the Lamb of God

The New Has Come

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7 Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses’ face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? 9 For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory. 10 Indeed, in this case, what once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it. 11 For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory. – 2 Corinthians 3:7-11 ESV

This entire paragraph sounds like a riddle. To understand it, one must look at the two verses that preceded it.

Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. – 2 Corinthians 3:5-6 ESV

Paul is addressing the new covenant, and now he is going to expand on it, explaining the difference between it and the old covenant. He will provide seven different contrasts between the two. But before looking at those distinctions, it is important to understand just what he means by a “covenant.” The Greek word for covenant is diathēkē, and it refers to a testament or agreement. It is where we get the Old and New Testaments of our Bible. It is a form of agreement between two parties, but it is unilateral: only one party sets the conditions, and the other must either accept or reject it, much like a last will and testament.

Paul contrasts the agreement God made with the Israelites in the Old Testament with the agreement He has made with the church in the New Testament. The first agreement was the Mosaic Law handed down to the Israelites from Mount Sinai and administered by Moses. The second agreement was the new covenant in Christ’s blood, handed down at Mount Calvary and administered by the Holy Spirit.

When Jesus celebrated His last Passover meal with the disciples, just hours before His death, He took a cup of wine and said, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people – an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you” (Luke 22:20 NLT). Jesus was indicating that something new was about to take place. The entire Passover meal they shared with Jesus had taken on a new meaning. He had revealed Himself as the true Passover Lamb, whose body would be broken to make atonement for the sins of men.

In the closing of his letter to the Hebrews, the author provides the following benediction:

Now may the God of peace—who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, and ratified an eternal covenant with his blood—may he equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him. All glory to him forever and ever! Amen. – Hebrews 13:20-21 NLT

Paul refers to the old covenant as “the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone” (2 Corinthians 3:7 ESV). The Mosaic Covenant revealed the will of God in the form of the law. It contained His commands for how the Israelites were to live on this earth as His chosen people. It was intended to set them apart from all the other nations. The law contained plenty of “you shall’s” and “you shall not’s.” It required perfect obedience, and it was accompanied by blessings and cursings. If the Israelites kept God’s laws, they would be blessed, but if they failed, they would experience His punishment in the form of God-administered curses.

If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands…I will look favorably upon you, making you fertile and multiplying your people. And I will fulfill my covenant with you. – Leviticus 26:3, 9 NLT

However, if you do not listen to me or obey all these commands, and if you break my covenant by rejecting my decrees, treating my regulations with contempt, and refusing to obey my commands, I will punish you. – Leviticus 26:14-16 NLT

The old covenant was a “ministry of death” because the people could not keep it; it could do nothing but condemn them. It could expose their sin, but it was not designed to help them have victory over sin. The law could tell them what to do or not to do, but was not capable of helping them obey. Paul writes in his letter to the Romans, “Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 5:19-20 ESV). In his letter to the Galatians, he responds to the logical question, “If the law can’t help men live righteously, why did God give it?”

Why, then, was the law given? It was given alongside the promise to show people their sins. But the law was designed to last only until the coming of the child who was promised. God gave his law through angels to Moses, who was the mediator between God and the people. – Galatians 3:19 NLT

Paul refers to an incident in which Moses came down from the mountain after receiving the law from God. His face literally glowed, and he exuded the glory of God, and the people were awed by it. It was the only evidence that the tablets of the law he passed on to them had come from God. When the glory on his face began to fade, so did their respect for and obedience to the law. But when Christ died, ushering in the new covenant, it was accompanied by the glory of the indwelling presence of the Spirit of God. Rather than an external and temporary form of glory, it was to be an internal and eternal one.

The new covenant has replaced the old covenant.

What once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it. – 2 Corinthians 3:10 ESV

Men no longer need to try to live up to God’s righteous standards, equipped with nothing more than their own determination and sin-weakened will. They now have the Spirit of God living within them, whose power enables them to live in obedience to God’s will. The author of Hebrews, quoting an Old Testament prophecy in Jeremiah, explains the significance of this new covenant relationship with God made possible by the death of Christ and the coming of the Holy Spirit.

If the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need for a second covenant to replace it. But when God found fault with the people, he said: “The day is coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and led them out of the land of Egypt. They did not remain faithful to my covenant, so I turned my back on them, says the Lord. But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, ‘You should know the Lord.’ For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already. And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.” When God speaks of a “new” covenant, it means he has made the first one obsolete. It is now out of date and will soon disappear. – Hebrews 8:7-13 NLT

The Corinthians were already recipients of this new covenant; they had received the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. But the day is coming when even the rebellious people of Israel will know what it is like to experience the grace of God and the glory of His Spirit’s presence and power.

Paul claimed his sufficiency came from God (2 Corinthians 3:5). That means that anything he accomplished was the result of the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. It was the Spirit who made it possible for Paul to be a minister of the new covenant. It was the Spirit who equipped him for service. It was the Spirit who validated his ministry. The new covenant had provided Paul with new life, a new nature, a new ministry, a new perspective on life, new hope, new purpose, and a new relationship with God that was based on grace, not effort, and mercy, not merit.

Father, You showed Your people Your divine standard of living but they couldn’t live up to it. Yet, You weren’t surprised because You knew all along that, left to themselves, they would never manage to obey Your holy and righteous requirements. They tried, but they failed, and You had graciously provided them with he sacrificial system because You knew they would. Through the sacrifice of bulls, lambs, and goats, they could receive temporary atonement from sin and a restored relationship with You. But those blood sacrifices “were never able to provide perfect cleansing” (Hebrews 10:1 NLT). “Instead, those sacrifices actually reminded them of their sins year after year” (Hebrews 10:3 NLT). So, You sent Your Son as the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29). He did what the law could never do. He sacrificed His life so that sinful men could receive permanent atonement and a permanently restored relationship with You. That was always Your plan and You accomplished it through the gracious gift of Your Son. Thank You! Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Nothing More, Nothing Less

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11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. 13 And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”

15 We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; 16 yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

17 But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! 18 For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. 19 For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose. – Galatians 2:11-21 ESV

To some, this whole confrontation between Paul and the Judaizers may appear overblown. Paul may come across as petty and too harsh in his opinions. After all, how can he be so sure that he’s right and everyone else is wrong? Aren’t they welcome to their own opinions? Can’t there be more than one way for people to be made right with God? According to Paul, no. And he has already made it perfectly clear why he could be so adamant in his opinion, because it was not his opinion; it was the word of God given to him by Jesus Christ Himself. For Paul, this was serious stuff. It wasn’t just a matter of a difference of opinion; it was a case of truth versus falsehood and the word of God versus the lies of the enemy. Paul was so firm on this point that he was willing to confront one of the recognized leaders of the early church, the former disciple of Jesus, Peter.

On a visit to the region of Galatia, Peter had sat down and eaten a meal with Paul and some of the Gentile Christians, even though the men in this group were uncircumcised and not converts to Judaism. But later, when some Jewish friends of James, another former disciple of Jesus, came to Antioch, Peter snubbed the Gentile Christians, refusing to associate with them. It seems that Peter did not want to offend his Jewish comrades. Evidently, these men were not willing to associate with the Gentile believers because they were uncircumcised and, therefore, unclean.

Peter’s actions appalled Paul, and despite Peter’s rock star status in the early church, Paul confronted him. As far as Paul was concerned, Peter’s actions gave credence to the message of the Judaizers and led others to believe that faith in Christ was not enough. But Paul made his position on the matter clear: “Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law” (Galatians 2:17 NLT). Case closed. Because otherwise, if these Gentile believers had come to salvation through faith in Christ alone, and then discovered that they were actually sinners because they had refused to keep the law, then the message Jesus had given Paul would have been the impetus or cause of their sin.

As far as Paul was concerned, that was ridiculous and impossible. Jesus never taught that salvation was some combination of faith in Him PLUS adherence to the Jewish law. The law was never meant to save anyone. It simply revealed the full extent of man’s sinfulness. The law was intended to stand as a standard of God’s righteous expectations. It was the measuring stick by which He judged the righteousness of men, and no one measured up. No one kept the law in its entirety. The law exposed man’s sinfulness and revealed just how far he fell short of God’s righteous standard. Paul wrote, “For when I tried to keep the law, it condemned me” (Galatians 2:19 NLT).

But Jesus came to fulfill the law. He took on human flesh, lived as a man, and kept the law of God to perfection. He did what no other man could have ever done. He satisfied the righteous standard of God, which is what made Him the perfect sinless sacrifice, worthy to offer His life as “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29 ESV). He willingly laid down his sinless life as payment for mankind’s sins. And when He died, those sins were crucified with Him.

Our old selves, our sinful selves, were put to death, and by dying with Christ, we were freed from having to keep the law as a means of maintaining a right standing with God.. In his letter to the Romans, Paul writes, “You died to the power of the law when you died with Christ” (Romans 7:4 NLT). As a result, we no longer have to try to keep all the requirements of the law to be made right with God. Salvation is not about self-effort; it is about faith in Christ alone. To try to add to this message or require anything more for salvation to be available is to treat the grace of God as meaningless and the death of Christ as insufficient.

For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die. – Galatians 2:21 NLT

But He did die because He had to. It was a necessity.

There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved. – Acts 4:12 NLT

As Augustus Toplady wrote in his well-known hymn, Rock of Ages, there is nothing we can bring to God that will make ourselves acceptable in His sight. We must simply cling to the cross of Christ and rest in His saving grace.

Nothing in my hand I bring,
simply to the cross I cling;
naked, come to thee for dress;
helpless, look to thee for grace;
foul, I to the fountain fly;
wash me, Savior, or I die.  – Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me, Augustus Toplady, 1740-1778

Father, man is always trying to figure out a way to play a more significant role in his own salvation. We so desperately want to earn or deserve Your grace. We want a set of rules to keep or standards to live up to. But we can’t even keep the rules we make, let alone the righteous standard You demand. And yet, You offer us a restored relationship with You through Jesus Christ, completely apart from our own self-effort. But we can’t seem to stop adding things to the equation. Help us grasp the unbelievable nature of what Christ made possible through His death. He is the key to our salvation, nothing more, nothing less. There’s nothing more that needs to be done. Amen.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

As If Forgiveness Was Not Enough

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To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. A Song.

