It’s what has been called “The Great Exchange.” We get to exchange our failures for His perfect obedience, our sin for His righteousness. If Christ is our Savior and He lives in us, then God’s faithfulness, mercy, and righteousness are ours!
Today’s Readings:
Nehemiah 10 & 11
Psalm 89.19-29
Proverbs 22.1-2
Acts 28.1-31
The Great Exchange
Nehemiah 10 & 11:
Not by Our Righteousness
As I read chapter 10 and all that the people covenanted to do, I was wondering how often we stop to think about and praise God for the fact that we are now under grace!
28 Now the rest of the people—the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the Nethinim, and all those who had separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the Law of God, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, everyone who had knowledge and understanding— 29 these joined with their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse and an oath to walk in God’s Law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the Lord our Lord, and His ordinances and His statutes.
Notice “a curse and an oath.” They didn’t just expect God to bless them if they kept the covenant, but they accepted the fact that there would be curses for disobedience.
They went on to list all their responsibilities to not intermarry or allow their children to intermarry, keep all the feasts and religious holidays, tithe, pay the temple taxes, give other offerings, serve God, and obey all the law.
Our Tutor
It’s not that we shouldn’t want to keep God’s commandments and live our lives to please Him, but it’s impossible for sinful human beings to keep the law perfectly. Paul said the law was “… our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith” (Gal. 3.24). It pointed to the fact that we can’t be saved by our own righteousness and law-keeping and helped us see our need for a Savior.
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Cor. 5.21).
Jesus Christ, who was tempted in all ways as we are yet without sin (Heb. 4.15), was the only one who kept the law perfectly. When we repent, believe the gospel, and accept Him as our Savior, we take part in “The Great Exchange.” We don’t just receive forgiveness for our sins. We also exchange our failure to keep the law for His perfect obedience and righteousness (Heb. 4.15). Almost too good to be true!
Psalm 89.19-29:
More of “The Great Exchange”
This psalm talks about the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ:
But My faithfulness and My mercy shall be with him, … (24a).
Galatians 2.20-21 says:
20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which 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 set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.
As I said above, if we have accepted Christ as our Savior and He lives in us, then God’s faithfulness, mercy, and righteousness are with us, too!
Today’s Other Readings:
Proverbs 22.1-2:
He is the Maker of Us All
The rich and the poor have this in common, the LORD is the maker of them all (v. 2).
Not only is He the Maker of us all, but we are all equals at the foot of the cross. “In Christ” there is neither rich nor poor, male nor female, Jew nor Gentile, mature Christian nor “baby” Christian.
While we may have different roles in the body of Christ, our maturity may vary, and our level of obedience may affect our walk with Him, we are all equal in His love and heirs of the grace of life (Gal. 3.28-29).
Acts 28.1-31:
His Sovereign Hand
In chapter 28, we see another example of God’s sovereign hand of grace on Paul. Even though he was under arrest, instead of being put in a regular prison, he was allowed to live in his own house for a time. That enabled him to preach and share the gospel message openly. As was his custom, he first did so with the Jews. Though there were some who accepted the truth, the Jewish people as a whole, continued to reject it.
Coming Up:
In the coming days, we’ll talk about the deception of self-righteousness and how we as parents may expect God to give us certain guarantees with our children.
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Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥
Note about this post:
I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years. Some days I make major changes, other days fewer.
A while ago, I read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”
I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.
Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)
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