God (v7). Lots were cast for the goats and one was selected to be sacrificed as a sin offering (vv7,8). The goat was sacrificed, its blood taken into the Holy of Holies and sprinkled on the mercy seat (vv15-19). This blood made atonement for the sins of the people and meant that the people could receive God’s forgiveness.

Stage 3: The second goat - the scapegoat (vv10, 20-22) The second goat was then offered to God but this one was alive. The high priest laid his hands on the head of the goat and confessed the iniquities and sins of the people over it. The scapegoat was then taken away and released into the wilderness, bearing the sins of the people.

The two goats are a clear visual reminder of the seriousness of sin and point to how Jesus will deal with sin once and for all. Jesus’ blood was shed to provide cleansing for sin and as He bore the sins of the people He was removed from amongst them and taken out of the city. There He died in isolation with the sins of the people resting on Him.

Jesus was both the sin offering and the scapegoat providing both cleansing and removal of sin.

Further reading:    Hebrews 9:1-29

Worship video:

 

To think about:
We received forgiveness when we received salvation.    What freedoms have you received when you have forgiven others?

Creative Response:

Journal page by Bernice

Please remember to go back to previous blog posts to see the creative responses that have been added. Click on the thumbnail pictures to view them.

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I, the Lord, am your healer

Exodus 15:22-27

Life in the wilderness was not straightforward for the people of Israel. Freedom from slavery didn’t lead to instant luxury and this account gives an example. The people found water but the water was bitter and undrinkable. God showed Moses a nearby tree which, when he threw it into the water, removed the bitterness and made it sweet.

God used this opportunity to reveal something of His character to His people. He told them to obey His voice and follow His commands and then, ‘I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the Lord, am your healer’ (v26).

This reveals something of the heart of God. God’s plan is not merely for removal from slavery but for healing and wholeness in every area of life - physical, emotional, psychological, spiritual. His salvation is total. Throughout the Old Testament we get glimpses of a God who heals but as we turn into the pages of the New Testament we see the Son of God who heals and heals and heals. A few examples:

• ‘Jesus was…healing every kind disease and every kind of sickness among the people.’ (Matthew 4:23)
• ‘He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were ill.’ (Matthew 8:16)
• ‘Jesus was…healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.’ (Matthew 9:35)
• ‘He saw a large crowd, and felt compassion for them and healed their sick.’ (Matthew 14:14)
• ‘And large crowds came to Him, bringing with them those who were lame, crippled, blind, mute, and many others, and they laid them down at His feet; and He healed them.’ (Matthew 15:30)

When John the Baptist wondered whether Jesus really was the Messiah, he sent a delegation asking, ‘Are You the Expected One, or do we look for someone else?’ Jesus’ response was, ‘Go and report to John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have the gospel preached to them.’ (Luke 7:22)

The Lord your Healer had landed on earth!

Further reading:    Luke 7:2-23

Worship video:



To think about:
What evidence of healing have you seen in your life or the lives of others?

Creative Response:

Praising God by Becky Davey

Please remember to go back to previous blog posts to see the creative responses that have been added. Click on the thumbnail pictures to view them.

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The Passover Lamb

Exodus 12

The Passover was a significant event in the history of Israel. It was part of the culmination of a series of plagues that fell on the nation of Egypt in order to persuade them to let the people of Israel go from slavery. The final plague God brought on Egypt was the death of all the firstborn. The Passover occurred because God in His mercy ‘passed over’ the families of Israel and none of their firstborn died. So how did this happen?

The key to this account is the Passover Lamb. Each household had to have an unblemished, or perfect, year old male lamb. They were to bring the lamb into their family area on the tenth day of the month and keep it until it was sacrificed on the fourteenth day of the month (vv3-6). Once the lamb had been sacrificed, the blood of the lamb had to be put on the doorposts and lintel of each house in which a Passover meal was being eaten (v7). God explained the reason for this: ‘The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt’ (v13). Putting the blood on the doorposts was a sign of faith and indicated that the household was part of God’s people.

When the judgement fell, it affected ‘the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon’ (v29). This was a universal judgement. No-one escaped. In contrast, no Israelite was affected because the blood covered all of the people. This was a salvation available for all who were ‘under’ the blood of the lamb.

The Passover Lamb reminds us of Jesus. ‘For Christ our Passover has been sacrificed’ (1 Corinthians 5:7). He was killed at the time of the Passover Feast. He was the perfect, unblemished Lamb of God (John 1:36). He was sacrificed for us. It is His blood that saves us and sets us free from slavery.

Further reading:   1 Corinthians 5:7    John 1:36

Worship Video

To think about:
In what circumstances have you experienced God’s mercy?

Creative Response

Journal page by Bernice

Please remember to go back to previous blog posts to see the creative responses that have been added. Click on the thumbnail pictures to view them. Please share your creative response using the linky below.

To use the linky click on 'Click here to enter'. You will need the URL from your own blog or from a photosharing website like Flickr. Alternatively share your response in the Facebook group.