1 Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion,
    and to you shall vows be performed.
2 O you who hear prayer,
    to you shall all flesh come.
3 When iniquities prevail against me,
    you atone for our transgressions.
4 Blessed is the one you choose and bring near,
    to dwell in your courts!
We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house,
    the holiness of your temple!

5 By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness,
    O God of our salvation,
the hope of all the ends of the earth
    and of the farthest seas;
6 the one who by his strength established the mountains,
    being girded with might;
7 who stills the roaring of the seas,
    the roaring of their waves,
    the tumult of the peoples,
8 so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs.
You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy.

9 You visit the earth and water it;
    you greatly enrich it;
the river of God is full of water;
    you provide their grain,
    for so you have prepared it.
10 You water its furrows abundantly,
    settling its ridges,
softening it with showers,
    and blessing its growth.
11 You crown the year with your bounty;
    your wagon tracks overflow with abundance.
12 The pastures of the wilderness overflow,
    the hills gird themselves with joy,
13 the meadows clothe themselves with flocks,
    the valleys deck themselves with grain,
    they shout and sing together for joy. – Psalm 65:1-13 ESV

In this corporate confession, David expresses the gratitude of God’s people for his faithfulness, fruitfulness, and forgiveness. This psalm is a powerful reminder that “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” (James 1:17 ESV). But David’s eloquent statement of gratitude for God’s goodness begins with a reminder of His undeserved forgiveness.

Though we are overwhelmed by our sins,
    you forgive them all. – Psalm 65:3 NLT

Sinfulness is the one characteristic all human beings share, and forgiveness for our sins is the one thing we all must receive from God to live in harmony with Him. David knew from firsthand experience that sin was a roadblock to a right relationship with God, and restoring that broken relationship required God’s gracious and undeserved act of forgiveness. But in forgiving sin, God does not turn a blind eye to man’s willful disobedience to His commands. Forgiveness does not come without a price. The entire sacrificial system was based on the fact that sin required a payment. The author of Hebrews puts it in sobering terms.

…under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. – Hebrews 9:22 ESV

David had regularly participated in the sacrificial process, offering unblemished lambs and rams for his own personal transgressions. Each year, on the Day of Atonement, he witnessed the High Priest sacrifice “two male goats for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering” (Leviticus 16:5 NLT). This elaborate ceremony had been ordained by God and was to take place on the same day every year. After offering an unblemished bull to atone for his own sins, the High Priest was to “take the two male goats and present them to the Lord at the entrance of the Tabernacle” (Leviticus 16:7 NLT). The instructions given by God were specific and non-negotiable. For forgiveness to be received, every detail of God’s command must be followed to the letter.     

He is to cast sacred lots to determine which goat will be reserved as an offering to the Lord and which will carry the sins of the people to the wilderness of Azazel. Aaron will then present as a sin offering the goat chosen by lot for the Lord. The other goat, the scapegoat chosen by lot to be sent away, will be kept alive, standing before the Lord. When it is sent away to Azazel in the wilderness, the people will be purified and made right with the Lord. – Leviticus 16:8-10 NLT

David was amazed at God’s gracious provision of the sacrificial system and the atonement for sin it provided. He knew that no one deserved God’s forgiveness, including himself. He understand the gravity of the gift that God provided and refused to take it for granted. He was blown away by the fact that a holy God had provided a means by which sinful people could come into His presence and received forgiveness for sins they had committed against Him.

What joy for those you choose to bring near,
    those who live in your holy courts.
What festivities await us
    inside your holy Temple. – Psalm 65:4 NLT

But his amazement didn’t stop there. This loving, compassionate, and forgiving God also poured out His grace in other ways. He describes God as “the hope of everyone on earth” (Psalm 65:5 NLT). Whether they realized it or not, every human being enjoyed the grace and favor of Yahweh, the God of the Israelites. Jesus stated that His Heavenly Father “gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike” (Matthew 5:45 NLT). 

David viewed Yahweh as the Creator-God who formed the heavens and the earth as a hospitable habitat for humanity.

You formed the mountains by your power
    and armed yourself with mighty strength.
You quieted the raging oceans
    with their pounding waves
    and silenced the shouting of the nations.
Those who live at the ends of the earth
    stand in awe of your wonders.
From where the sun rises to where it sets,
    you inspire shouts of joy. – Psalm 65:6-8 NLT

Every individual was the byproduct of God’s grace and mercy, having been formed by His hand, filled with the breath of life, and placed on this planet to enjoy His manifold blessings – whether they honored Him as God or not. They enjoy the benefits of living on a rich and fertile planet that has abundant resources to meet all their needs, and David gives Yahweh all the credit.

The river of God has plenty of water;
    it provides a bountiful harvest of grain,
    for you have ordered it so.
You drench the plowed ground with rain,
    melting the clods and leveling the ridges.
You soften the earth with showers
    and bless its abundant crops. – Psalm 65:9-10 NLT

Everyone, from the godless pagan to the God-fearing Israelite, enjoys His common grace. David described this divine attribute in another psalm.

The Lord is good to everyone.
    He showers compassion on all his creation. – Psalm 145:9 NLT

Jesus described God as “kind to those who are unthankful and wicked” (Luke 6:35 NLT). Paul echoed those words when he spoke to an audience of pagan idolators in Lystra.

“We have come to bring you the Good News that you should turn from these worthless things and turn to the living God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them. In the past he permitted all the nations to go their own ways, but he never left them without evidence of himself and his goodness. For instance, he sends you rain and good crops and gives you food and joyful hearts.” – Acts 14:15-17 NLT

David’s psalm was intended to be a song celebrating the goodness and graciousness of God. The Hebrews, like every other people group on the planet, enjoyed God’s common grace but also benefited from His special grace. Yahweh had given the children of Israel the sacrificial system so they might enjoy forgiveness of sins. David understood that all of God’s blessings were of no value if man’s sin problem was not solved. Long before Paul wrote the words, David understood the truth they contain.

For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. – Romans 3:23-24 NLT

David also understood that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23 NLT). That is why he put such high value on the sacrificial system. He had witnessed the sacrifices of countless unblemished lambs, bulls, and goats. He understood the concept of substitutionary atonement, the innocent serving as a stand-in or surrogate for the guilty. But David had no way of knowing that the sacrificial system he valued was a foreshadowing of something greater to come. The author of Hebrews points out that the forgiveness David received through the sacrificial was never intended to remove the penalty of sin. In a sense, it was a bandaid, a temporary fix to a much more deadly problem.

…those sacrifices actually reminded them of their sins year after year. For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. That is why, when Christ came into the world, he said to God,

“You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings.
    But you have given me a body to offer.
You were not pleased with burnt offerings
    or other offerings for sin.
Then I said, ‘Look, I have come to do your will, O God—
    as is written about me in the Scriptures.’” – Hebrews 10:3-7 NLT

David and his fellow Hebrews had to return to the Tabernacle year after year to offer sacrifices for their sins. It was a perpetual, non-stop requirement because their sin problem never went away. Again, the author of Hebrews explains the limited power of the sacrificial system to eradicate sin.

Under the old covenant, the priest stands and ministers before the altar day after day, offering the same sacrifices again and again, which can never take away sins. But our High Priest offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. – Hebrews 10:11-12 NLT

Peter reminds us that Jesus’ sacrifice was sufficient. He laid down His unblemished life as the payment for mankind’s sin debt – once for all. No other sacrifices were necessary. No further atonement must be made.

Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit. – 1 Peter 3:18 NLT

In Christ, the penalty for our sin paid in full. God took care of it by sending His Son to die in our place on the cross. Because of Jesus’ substitutionary death on the cross for us, our sin payment was paid in full. Not only the sins of the past, but the sins yet to be committed. That is why we can bring any sin to Him and receive forgiveness. Like David, we can feel overwhelmed by our sins and still receive forgiveness from God. All we need to do is humbly acknowledge them to Him, and, amazingly, the forgiveness is ours.

But as amazing as forgiveness of sin is, we can sometimes forget that God’s mercy shows up in our lives in so many other ways that we take for granted. David reminds us that God not only forgives our sins, He answers our prayers. “You faithfully answer our prayers with awesome deeds” (Psalm 65:5 NLT). We pray and God answers, and He does so according to His power. God does great and mighty things when we pray and place ourselves at His mercy.

But that’s not all. God has surrounded with signs of His power. The mountains and the oceans, the rising and setting sun, the rain and the rivers. The way He can turn a dry valley into a lush pasture, providing food for a flock of grazing sheep. His faithfulness in causing crops to grow and the earth to provide much-needed resources for life to continue on this planet. When David saw all that God did on a daily basis for mankind, he said, “you inspire shouts of joy!” (Psalm 65:8 NLT). You would think forgiveness of sin and the gift of salvation would be enough. But God continues to pour out His blessings on men in so many ways. Everything we enjoy on this earth is a gift from Him. Everything that exists was created by Him. The wonders of this world remind us constantly of Him. He is a great, good, faithful and forgiving God who inspires shouts of joy!

Father, while I am eternally grateful for Your forgiveness of my sins, I don’t ever want to take for granted all the other wonders You work in and around my life each and every day. You are a merciful, loving God who has given mankind so much. You provided us with life and then You surrounded us with the awe of Your creation. Even with the affects of the fall, this world is still a pretty amazing place in which to live. We get to see Your power and experience Your provision each and every day. So not only do I get to enjoy Your forgiveness, I get to live in the midst of Your creation. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Bad News and Good News

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1 Open your doors, O Lebanon,
    that the fire may devour your cedars!
2 Wail, O cypress, for the cedar has fallen,
    for the glorious trees are ruined!
Wail, oaks of Bashan,
    for the thick forest has been felled!
3 The sound of the wail of the shepherds,
    for their glory is ruined!
The sound of the roar of the lions,
    for the thicket of the Jordan is ruined!

4 Thus said the LORD my God: “Become shepherd of the flock doomed to slaughter. 5 Those who buy them slaughter them and go unpunished, and those who sell them say, ‘Blessed be the LORD, I have become rich,’ and their own shepherds have no pity on them. 6 For I will no longer have pity on the inhabitants of this land, declares the LORD. Behold, I will cause each of them to fall into the hand of his neighbor, and each into the hand of his king, and they shall crush the land, and I will deliver none from their hand.” – Zechariah 11:1-6 ESV

In these verses, Yahweh seems to be warning His people that they are doomed to repeat the sins of their forefathers. Despite their recent return to the land and their ongoing efforts to rebuild the Temple, they will continue to display the same proclivity for apostasy and idolatry. Yahweh wants to bless them and fully intends to restore their fortunes but He knows that their long-term future is bleak because of their hearts are far from Him.

