Paul the apostle has asked
the question, “Wherefore serves the law?” or what purpose does
the law serve? His answer was that the law was in service until the
“seed” of promise should come which we discovered was
Jesus. We also learned that in the giving of the law God used a
mediator or a go between to distribute the law. Moses served as a
mediator between God and people in the giving of the law, and today
in Galatians chapter three and verse twenty we learn that Jesus as
God was a mediator between Himself and people. Paul said,
Now a mediator is not
[a mediator] of one, but God is one.
When a
contract is drawn, there are usually two parties which must be
involved. One commits to keeping certain obligations, and the other
commits to keeping other obligations. In giving the promise to
Abraham, God Himself bore the responsibility of keeping the contract.
We read in Genesis chapter fifteen and verses twelve,thirteen,
seventeen and eighteen:
And when the sun was
going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great
darkness fell upon him. And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that
your seed shall be a stranger in a land [that is] not theirs, and
shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred
years;...And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it
was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed
between those pieces. In the same day the LORD made a covenant with
Abram, saying, Unto your seed have I given this land, from the river
of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:
Whenever
a contract was made between two parties, they would divide and animal
and walk through the pieces symbolizing their commitment to their
obligations. When the promise was made to Abraham, it was God alone
who passed between two pieces of animals that were divided, “a
deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell
upon him...behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed
between those pieces” God was the mediator of this covenant for
Himself and His commitment to Abraham and those who would come
through him.
In the
book of First Timothy in chapter two and verse five Paul wrote:
For [there is] one God,
and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
When the
promise of grace entered the human race, only Jesus could stand as a
mediator between man and God. According to Paul, there is no need for
any other. There is only one. This is great news for those who
believe in Jesus because the weight of the covenant of grace is upon
Him as was the promise to Abraham. If the covenant of grace is to be
kept, it will be kept by Jesus, and He never fails. We, as the church
members in Galatia, have our mediator Jesus to cling to, rely upon
and trust in. Therefore this covenant is sure, and the promise of the
grace of God is satisfied. In other words, no matter what happens, we
have the assurance of our mediator Jesus who will keep the covenant
He has made.
Next time we will
how the law is not against God's promise, so read ahead, and let us
join together then.
Until
tomorrow...there is more...
Look for
the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation
to Generation” in all major
bookstore
sites, www.amazon.com ; www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to
e-books, and find it
locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore
No comments:
Post a Comment