Participating in Grace

-


Scripture

Deut. 22:1 ¶ You shall not watch your neighbor’s ox or sheep straying away and ignore them; you shall take them back to their owner.
Deut. 22:2 If the owner does not reside near you or you do not know who the owner is, you shall bring it to your own house, and it shall remain with you until the owner claims it; then you shall return it.
Deut. 22:3 You shall do the same with a neighbor’s donkey; you shall do the same with a neighbor’s garment; and you shall do the same with anything else that your neighbor loses and you find. You may not withhold your help.

Observation

In Deuteronomy we find all kinds of interesting rules and regulations regarding everyday life for the Israelites.  Much of the advice is very practical.  Here, the people are taught what to do when they find an ox or a sheep wandering away.  Even if it doesn't belong to them, they are to go after it.  They are to take care of it and take it back to its owner.  If the owner lives a long way away, they are to care for it until the owner returns.  This rule doesn't just apply to oxen, but also with donkeys, garments, or anything else that you may find.  You are not to ignore the lost items, but rather, it is your responsibility to take action.

Application

In the New Testament we have another story, the one of the "Lost Sheep" where we discover the actions of the owner.  In both cases, the owner is out searching for the item that has been lost, and the who finds the item cares for the one who is lost.  Both of these perspectives teach us a great deal about God's grace. 

God's grace is constantly reaching out to each and every single one of us, drawing us toward him.  We are to become workers together with God in his gracious activity here on this earth.  That is a part of his plan, that we join together with him.  When we join with him there is something that seems to happen, something synergistic, when God and man work together in his kingdom.  Therefore while God -- the owner is seeking the lost, there may be times that we, too, run into the lost.  What are we instructed?  We are never to ignore the lost, nor are we to withhold help from them.  You see we are actors in God's work of prevenient grace.  Our responsibility is that we are to be constantly reaching out to those who are lost, and caring for them, keeping them safe until the owner is able to come.

Think about those with whom we come into contact on a daily basis -- are there any who are lost?  Of course there are!  Are we ignoring them?  Are simply watching them wander off?  Isn't it amazing that if we were truly talking about an ox or a donkey we all know that we would go after them, and yet, when it comes to another person, we don't go after them.  We let them go.  We let them wander around and get lost.  God is asking us to be his active agents in the world.  This is a part of our responsibilities as followers of Christ.  We are to take care of the lost and in doing so we are stepping into and becoming involved with God in his gracious activity here on this earth. 

Prayer

Lord, please help me never to ignore, or simply watch the lost walk away.  Amen.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Take Off Your Ornaments

-
Scripture: Ex. 33:4 ¶ When the people heard these harsh words, they mourned, and no one put on ornaments. Ex. 33:5 For the LORD had said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people; if for a single moment I should go up among you, I would consume you. So now take off your ornaments, and I will decide what to do to you.’” Ex. 33:6 Therefore the Israelites stripped themselves of their ornaments, from Mount Horeb onward. Observation: The people had sinned before God by making and worshiping the golden calf!  They had taken their golden jewelry — the earrings and other items they had gotten from the Egyptians and used them to create an idol.  Now, in an act of humility and repentance they were to take off all of their jewelry and ornaments.  It was a time of mourning over their sin and it included intentional action on the part of the Israelites.  Application: We don’t do all that well with humility and repentance!  It seems that we live in a ti...
Read more

Does God Value Boys More than Girls?

-
Scripture: Lev. 12:1 ¶ The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: Lev. 12:2 Speak to the people of Israel, saying: ¶ If a woman conceives and bears a male child, she shall be ceremonially unclean seven days; as at the time of her menstruation, she shall be unclean. Lev. 12:3 On the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. Lev. 12:4 Her time of blood purification shall be thirty-three days; she shall not touch any holy thing, or come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purification are completed. Lev. 12:5 If she bears a female child, she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her menstruation; her time of blood purification shall be sixty-six days. Lev. 12:6 ¶ When the days of her purification are completed, whether for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting a lamb in its first year for a burnt offering, and a pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering. Lev. 12:7 He shall offer it before the LORD, and make atonement on her ...
Read more

On Grief and A Flute Player

-
Scripture: Matt. 9:23 When Jesus came to the leader’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, Matt. 9:24 he said, “Go away; for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. Matt. 9:25 But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl got up. Matt. 9:26 And the report of this spread throughout that district. Observation: This is a simple story which we have heard or read numerous times. Jesus heals the little girl and the people rejoice. But at the moment in which he arrives at the home he encounters the professional mourners. These are the flute players, the ones who have come to make a great noise about the child’s death. It is the flute player that testifies to the fact that she is truly dead. Also, flutes were generally employed when it came to the death of a child. The whole community would therefore understand that it is a child who has died in this home. The flute player is doing the job they have ...
Read more