All of the future hope He has outlined for them will come with the arrival of the Messiah at the end of the age. Until then, Israel’s prospects will include continued apostasy, no king, constant oppression from outside forces, and a longing for a return to their former days of glory. Under Zechariah’s leadership, the people of Judah would complete the construction of the new Temple, but its presence would do little to transform their hearts or alter their behavior.

The Temple was finished in 516 B.C. and then refurbished and expanded by Herod the Great about 18 B.C. This “second” Temple was still standing when Jesus began His earthly ministry. But the Romans destroyed that beautiful structure nearly 90 years later. Jesus predicted this devastating event when discussing the beauty of Herod’s renovated Temple with His disciples.

As Jesus was leaving the Temple that day, one of his disciples said, “Teacher, look at these magnificent buildings! Look at the impressive stones in the walls.”

Jesus replied, “Yes, look at these great buildings. But they will be completely demolished. Not one stone will be left on top of another!” – Mark 13:1-2 NLT

The disciples were obviously disturbed by what Jesus said but He had far more to say about the matter that would leave them disheartened and confused. First, He warned them not to be fooled by the appearance of false Messiahs, offering deliverance from the wars, famines, and earthquakes that would come. But His premonitions concerning their own fate must have hit the hardest.

“You will be handed over to the local councils and beaten in the synagogues. You will stand trial before governors and kings because you are my followers. But this will be your opportunity to tell them about me. For the Good News must first be preached to all nations.” – Mark 13:9-10 NLT

The future would be difficult and feature a disintegration of the social fabric.

“A brother will betray his brother to death, a father will betray his own child, and children will rebel against their parents and cause them to be killed. And everyone will hate you because you are my followers. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” – Mark 13:12-13 NLT

Jesus’ next words must have left His disciples staggering in disbelief. He described a period of great tribulation and turmoil – like nothing the world has ever seen.

“For there will be greater anguish in those days than at any time since God created the world. And it will never be so great again. In fact, unless the Lord shortens that time of calamity, not a single person will survive. But for the sake of his chosen ones he has shortened those days.” – Mark 13:19-20 NLT

However, the disciples failed to understand that many of these things would not occur until long after they were gone. After His ascension, they would suffer persecution, being arrested, tried, beaten, and even martyred for their proclamation of the Good News. But they would not live to see the full extent of the prophecy He outlined.

Jesus was speaking of His second coming, the future day when He would return to complete God’s plan for the redemption of Israel and the establishment of His Kingdom on earth.

“Then everyone will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds with great power and glory. And he will send out his angels to gather his chosen ones from all over the world—from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.” – Mark 13:26-27 NLT

But what does all this have to do with Zechariah 10:1-4? Everything. In these verses, the prophet delivers Yahweh’s message concerning the destruction of the Temple. Zechariah must have found these words difficult to write down because He was still trying to finish the construction of the Temple. It would have been highly demotivating and demoralizing to hear that their work would be in vain. He had no idea that 576 years would pass before the Romans destroyed the Temple.

While Yahweh used poetic language to describe the future fate of the Temple, His message would have been clear to Zechariah. Verse one describes the Temple in a rather strange way but one that Zechariah and the people of Judah would have understood.

Open your doors, O Lebanon,
    that the fire may devour your cedars! – Zechariah 11:1 ESV

When Solomon prepared to build the original Temple, he procured wood for its construction from the forests of Lebanon. He sent a message to the King of Tyre requesting all the lumber necessary to complete his plans for God’s house.

“Now therefore command that cedars of Lebanon be cut for me. And my servants will join your servants, and I will pay you for your servants such wages as you set, for you know that there is no one among us who knows how to cut timber like the Sidonians.” – 1 Kings 5:6 ESV

The text goes on to reveal that Hiram honored Solomon’s request and provided all the timber necessary for the Temple project.

So Hiram supplied Solomon with all the timber of cedar and cypress that he desired. – 1 Kings 5:10 ESV

Wood featured prominently in the design of the Temple.

So Solomon built the house and finished it. He lined the walls of the house on the inside with boards of cedar. From the floor of the house to the walls of the ceiling, he covered them on the inside with wood, and he covered the floor of the house with boards of cypress. He built twenty cubits of the rear of the house with boards of cedar from the floor to the walls, and he built this within as an inner sanctuary, as the Most Holy Place. The house, that is, the nave in front of the inner sanctuary, was forty cubits long. The cedar within the house was carved in the form of gourds and open flowers. All was cedar; no stone was seen. – 1 Kings 6:14-18 ESV

Because of the sheer quantity of lumber from Lebanon used in the Temple’s construction, According to the Talmud, God’s house was affectionately nicknamed, “Lebanon.” When Solomon finished his palace, he called it “the House of the Forest of Lebanon” (1 Kings 7:2 ESV).

So, verse 1 contains a thinly veiled reference to the destruction of the Temple. But Yahweh describes other “glorious trees” like cypress and oak that will also face destruction.

Wail, O cypress, for the cedar has fallen,
    for the glorious trees are ruined!
Wail, oaks of Bashan,
    for the thick forest has been felled! – Zechariah 11:2 ESV

Some scholars believe these are references to the people of Israel but, given the context, it makes more sense to see this as a further description of the Temple’s ultimate destruction. All the wood used to frame and decorate the Temple would be burned in the fire started by the Roman soldiers. For the second time, the glorious House of God was destroyed by the enemies of Israel. As a result of this devastation, the priests (shepherds) wail as they witness the destruction of their place of the LORD’s house and their place of employment.

The sound of the wail of the shepherds,
    for their glory is ruined! – Zechariah 11:3 ESV

But it would seem that these verses foreshadow something far greater than the fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. In the rest of the chapter, Yahweh expands the scope of His prophecy, describing a much greater devastation than that which took place in the 1st Century A.D. Once again, He provides a stark vision of the future that must have disturbed Zechariah but came without explanation or interpretation. Like Jesus’ disciples, the prophet had no way of knowing when these things might occur. But Yahweh gives a command that provides a vital clue to understanding what He is talking about.

“Become shepherd of the flock doomed to slaughter.” – Zechariah 11:4 ESV

This can be taken as a reference to Zechariah but it also has future implications. In chapter 10, Yahweh described the arrival of a new shepherd who would care for His forsaken flock.

“…the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has arrived
    to look after Judah, his flock.
He will make them strong and glorious,
    like a proud warhorse in battle.” – Zechariah 10:3 ESV

That shepherd would be the Good Shepherd, Jesus, who came to lay down His life for the sheep (John 10:11). God intended to send His Son as the ultimate Shepherd who would lovingly care for His neglected and mistreated flock.

“So I will rescue my flock, and they will no longer be abused. I will judge between one animal of the flock and another. And I will set over them one shepherd, my servant David. He will feed them and be a shepherd to them.” – Ezekiel 34:23-24 NLT

Matthew records that when Jesus came He saw the people of Israel with the eyes of a shepherd.

He saw the crowds, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. – Matthew 9:36 BSB

But John records, “He came to his own people, and even they rejected him” (John 1:11 NLT). Jesus came to be the Great Shepherd, but the sheep of Israel refused to hear His voice. In fact, according to the apostle Peter, they played a significant role in His death.

“This is the same Jesus whom you handed over and rejected before Pilate, despite Pilate’s decision to release him. You rejected this holy, righteous one and instead demanded the release of a murderer. You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. And we are witnesses of this fact!” – Acts3:13-15 NLT

In some sense, verses 4-6 of Zechariah 11 refer to God’s prophet. He was the “shepherd of the flock doomed to slaughter” (Zechariah 11:4 ESV). But, in this, he served as a type of foreshadowing of the greater shepherd to come. The author of Hebrews describes Jesus as “the great Shepherd of the sheep” (Hebrews 13:20 NLT). Jesus came to serve as the one true Shepherd, but His own flock refused to listen to His voice or accept His offer of care and compassion. But one day, Jesus will return again to gather up the scattered flock of God and restore them to His Father’s fold.

“I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep. I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd.” – John 10:14-16 NLT

But long before that event takes place, there will be a period of prolonged suffering and separation for the unfaithful flock of God. That is what God describes for His prophet Zechariah.

“For I will no longer have pity on the inhabitants of this land, declares the Lord. Behold, I will cause each of them to fall into the hand of his neighbor, and each into the hand of his king, and they shall crush the land, and I will deliver none from their hand.” – Zechariah 11:6 ESV

For Zechariah, those events lay in the distant future and he would not live to see them. But God was revealing the details of Israel’s destiny and assuring His prophet that there was a complete and fully reliable plan in place for their future well-being.

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Jehovah-Rohi

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1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2  He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
3     He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
    for his name’s sake.

4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
    I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
    your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
    forever. – Psalm 23:1-6 ESV

YHWH–Rohi – “The LORD My Shepherd.” This is the only occurrence of this name in the Bible, but the concept of God as a shepherd is a recurring theme. David’s use of this designation for God makes sense when considering his rural upbringing and his former role as a caretaker of his father’s flocks. When David was a young boy, he and his older brothers lived with their father Jesse in the town of Bethlehem. One day, they were visited by the prophet Samuel who had been sent by God to find the man He had chosen to be the next king of Israel. As Jesse paraded each of his sons before the prophet, God rejected each of them. When Samuel asked whether there were any other sons, Jesse replied, “There is still the youngest. But he’s out in the fields watching the sheep and goats” (1 Samuel 16:11 NLT).

David was sent for and when he arrived, God told Samuel, “This is the one; anoint him” (1 Samuel 16:12 NLT). It would be years before David was crowned king, but once he ascended to the throne, God commemorated his rise to prominence with a reminder. of his humble beginnings.

“This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has declared: I took you from tending sheep in the pasture and selected you to be the leader of my people Israel.” – 2 Samuel 7:8 NLT

Psalm 78 provides a more poetic description of David’s transformation from a shepherd of sheep to a shepherd of God’s people.

He chose his servant David,
    calling him from the sheep pens.
He took David from tending the ewes and lambs
    and made him the shepherd of Jacob’s descendants—
    God’s own people, Israel.
He cared for them with a true heart
    and led them with skillful hands. – Psalm 78:70-72 NLT

So, it’s no surprise that David used this familiar imagery to describe Yahweh. Psalm 23 is his recollection of God’s lifelong display of compassion, care, and tireless provision of protection and leadership. Yet, David was not the first to refer to God as his shepherd; that distinction goes to Jacob. During the final days of his life, Jacob pronounced blessings on his sons and included his two grandsons, Manasseh and Ephraim, who were the sons of Joseph.

“May the God before whom my grandfather Abraham
and my father, Isaac, walked—
the God who has been my shepherd
all my life, to this very day,
the Angel who has redeemed me from all harm—
may he bless these boys.
May they preserve my name
and the names of Abraham and Isaac.
And may their descendants multiply greatly
throughout the earth.” – Genesis 48:15-16 NLT

Jacob longed to see his grandsons experience the tender care and providential provision of the good and gracious shepherd who had guided him throughout his life. During his younger days, Jacob had shepherded the sheep of his father-in-law Laban. He too was well acquainted with the metaphorical nature of this description and could relate to God’s role as his divine protector and provider.

One of the greatest examples of God’s role as shepherd is found in the Book of Exodus, where He delivers the descendants of Jacob from their captivity in Egypt. He appeared to Moses, another shepherd who would become a divinely appointed leader, and announced His plans to set His people free.

“I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their cries of distress because of their harsh slave drivers. Yes, I am aware of their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and lead them out of Egypt into their own fertile and spacious land. It is a land flowing with milk and honey…” – Exodus 3:7-8 NLT

Jehovah–Rohi, the Shepherd-Redeeme,r would deliver His suffering sheep from the clutches of their Egyptian overlords and lead them to the verdant pasture lands of Canaan. Moses and his brother, Aaron, would serve as God’s under-shepherds, equipped with their shepherd staff’s and buoyed by the promise of God’s presence and power.

“ I will be with you,…” – Exodus 3:12 ESV

With God’s help, Moses eventually led the people of Israel to the borders of Canaan, but it would be Joshua who orchestrated their conquest and occupation of their inheritance. Over the centuries, God shepherded His people well, providing for all their needs and giving them victories over all their enemies. In time, God provided them with a series of judges who served as temporary deliverers from their own apostasy and His divine judgment. Then the day came when God allowed them to experience the rule of human kings who were to serve as His undershepherds. This led to a long line of monarchs, many of whom failed to live up to their calling as shepherds. Throughout the centuries, some of these men would prove to be unfaithful and unreliable leaders who did more harm than good. Eventually, God leveled a stinging indictment against these less-than-ideal leaders, accusing them of malfeasance and abuse of power.

Then this message came to me from the Lord: “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds, the leaders of Israel. Give them this message from the Sovereign Lord: What sorrow awaits you shepherds who feed yourselves instead of your flocks. Shouldn’t shepherds feed their sheep? You drink the milk, wear the wool, and butcher the best animals, but you let your flocks starve. You have not taken care of the weak. You have not tended the sick or bound up the injured. You have not gone looking for those who have wandered away and are lost. Instead, you have ruled them with harshness and cruelty. So my sheep have been scattered without a shepherd, and they are easy prey for any wild animal. They have wandered through all the mountains and all the hills, across the face of the earth, yet no one has gone to search for them.” – Ezekiel 34:1-6 NLT

This blunt assessment was not just for the kings of Israel but was meant to address all those in leadership, including the priestly caste. Everyone was held accountable for the spiritual malnourishment of God’s flock. Jeremiah delivered a similar unflattering appraisal of the shepherds of Israel.

“The shepherds of my people have lost their senses. They no longer seek wisdom from the LORD. Therefore, they fail completely, and their flocks are scattered.” – Jeremiah 10:21 NLT

Eventually, God brought judgment against His shepherds but the sheep had to suffer as well. A lack of godly leadership had resulted in a wholesale rebellion on the part of the people. Without proper care and feeding, the sheep wandered into other pastures seeking sustenance and safety. They abandoned God and suffered the consequences.

Yet, Jehovah-Rohi never gave up on them. He disciplined them for their unfaithfulness but never reneged on His covenant promises. He remained the Good Shepherd and, through the prophets, reminded His unfaithful flock that He would one day restore them.

Yes, the Sovereign Lord is coming in power.
    He will rule with a powerful arm.
    See, he brings his reward with him as he comes.
He will feed his flock like a shepherd.
    He will carry the lambs in his arms,
holding them close to his heart.
    He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young. – Isaiah 40:10-11 NLT

God did care for His flock and returned them to the land of Canaan under the leadership of Ezra and Nehemiah. While they had to suffer 70 years of exile in the land of Babylon, Jehovah-Rohi never lost sight of them and never gave up on them.

Yet, their return to the land of promise was not the end of God’s shepherding role. Eventually, He sent His Son to be the Good Shepherd. The gospel of John records the insightful words of Jesus as He declared Himself to be the consummate shepherd who models what true godly leadership looks like.

“I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them. Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep. A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming. He will abandon the sheep because they don’t belong to him and he isn’t their shepherd. And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock. The hired hand runs away because he’s working only for the money and doesn’t really care about the sheep.

“I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep. I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd.” – John 10:7-16 NLT

When Jesus appeared on the scene, He provided His own assessment of the spiritual state of His Father’s flock.

Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. – Matthew 9:35-36 NLT

The Good Shepherd couldn’t help but look at His own people and see them as shepherdless sheep, wandering about confused and helpless. For centuries, they had been misled and mistreated. Their political and spiritual leaders had used and abused them. Those who should have been feeding and caring for them had ended up taking advantage of them. But Jesus, the Son of David, emulated the example of the man after God’s own heart. He was the quintessential shepherd, the Good Shepherd, who would lay down His life for the sheep. And like His forefather, Jesus would shepherd the flock of God with care and compassion.

But Jesus would do more than simply lead and feed. He would provide protection against the enemy who seeks to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). As the Good Shepherd, Jesus would lay down His life on behalf of His Father’s sheep. Just as John the Baptist had declared. Jesus became the Lamb of God who sacrificed His life so that the sheep of God might have access to God’s heavenly sheepfold.

Jesus makes it quite clear. “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture” (John 10:9 ESV). He is the exclusive access point to the Father and he later reiterated this bold claim to Thomas.

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” – John 14:6 ESV

But Jesus didn’t sugarcoat how the sheep find access to the Father.

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” – John 10:11 ESV

The religious leaders were not about to sacrifice their lives for anyone. They weren’t even willing to bow the knee before the Son of God. They refused to submit their wills to the Father. And when the Good Shepherd appeared in their midst, they were unable to hear His voice. But there were those who heard Jesus ask, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” and responded, “Lord, I believe” (John 9:35, 38 ESV).

And Jesus revealed that there would be others.

“I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.” – John 10:16 ESV

This is His veiled reference to the Gentiles, who will also become part of God’s flock. Like the Samaritan woman, they too will hear the voice of the Good Shepherd and respond in belief. They will recognize the call of God, coming from the lips of the Son of God, offering them living water, the bread of life, and the promise of an eternity marked by peace, contentment, joy, and righteousness.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

New English Translation (NET)NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.

Jehovah-Jireh

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13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”– Genesis  22:13-14 ESV

Genesis 22 contains the familiar and somewhat unsettling story of Abraham’s attempted sacrifice of his son Isaac. Moses records every excruciating detail surrounding this God-sanctioned event that required a loving father to offer up the life of his one-and-only son as a sacrifice. Abraham had received clear and non-negotiable instructions from ‘ĕlōhîm.

“Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” – Genesis 22:2 ESV

Amazingly, the text contains no pushback from Abraham. There is no record of him arguing with or questioning God’s command. It simply states, “So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac” (Genesis 22:3 ESV).

Three days into their journey to the region of Moriah, Abraham saw their final destination in the distance and decided to leave his servants behind. He and Isaac would travel alone to the place of sacrifice. Abraham, perhaps hoping to hide his true intentions from his unwitting son, told his servants, “The boy and I will travel a little farther. We will worship there, and then we will come right back” (Genesis 22:5 NLT). Some have determined this to be a statement of faith on Abraham’s part, suggesting that he was confident that God would spare his son. But it seems more likely that Abraham was waiting until the last minute to let Isaac in on the true nature of their journey. His son had no way of knowing the fate that lay in store for him.

Moses describes how Abraham took all the elements he would need for the sacrifice, including a knife, a blazing torch, and wood. Then he adds the heartwrenching notation: “And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son” (Genesis 22:6 ESV). Isaac was carrying the very wood upon which his young life would be consumed.

For those of us living on this side of the crucifixion, it should be easy to recognize the similarities between Isaac and Jesus. Both entered the world through miraculous, God-ordained births. Isaac was born to an elderly and barren woman. Jesus was born to a young virgin girl. Each of them was deeply adored by their respective fathers. And just as Abraham was facing the prospect of sacrificing his son, centuries later, God would offer up His one and only Son as the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29). There is even a striking similarity between Isaac bearing the wood for his own sacrifice and Jesus carrying the cross upon which He would be crucified.

But for the Jews for whom Moses recorded this story, none of these links to the future death of the Messiah would have been apparent. For them, this story would have had significance because it involved Isaac, who would later become the father of Jacob, the man whom God later renamed, Israel. And it was from this one man that they owed their very existence. To hear the story of how Jacob’s father was almost put to death by order of Yahweh must have left them appalled and confused. How could their God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, order such a thing? And, of course, they would have been viewing this entire scene through the lens of the Mosaic Law. They had been given clear instructions to avoid the religious rituals and customs of their pagan neighbors.

You must not worship the Lord your God the way the other nations worship their gods, for they perform for their gods every detestable act that the Lord hates. They even burn their sons and daughters as sacrifices to their gods. – Leviticus 12:31 NLT

And yet, Abraham had no written law to guide his actions. He was operating according to the spoken word of God Almighty, and His instructions had been clear.

“Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.” – Genesis 22:2 NLT

The disconcerting nature of this divine command must have left Abraham filled with questions. Why would God require the sacrifice of the very son whom He had miraculously provided? What possible good could come from something so seemingly wicked? But the key is found in three words found in the opening verse of this chapter: God tested Abraham.

The people of Israel were very familiar with the concept of divine testing. In fact, their ancestors had spent 40 years wandering in the wilderness, enduring ongoing tests from Yahweh that were designed to increase their dependence upon Him. The Book of Deuteronomy records Moses’ powerful words spoken to the people of Israel as they prepared to enter the land of Canaan for the first time.

“Remember how the LORD your God led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would obey his commands. Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. For all these forty years your clothes didn’t wear out, and your feet didn’t blister or swell. Think about it: Just as a parent disciplines a child, the LORD your God disciplines you for your own good.” – Deuteronomy 8:2-5 NLT

So, it seems highly likely that the original readers of this book would have understood the nature of the test that Abraham was having to face. They knew that Yahweh expected obedience from His people because obedience was a sign of dependence and faith. They knew what disobedience looked like because they had grumbled and whined about their dislike for manna. During their years wandering in the wilderness, they spent more time complaining to Moses than they spent worshiping and expressing gratitude to God.

As Abraham and Isaac made their way to the site of the sacrifice, Isaac couldn’t help but notice that something was missing.

He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” – Genesis 22:7 ESV

To the young Isaac, this was a glaring oversight. Why had his father failed to select an unblemished lamb before they left home? How were they going to find a suitable animal out in the wilderness? But Abraham calmly answered, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son” (Genesis 22:8 ESV). Once again, some believe this was an expression of Abraham’s faith. They suggest that Abraham somehow knew that God would provide a substitute. But, according to the author of Hebrews, Abraham was declaring his belief that Isaac was the lamb that God had provided. The sacrifice would take place. But Abraham still believed that God would fulfill His covenant promise, even if it meant raising Isaac from the dead.

It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God’s promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, even though God had told him, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.” Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead. – Hebrews 11:17-19 NLT

Abraham fully intended to go through with God’s command. He did not delay, hoping for a last-minute reprieve. He did not scan the horizon, hoping for a lamb to miraculously appear. No, Moses records that “Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood on it. Then he tied his son, Isaac, and laid him on the altar on top of the wood. And Abraham picked up the knife to kill his son as a sacrifice” (Genesis 22:0-10 NLT).

One can only imagine the turmoil going on in Abraham’s mind and heart. Every fiber of his being must have been conflicted as his fatherly instincts waged war against his desire to walk before God and be blameless (Genesis 17:1). Interestingly enough, Moses provides no insight into Isaac’s reactions. The young boy appears to have remained eerily silent throughout this ordeal. He asked no further questions. He refused to put up a struggle. But just as Abraham prepared to shed the blood of his own innocent son, God intervened.

“Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” – Genesis 22:21 ESV

Abraham clearly loved Isaac. But he reverenced God. The Hebrew word for “fear” is יָרֵא (yārē’) and, in this context, it refers to reverent awe for God that is expressed through obedience. Abraham did not do what he did out of fear of God’s wrath, but out of reverence for God’s holiness and power. His obedience was an expression of his faith in an all-powerful and perfectly righteous God.

As the author of Hebrews suggests, “Abraham did receive his son back from the dead” (Hebrews 11:17 NLT). In Abraham’s mind, Isaac’s death was a foregone conclusion. But, at the very last second, his son’s life was spared. God provided a substitute.

Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. – Genesis 22:17 ESV

This verse foreshadows another sacrifice that would take place centuries later. It too would involve a loving Father and His precious Son. But this time, there would be no last-minute reprieve. There would be no substitute. In fact, the Son would serve as the substitute for sinful mankind. The apostle Paul reminds us of the tremendous cost that our Heavenly Father paid so that we might live to see another day.

He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? – Romans 8:32 ESV

Abraham had his son returned to him, and out of gratitude and a growing reverence for this gracious and compassionate God, he named the place Jehovah-Jireh (YHWH-Yireh), which is most commonly translated as “the Lord will provide.” Isaac had been spared, not because he deserved it, but because God had plans to offer a far more significant and superior sacrifice. The apostle Paul declares the glory of this future gift the Lamb who would take away the sins of the world.

For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus. – Romans 3:23-26 NLT

There seems to be far more going on in this story than simply God’s provision of a substitute sacrifice. As important as that was, it paints an incomplete picture of ‘ĕlōhîm’s actions. Moses named the location YHWH yirʾe. The second half of that name is a transliteration of the Hebrew word rā’â which means “to see,” “look,” or “foresee.”

The Amplified Bible translates verse 14 as follows:

So Abraham named that place The LORD Will Provide. And it is said to this day, “On the mountain of the LORD it will be seen and provided.”

The Aramaic Bible in Plain English also weaves in the idea of seeing, adding the aspect of appearance.

And Abraham called the name of that place “LORD JEHOVAH will appear” of which it is said today, “In this mountain LORD JEHOVAH will appear.”

The Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, gives the meaning of the name as “The LORD hath seen.”

The 1917 Jewish Publication Society translation renders verse 14 this way:

And Abraham called the name of that place Adonai-jireh; as it is said to this day: “In the mount where the LORD is seen.

There seems to be far more going on here than the provision of a ram to take the place of Isaac. God saw Abraham’s faith and responded by providing a substitute. In that gracious act of mercy, Abraham saw the hand of God. And in the entire sequence of events, we can see God’s plan to send His Son as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world” (John 1:29). The same Hebrew word that is transliterated as jireh is used in verse 13 where it states, “Then Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in a thicket. So he took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering in place of his son.”

Throughout this entire scenario, sight plays a significant role. God was watching. Abraham was waiting to see what God would do. As Hebrews makes clear, he was counting on the fact that God could raise his son back to life. But then he saw the ram and experienced the grace of God. For modern-day Christians reading this account of Abraham and Isaac, we get to see that Mount Moriah was the eventual site of the Temple built by Solomon. It would also be the same area in which the sinless Son of God sacrificed His life on behalf of sinful humanity. Jehovah-Jireh sees and provides, not only a ram for the son of Abraham but His own Son for the sins of the world. He saw the need for His Son to be a Savior long before the world was made, Adam and Eve were created, or the fall took place. And we are the beneficiaries of God’s foresight and faithfulness, just as Isaac was.

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Our Sin Substitute

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11 And when David arose in the morning, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Gad, David’s seer, saying, 12 “Go and say to David, ‘Thus says the Lord, Three things I offer you. Choose one of them, that I may do it to you.’” 13 So Gad came to David and told him, and said to him, “Shall three years of famine come to you in your land? Or will you flee three months before your foes while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days’ pestilence in your land? Now consider, and decide what answer I shall return to him who sent me.”’ 14 Then David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Let us fall into the hand of the Lord, for his mercy is great; but let me not fall into the hand of man.”

15 So the Lord sent a pestilence on Israel from the morning until the appointed time. And there died of the people from Dan to Beersheba 70,000 men. 16 And when the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord relented from the calamity and said to the angel who was working destruction among the people, “It is enough; now stay your hand.” And the angel of the Lord was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. 17 Then David spoke to the Lord when he saw the angel who was striking the people, and said, “Behold, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Please let your hand be against me and against my father’s house.”

18 And Gad came that day to David and said to him, “Go up, raise an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” 19 So David went up at Gad’s word, as the Lord commanded. 20 And when Araunah looked down, he saw the king and his servants coming on toward him. And Araunah went out and paid homage to the king with his face to the ground. 21 And Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” David said, “To buy the threshing floor from you, in order to build an altar to the Lord, that the plague may be averted from the people.” 22 Then Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take and offer up what seems good to him. Here are the oxen for the burnt offering and the threshing sledges and the yokes of the oxen for the wood. 23 All this, O king, Araunah gives to the king.” And Araunah said to the king, “May the Lord your God accept you.” 24 But the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. 25 And David built there an altar to the Lord and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the Lord responded to the plea for the land, and the plague was averted from Israel. – 2 Samuel 24:12-25 ESV

David had sinned. He had conducted a census to determine the size of his nation and, ultimately, his army. His actions revealed that his trust was not in the Lord but in the size and strength of his army. But having completed his ill-fated census, David immediately regretted his decision and recognized it as an affront to God.

“I have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now, O Lord, please take away the iniquity of your servant, for I have done very foolishly.” – 2 Samuel 24:10 ESV

David was wise to confess his sin, but his iniquity and guilt remained. He knew that restitution would need to be made. Some form of payment would be required to cover the sin he had committed. David was well-acquainted with the requirements of the sacrificial law and knew that his sin must be atoned for. The author of Hebrews reminds us: “Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins” (Hebrews 9:22 ESV).

David couldn’t just say, “I’m sorry” and then expect everything to go back to the way it was before. Payment for sin was required, and God offered David three different payment plans. He sent word to David through a prophet named Gad.

“I will give you three choices. Choose one of these punishments, and I will inflict it on you.” – 2 Samuel 24:12 NLT

His three choices included a lengthy famine, a devastating plague, or a three-month time period when his mighty army would be powerless against its enemies. In all three cases, death was a non-negotiable outcome. His people were either going to die by the sword, starvation, or sickness. David’s response seems to indicate that the one option he ruled out was the three months’ worth of defeat at the hands of his enemies. He cried out to God, “let us fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is great. Do not let me fall into human hands” (2 Samuel 24:14 NLT). This man who had just taken a census to determine the size of his army had no desire to go to war. It wasn’t that he was afraid of a good fight, it was that he knew this one would be a losing proposition. For someone used to always coming out on the winning side, the thought of being humiliated by his enemies was not an option. So, he begged God to remove that option.

“…let us fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is great. Do not let me fall into human hands.” – 2 Samuel 24:14 NLT

David opted to have God mete out the punishment, trusting in His mercy and grace. So, God sent a plague across the entire nation of Israel. The nature of God’s chosen form of punishment should not be overlooked. David had just finished numbering his people and determining the size of his fighting force. The census revealed that he had a potential army of one million three hundred thousand men, a fact that must have pleased David greatly. During his reign, the population of Israel had increased greatly, making him the ruler of a mighty nation and the commander of a formidable army.

But God’s judgment would prove costly and go directly to the heart of David’s sin: His misplaced trust in the size of his army. As a result of the plague, David lost 70,000 men, a staggering figure that represents close to 20 percent of his fighting force. Sadly, these men all died as a result of David’s sin, not because they had done anything to deserve it. They didn’t have the honor of sacrificing their lives in the heat of battle while facing the enemies of Israel. They were struck down by a debilitating plague because of a sin committed by their commander-in-chief, and they were not alone. An undetermined number of women and children also died as a result of the plague.

The text makes it clear that the death toll was going to increase greatly because God’s angel “was preparing to destroy Jerusalem” (2 Samuel 24:16 NLT). The plague had already lasted three days and now the city of David was to be the target of God’s wrath. But when David witnessed the destruction he had brought upon his people, he cried out to God again.

“I am the one who has sinned and done wrong! But these people are as innocent as sheep—what have they done? Let your anger fall against me and my family.” – 2 Samuel 24:17 NLT

As a result of David’s plea, God sent the prophet Gad with instructions.

“Go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” – 2 Samuel 24:18 NLT

This is where it all gets interesting. The threshing floor of Araunah was where the angel of the Lord had been stopped by God from bringing any more destruction upon the people.

But as the angel was preparing to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord relented and said to the death angel, “Stop! That is enough!” At that moment the angel of the Lord was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. – 2 Samuel 24:16 NLT

This place held special significance for the Israelites. Centuries earlier, the patriarch Abraham had gone to this very same spot to offer up his son Isaac as a sacrifice to God.  He and his wife Sarah had waited over 60 years for Isaac to be born. Yet God, who had promised to give Abraham a son and had miraculously caused his barren wife to give birth, commanded that the long-awaited child be put to death.

“Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.” – Genesis 22:2 ESV

Amazingly, Abraham obeyed the command of God and prepared to sacrifice the life of his son. But at the last second, God intervened and an angel of the Lord stayed Abraham’s hand. Then God provided a substitute sacrifice, a ram whose horns had been caught in a thicket. That ram took Isaac’s place and its blood was spilled on his behalf.

So he [Abraham] took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering in place of his son. Abraham named the place Yahweh-Yireh (which means “the Lord will provide”). – Genesis 22:13-14 NLT

Now, centuries later, God commanded David to build an altar to offer a sacrifice on behalf of his people.

David built an altar there to the Lord and sacrificed burnt offerings and peace offerings. And the Lord answered his prayer for the land, and the plague on Israel was stopped. – 2 Samuel 24:25 NLT

This was no coincidence. God chose this spot for a reason. It was at this location that He had spared the life of Isaac. It was here that He would spare the people of Israel. And it would be on this very same spot, the threshing floor of Araunah, that Solomon would build his magnificent temple, where countless sacrifices would be made on behalf of the people. Sacrifice was required for forgiveness to be received because without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. David could confess his sins, but payment was still required.

As followers of Christ, we live under a different dispensation. We are no longer required to make payment for our sins. We don’t have to shed the blood of an innocent animal to satisfy the just demands of a holy God. Why? Because our sins have been paid for in full. The apostle John reminds us, “But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness” (1 John 1:9 NLT). All we have to do is confess our sins. There is no more condemnation for our sins. There is no further payment required because Jesus paid it all. The author of Hebrews tells us just how different things are now because of what Jesus did for us on the cross.

The sacrifices under that system [the Mosaic law] were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship. If they could have provided perfect cleansing, the sacrifices would have stopped, for the worshipers would have been purified once for all time, and their feelings of guilt would have disappeared. But instead, those sacrifices actually reminded them of their sins year after year. For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. – Hebrews 10:1-4 NLT

But he goes on to give us the good news:

For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time. – Hebrews 10:10 NLT

Our sins, past, present, and future, have all been paid for by Christ’s death on the cross. He paid the debt we owed. He covered our sins with His blood. As a result, we have complete forgiveness for ALL of our sins. We don’t have to ask for forgiveness; we simply have to confess our sins. The forgiveness is guaranteed. When we sin, God’s Spirit convicts us, and that conviction leads us to confess our sins to God. To confess means to agree with Him that we have sinned against Him. When we confess, He responds with forgiveness – each and every time – faithfully and fully.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Never Forget

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1 And the Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying, 2 “Let the people of Israel keep the Passover at its appointed time. 3 On the fourteenth day of this month, at twilight, you shall keep it at its appointed time; according to all its statutes and all its rules you shall keep it.” 4 So Moses told the people of Israel that they should keep the Passover. 5 And they kept the Passover in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at twilight, in the wilderness of Sinai; according to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so the people of Israel did. 6 And there were certain men who were unclean through touching a dead body, so that they could not keep the Passover on that day, and they came before Moses and Aaron on that day. 7 And those men said to him, “We are unclean through touching a dead body. Why are we kept from bringing the Lord’s offering at its appointed time among the people of Israel?” 8 And Moses said to them, “Wait, that I may hear what the Lord will command concerning you.”

9 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 10 “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, If any one of you or of your descendants is unclean through touching a dead body, or is on a long journey, he shall still keep the Passover to the Lord. 11 In the second month on the fourteenth day at twilight they shall keep it. They shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 12 They shall leave none of it until the morning, nor break any of its bones; according to all the statute for the Passover they shall keep it. 13 But if anyone who is clean and is not on a journey fails to keep the Passover, that person shall be cut off from his people because he did not bring the Lord’s offering at its appointed time; that man shall bear his sin. 14 And if a stranger sojourns among you and would keep the Passover to the Lord, according to the statute of the Passover and according to its rule, so shall he do. You shall have one statute, both for the sojourner and for the native.” – Numbers 9:1-14 ESV

The first 14 verses of chapter 9 record God’s call for Israel to celebrate the second annual Passover. A year had passed since He had instituted the original Passover meal that had resulted in the deliverance of the people of Israel from the divine judgment meted out by the Death Angel. Any home where the blood of an unblemished lamb had been spread on the doorpost and lintel had been spared the death of the firstborn (Exodus 12). The sacrifice of the innocent lambs provided protection from the wrath of God. Their lives were offered up in place of the firstborn sons of the Israelites.

God graciously reminded His people to keep this annual festival, knowing that they would naturally tend to forget. Much had transpired since they left Egypt a year earlier and the celebration of that long-forgotten night would have been the last thing on their minds. Yet, God had commanded them to commemorate the Passover every year on the same day from generation to generation.

“This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast.” – Exodus 12:14 ESV

The second-annual Passover was to occur in the first month of the second year after the Exodus. This means it took place a month earlier than the census recorded in chapter 1, which God had instituted “on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt” (Numbers 1:1 ESV). This tells us that the events recorded in Numbers are not necessarily in chronological order.

As per God’s command, the Passover was to be kept “at its appointed time; according to all its statutes and all its rules” (Numbers 9:3 ESV). Nothing was left to chance. They couldn’t skip it or make any changes to it. Everything had to be done in keeping with the requirements spelled out by God on the evening of the first Passover.

“Every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers’ houses, a lamb for a household. …Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats, and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight.” – Exodus 12:3, 5-6 ESV

As part of the celebration, the people of Israel were required to reenact all the requirements that  God had handed down regarding the Passover, including the sacrifice of the lamb.

“…take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it.” – Exodus 12:7 ESV

While they were living in Egypt, the Israelites had been shepherds (Exodus 9:1-7), so they had ready access to the lambs necessary for obeying God’s commands. Even when they departed Egypt, they did so with “great flocks and herds of livestock” (Exodus 12:38 NLT).  So, they had plenty of resources to obey God’s command and commemorate this annual festival.

Once again, they were not free to twist the rules or skimp on the requirements. The lambs must be without blemish. They couldn’t cut corners by offering a flawed or disfigured animal. That would have made the sacrifice unacceptable to God. Every detail concerning the celebration of the original Passover had been critical and non-negotiable. If they wanted to experience God’s deliverance, the people would have to do everything according to His exacting standards. As the years passed and each successive generation asked, “What does this ceremony mean?,” their parents were to answer, “It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, for he passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt. And though he struck the Egyptians, he spared our families” (Exodus 12:25-27 NLT).

God had graciously spared the Israelites, but they had been required to do everything according to plan. Their obedience was non-optional and non-negotiable and, a year later, that fact remained unchanged.

The Passover was all about God’s mercy and grace. When the Death Angel passed through the land of Canaan, all the firstborns of the flocks and herds were to die, as well as the firstborns of all the households in Egypt. That would have included the Israelites – unless they obeyed God’s command and purified their homes with the blood of the unblemished lamb.

The Passover meal had been ordained for the Israelites alone. God had made it perfectly clear that “no uncircumcised male may ever eat the Passover meal” (Exodus 12:48 NLT). Any foreigner wishing to celebrate that Passover and escape the wrath of God was required to undergo the right of circumcision. 

“If there are foreigners living among you who want to celebrate the Lord’s Passover, let all their males be circumcised. Only then may they celebrate the Passover with you like any native-born Israelite.” – Exodus 12:48 NLT

And a year later, another provision was made for those who were ceremonially unclean.

…some of the men had been ceremonially defiled by touching a dead body, so they could not celebrate the Passover that day. – Numbers 9:6 NLT

Having come into contact with a corpse, they had become defiled and ceremonially impure. As a result, they were unable to celebrate the Passover meal or take part in the rest of the events associated with the festival. So, they made an appeal to Moses.

“We have become ceremonially unclean by touching a dead body. But why should we be prevented from presenting the Lord’s offering at the proper time with the rest of the Israelites?” – Numbers 9:7 NLT

Unsure as to what to do about this unexpected conundrum, Moses sought direction from God, and He responded.

“They must offer the Passover sacrifice one month later, at twilight on the fourteenth day of the second month.” – Numbers 9:11 NLT

This act of leniency would not have been possible a year earlier. Passover took place the very night on which the Death Angel passed through the land. A month’s delay would have resulted in death. But God had already delivered His people and they had escaped His judgment. Now, a year later, He could extend them grace by allowing them to delay their eating of the meal for 30 days; just enough time for them to undergo ceremonial purification and restoration. Once the month-long delay was complete, they were to keep every aspect of God’s command down to the last detail.

“They must follow all the normal regulations concerning the Passover.” – Numbers 9:12 NLT

God was gracious and came up with a provision for their defilement. But anyone who simply neglected to keep the Passover could not expect to enjoy the mercy of God.

“But those who neglect to celebrate the Passover at the regular time, even though they are ceremonially clean and not away on a trip, will be cut off from the community of Israel. If they fail to present the Lord’s offering at the proper time, they will suffer the consequences of their guilt.” – Numbers 9:13 NLT

These individuals were to be treated as ceremonially unclean and cut off from the faith community. Their failure to obey God’s commands concerning the Passover would result in their banishment. There would be no Death Angel passing through the midst of the camp, but they would suffer relational death – a painful removal from their family and friends and, worse yet, from the presence of God.

And God held everyone within the Israelite community to the same exacting standards, whether they were Jews or Gentile converts to Judaism.

“…if foreigners living among you want to celebrate the Passover to the Lord, they must follow these same decrees and regulations. The same laws apply both to native-born Israelites and to the foreigners living among you.” – Numbers 9:14 NLT

Some biblical scholars believe the reference to being “cut off” from the faith community is really a reference to physical death. One of the verses they use to support this interpretation is found in the book of Leviticus.

“All who do not deny themselves that day will be cut off from God’s people. And I will destroy anyone among you who does any work on that day.” – Leviticus 23:29-30 NLT

God commanded that the annual Day of Atonement be treated as a Sabbath day of rest. The people of Israel were prohibited from doing any work from sundown of one day to sundown of the next. If they did, they were to be cut off or destroyed. And those who failed to keep the Passover were also to be “cut off” so that they might “suffer the consequences of their guilt” (Numbers 9:13 NLT).

Whether the separation was merely physical, in terms of removal from the fellowship, or of a more permanent nature, due to death, it is clear that God considered obedience to His commands to be mandatory. His people were to keep His word or face the consequences. God had established the Passover as a memorial, an annual event designed to remind each successive generation of His gracious deliverance. He had protected His chosen people from certain death by providing them with a sacrificial substitute, an unblemished lamb whose life and blood served as a means of atonement. And the annual commemoration of this event was meant to remind them of God’s deliverance. When their children asked for an explanation for this bizarre ritual, the parents were to respond: “It is the sacrifice of the Lord‘s Passover, for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses.” (Exodus 12:27 ESV).

For us, the Passover serves as a reminder of the greater sacrifice that God offered on our behalf. He sent His Son to serve as the ultimate Passover Lamb whose blood would deliver from death and provide eternal life. The apostle Paul would remind the believers in Corinth, “Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed for us” (1 Corinthians 5:7 NLT). John the Baptist would describe Jesus as “The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29 NLT). According to the apostle Peter, this spotless Lamb of God served as God’s gracious ransom for mankind’s sin debt.

For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. – 1 Peter 1:18-19 NLT

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Servants and Substitutes

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1 These are the generations of Aaron and Moses at the time when the Lord spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai. 2 These are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 3 These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the anointed priests, whom he ordained to serve as priests. 4 But Nadab and Abihu died before the Lord when they offered unauthorized fire before the Lord in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children. So Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests in the lifetime of Aaron their father.

5 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 6 “Bring the tribe of Levi near, and set them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister to him. 7 They shall keep guard over him and over the whole congregation before the tent of meeting, as they minister at the tabernacle. 8 They shall guard all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, and keep guard over the people of Israel as they minister at the tabernacle. 9 And you shall give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are wholly given to him from among the people of Israel. 10 And you shall appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall guard their priesthood. But if any outsider comes near, he shall be put to death.”

11 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 12 “Behold, I have taken the Levites from among the people of Israel instead of every firstborn who opens the womb among the people of Israel. The Levites shall be mine, 13 for all the firstborn are mine. On the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated for my own all the firstborn in Israel, both of man and of beast. They shall be mine: I am the Lord.” – Numbers 3:1-13 ESV

Having provided Moses with the logistical arrangements of the various tribes around the Tabernacle, God now deals with the one tribe that He seems to have overlooked. The tribe of Levi was not mentioned in chapter two but they would play a significant role in the life of the Israelites and would be distributed equally among the other tribes within the encampment. This one tribe had been chosen by God to serve as caretakers of the Tabernacle but also as instructors of the law, teaching the people to obey the commands of God. They had received this special designation because of the role they played during the golden calf incident at Mount Sinai.

Not long after they arrived at the mountain, Moses left them in the valley while he ascended the mountain to confer with God. He left his brother Aaron in charge, but when Moses failed to return, the people began to pressure Aaron to take over the leadership responsibilities. The first thing they demanded their new leader to do was to make a new version of the God of Mount Sinai. They were unhappy with the thunder-and-lightning-fear-inducing God who occupied the summit of Mount Sinai.

To the Israelites at the foot of the mountain, the glory of the Lord appeared at the summit like a consuming fire. – Exodus 24:17 NLT

The powerful manifestation of God’s presence on Mount Sinai left the people petrified and fearful to draw near. So, when Moses failed to return after 40 days, they demanded that Aaron make them gods that were more like the gods they had worshiped in Egypt.

“Up, make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” – Exodus 32:1 ESV

Aaron gave in to their demands by gathering their gold jewelry and fashioning it into the image of a calf. Then he announced, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the Lord” (Exodus 32:5 ESV). The Hebrew word for “Lord” is Yahweh. Aaron was proclaiming that this calf he had made with his own hands was actually the God who had rescued them from Egypt. He had made a new and improved version of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But Aaron’s actions did not go unnoticed by God.

“Go down, for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. They have turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them. They have made for themselves a golden calf and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’” – Exodus 32:7-8 ESV

When Moses descended the mountain with the Ten Commandments in his hands, he witnessed with his own eyes the extent of the people’s wickedness.

Moses saw that Aaron had let the people get completely out of control, much to the amusement of their enemies. So he stood at the entrance to the camp and shouted, “All of you who are on the Lord’s side, come here and join me.” And all the Levites gathered around him. – Exodus 32:25-26 NLT

Moses knew he had to deal with the rebellion in the camp so he called for volunteers to assist him in meting out judgment. His own tribe, the Levites, were the only ones who stepped up to the challenge. Surrounded by his fellow tribesmen, Moses gave them their grim marching orders.

“Thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘Put your sword on your side each of you, and go to and fro from gate to gate throughout the camp, and each of you kill his brother and his companion and his neighbor.’” – Exodus 32:27 ESV

When the Levites had finished their work, more than 3,000 Israelites lay lifeless on the valley floor. Then Moses made the following announcement to his fellow Levites.

“Today you have been ordained for the service of the Lord, each one at the cost of his son and of his brother, so that he might bestow a blessing upon you this day.” – Exodus 32:29 ESV

It’s interesting to note that God had already planned to have the Levites serve as priests. He had given Moses the following instructions during his 40-day absence.

“Then bring near to you Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the people of Israel, to serve me as priests—Aaron and Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.” – Exodus 28:1 ESV

Little did the Levites know that their actions during the Golden Calf incident simply confirmed the role to which God had already assigned them. As God’s chosen priesthood, the Levites would also serve as the designated substitutes for the firstborn.

Before the Israelites left Egypt, God ordained the final plague that would ensure their release. He warned the Israelites that on one fateful night, all the firstborn of both animals and men would die unless His instructions were closely followed. He ordered each Israelite to sacrifice a lamb and sprinkle its blood on the doorpost and lintel of their home. This act of faith would ensure that the firstborn living within the walls of that home would be spared. And, as a result of God’s gracious acts of salvation, He claimed all the firstborn males of the Israelites as His own.

“Dedicate to me all the firstborn sons of Israel and every firstborn male animal. They are mine.” – Exodus 13:2 NLT

God had spared the firstborn of the Israelites and, in return, the people were to set apart those individuals to His service. They belonged to God. But things were about to change. God had another plan. He appointed the tribe of Levi to serve as ministers and as priests within the Tabernacle. They were the smallest of the tribes and seemed to hold special favor with God because of their role in the aftermath of the Golden Calf debacle.

The Levites became God’s servants and they served as the peoples’ substitute. God still claimed the firstborn as His own. They belonged to Him because He had spared their lives the night the death angel had passed over their homes in the land of Egypt. When Moses numbered all the firstborn males of the tribes of Israel they totaled 22,273. These were probably the number of firstborn males who had been born since they had left Egypt. The total number of Levite males from one month and older were 22,000. God was going to allow the Levites to become substitutes for the firstborn of all the Israelites.

“The Levites will be reserved for me as substitutes for the firstborn sons of Israel; I am the LORD. And the Levites’ livestock are mine as substitutes for the firstborn livestock of the whole nation of Israel.” – Number 3:41 NLT

God could have required all the firstborn males of Israel to maintain and move His Tabernacle. He could have demanded that they serve as His ministers and priests, but instead, He set aside the tribe of Levi for this important duty. And in doing so, He allowed the Levites to serve as surrogates and stand-ins for all the firstborn of Israel.

The Levites were not to be included in the census of fighting men but were to care for the Tabernacle. They were responsible for taking it down when they broke camp and for erecting it when they set up camp again. In doing so, they would be protecting the sons of Israel from death. No one but member of the tribe of Levi was allowed to come near the Tabernacle or touch any of its furnishings (Numbers 1:47-54).

The Levites had been given a heavy responsibility. They were to care for all the things related to the Tabernacle, maintaining them and moving them whenever the Israelites broke camp and relocated. It was a huge task and, because the Tabernacle was God’s holy dwelling place, it was to be taken seriously. God seemed to know that if this responsibility had been left up to the people, they would have dropped the ball. The Tabernacle would have fallen into disrepair as they became distracted with their own cares and concerns. So He appointed this task to the Levites. They served as substitutes. They satisfied God’s requirement that the firstborn were to belong to Him. They served in the place of those who were rightfully obligated to serve God. The firstborn had been graciously replaced by someone else.

This is a picture of Christ’s substitutionary death for each of us. He became our sin substitute. He paid the debt we owed. He took our place. He served in our stead. He satisfied the demands of a holy God and did what none of us were able to do. He made the ultimate sacrifice, which is exactly what the Levites did. They became a sacrifice for the people of Israel. They served and satisfied the demands of God by maintaining and caring for His Tabernacle. They kept the people of Israel from experiencing death by keeping the Tabernacle holy and set apart for God. Their role was vital to the spiritual life of the people of God. They gave so that others might live. Just as Jesus has done for us.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Picture-Perfect Plan of God

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1 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 2 “The people of Israel shall camp each by his own standard, with the banners of their fathers’ houses. They shall camp facing the tent of meeting on every side. 3 Those to camp on the east side toward the sunrise shall be of the standard of the camp of Judah by their companies, the chief of the people of Judah being Nahshon the son of Amminadab, 4 his company as listed being 74,600. 5 Those to camp next to him shall be the tribe of Issachar, the chief of the people of Issachar being Nethanel the son of Zuar, 6 his company as listed being 54,400. 7 Then the tribe of Zebulun, the chief of the people of Zebulun being Eliab the son of Helon, 8 his company as listed being 57,400. 9 All those listed of the camp of Judah, by their companies, were 186,400. They shall set out first on the march.

10 “On the south side shall be the standard of the camp of Reuben by their companies, the chief of the people of Reuben being Elizur the son of Shedeur, 11 his company as listed being 46,500. 12 And those to camp next to him shall be the tribe of Simeon, the chief of the people of Simeon being Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai, 13 his company as listed being 59,300. 14 Then the tribe of Gad, the chief of the people of Gad being Eliasaph the son of Reuel, 15 his company as listed being 45,650. 16 All those listed of the camp of Reuben, by their companies, were 151,450. They shall set out second.

17 “Then the tent of meeting shall set out, with the camp of the Levites in the midst of the camps; as they camp, so shall they set out, each in position, standard by standard.

18 “On the west side shall be the standard of the camp of Ephraim by their companies, the chief of the people of Ephraim being Elishama the son of Ammihud, 19 his company as listed being 40,500. 20 And next to him shall be the tribe of Manasseh, the chief of the people of Manasseh being Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur, 21 his company as listed being 32,200. 22 Then the tribe of Benjamin, the chief of the people of Benjamin being Abidan the son of Gideoni, 23 his company as listed being 35,400. 24 All those listed of the camp of Ephraim, by their companies, were 108,100. They shall set out third on the march.

25 “On the north side shall be the standard of the camp of Dan by their companies, the chief of the people of Dan being Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai, 26 his company as listed being 62,700. 27 And those to camp next to him shall be the tribe of Asher, the chief of the people of Asher being Pagiel the son of Ochran, 28 his company as listed being 41,500. 29 Then the tribe of Naphtali, the chief of the people of Naphtali being Ahira the son of Enan, 30 his company as listed being 53,400. 31 All those listed of the camp of Dan were 157,600. They shall set out last, standard by standard.”

32 These are the people of Israel as listed by their fathers’ houses. All those listed in the camps by their companies were 603,550. 33 But the Levites were not listed among the people of Israel, as the Lord commanded Moses.

34 Thus did the people of Israel. According to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so they camped by their standards, and so they set out, each one in his clan, according to his fathers’ house. – Numbers 2:1-34 ESV

Having successfully determined the exact number of fighting-age men among them, the Israelites were ready to begin the journey from Mount Sinai to Canaan, but God had one final instruction to give Moses before they could depart. It involved the arrangement of the camp around the completed Tabernacle. The closing verses of Exodus 40 describe the momentous day when Israel completed the construction of the elaborate tent that God commanded them to build as His dwelling place on earth.

Then the cloud covered the Tabernacle, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle. Moses could no longer enter the Tabernacle because the cloud had settled down over it, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle.

Now whenever the cloud lifted from the Tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out on their journey, following it. But if the cloud did not rise, they remained where they were until it lifted. The cloud of the Lord hovered over the Tabernacle during the day, and at night fire glowed inside the cloud so the whole family of Israel could see it. This continued throughout all their journeys. – Exodus 40:34-38 NLT

This unique structure would become the central focus of the Israelite community as they made their way from Mount Sinai to Canaan. With its completion, God’s glory transferred from the peak of Mount Sinai to the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle. Now, rather than appearing as a storm on the mountaintop, God’s presence had moved into the inner recesses of the Tabernacle above the Mercy Seat of the Ark of the Covenant. No Israelite was allowed to enter the Holy of Holies and see the glory of God, including Moses. Only once a year, on the Day of Atonement, was the high priest allowed to enter into God’s presence to offer sacrifices for the sins of the people. But the Israelites could be assured that God was with them because the cloud that had led them since their departure from Egypt hovered over the Tabernacle, signifying that God was there.

But God’s permanent presence among them required further instructions and an ordered arrangement of their camp. Now that they were ready to depart Mount Sinai,  the Tabernacle would need to be disassembled and prepared for transport to the next place of encampment along their journey. When the cloud stopped, the people were to set up camp, with the reassembly of the Tabernacle being the first item on their agenda. Nothing else was to be done until God’s house was constructed and His glorious presence had taken up residence in the Holy of Holies. Once the Tabernacle was complete, the Israelites could begin the assembly of their own tents.

But gave specific instructions as to how their camp was to be ordered. No one was free to erect their tent wherever they saw fit. God demanded that their encampment be arranged by tribe and in a very detailed order, with the Tabernacle sitting at the very center of their midst.

“When the Israelites set up camp, each tribe will be assigned its own area. The tribal divisions will camp beneath their family banners on all four sides of the Tabernacle, but at some distance from it.” – Numbers 2:2 NLT

The Israelites would have understood the significance of the Tabernacle and its presence among them would have given them a sense of peace and confidence because it reassured them that God was with them. He was actually traveling alongside them as they made their way to the Promised Land. But God knew His people well and understood that the Tabernacle could also become a point of division if the people were allowed to set up their tents wherever they deemed best. If left to their own devices, the Israelites would turn the Tabernacle into a kind of idol, competing to see who could place their tent closest to it. Arguments would have erupted over where each tribe was allowed to pitch its tents, turning the blessing of God’s presence into a potential point of division.

So, God ordered that the tribes be arranged in a specific order around the Tabernacle. He didn’t leave this decision up to Moses and Aaron. The tribal leaders He set apart in chapter one were not consulted in this matter. This was a divine directive that wasn’t up for debate or discussion.

This is where the census becomes important. Now that Moses knew exactly how many troops each tribe could muster, those numbers would be used to allocate the arrangement of the tribes around the Tabernacle.

“Those to camp on the east side toward the sunrise shall be of the standard of the camp of Judah by their companies, the chief of the people of Judah being Nahshon the son of Amminadab, his company as listed being 74,600. Those to camp next to him shall be the tribe of Issachar, the chief of the people of Issachar being Nethanel the son of Zuar, his company as listed being 54,400. Then the tribe of Zebulun, the chief of the people of Zebulun being Eliab the son of Helon, his company as listed being 57,400. All those listed of the camp of Judah, by their companies, were 186,400. They shall set out first on the march.” – Numbers 2:3-9 ESV

God began with the arrangement of the tribes that would occupy the east side of the Tabernacle. This would have been the side where the gate into the Tabernacle compound was located. It is significant to point out that the tribe of Judah was given the privilege of encamping closest to the entrance into the Tabernacle. Though Rueben was the firstborn son of Jacob, God instructed that the tribe of Judah, the second-born son, would have the right to erect their tents just outside the entrance into God’s presence. This special treatment of the tribe of Judah is a partial fulfillment of the blessing that Jacob pronounced upon his second-born son.

“Judah, your brothers will praise you.
    You will grasp your enemies by the neck.
    All your relatives will bow before you.
Judah, my son, is a young lion
    that has finished eating its prey.
Like a lion he crouches and lies down;
    like a lioness—who dares to rouse him?
The scepter will not depart from Judah,
    nor the ruler’s staff from his descendants,
until the coming of the one to whom it belongs,
    the one whom all nations will honor.” – Genesis 49:8-10 NLT

The tribe of Judah would play a vital role in the history of Israel. From this tribe would come King David and his son and future heir, King Solomon. It was to David that God promised to provide an everlasting kingdom.

“‘…the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’” – 2 Samuel 7:11-16 ESV

God’s arrangement of the tribes was not arbitrary. This was an ordered arrangement that foreshadowed things to come. He placed the tribe of Judah closest to the entrance into His presence because, one day, from that very same tribe, would come the Messiah, a descendant of Jacob, who would provide all mankind with a means of gaining access into the presence of God. Ultimately, Jesus would be the fulfillment of the promise that God made to David, and the opening verse of Matthew’s gospel points out that Jesus was a descendant of David.

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. – Matthew 1:1 ESV

God arranged for His Son to be born a descendant of David so that the promise of an eternal kingdom might be fulfilled through Him. But just as importantly, Jesus would be the key to making entrance into God’s presence possible for sinful humanity. John described Jesus as “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29 ESV). The apostle John would later describe Jesus as the Lion of the tribe of Judah, who came to set up His Kingdom on earth and restore God’s righteous rule over His creation.

“Stop weeping! Look, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the heir to David’s throne, has won the victory. He is worthy to open the scroll and its seven seals.” – Revelation 5:5 NLT

This arrangement of the tribes, while somewhat tedious to read, is intended to provide a glimpse into the incredible nature of God’s grand plan of redemption. Nothing happens by chance. God leaves nothing up to fate, karma, or kismet. The Israelites were not free to debate and argue over which tribe got the best camping spot. They couldn’t jockey for position or fight their way into getting the prime real estate just outside the entrance to God’s house. There was a divine order to it all and God expected His plan to be followed down to the last detail.

He even dispersed the priestly tribe of Levi to all four sides of the camp, ensuring that they would have a constant influence over His chosen people. One of the primary responsibilities of these men was to teach the people of Israel the laws of God.

“You are to distinguish between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean, and you are to teach the people of Israel all the statutes that the Lord has spoken to them by Moses.” – Leviticus 10:10-11 ESV

Not only were they responsible for the maintenance and transportation of the Tabernacle, but they were tasked with teaching the people of Israel the importance of living set-apart lives by keeping the holy standards that God had given them. God’s continued presence among them was tied directly to their adherence to His commands. That is why God strategically placed the Levites throughout the camp so that they might perform their priestly responsibilities among all the people. And because the Israelites were commanded to maintain this ordered sequence even when the marched, that meant that the Levites were always dispersed among the people even as they traveled.

Thus did the people of Israel. According to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so they camped by their standards, and so they set out, each one in his clan, according to his fathers’ house. – Numbers 2:34 ESV

God had a well-ordered plan that, if followed, would ensure the Israelites’ survival and their ultimate arrival at the border of the land of Canaan. While they had not yet reached their destination, they could travel with a sense of peace and assurance that their arrival was assured and God’s plan would be fulfilled.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.