Like Water Spilled On The Ground

For we will surely die and become like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. Yet God does not take away a life; but He devises means, so that His banished ones are not expelled from Him.  II Samuel 14:14 NKJV

Here we are given deep insight into the nature of God and His heart for mankind. It comes to us in an Old Testament story about King David and his favored son Absalom.    Absalom had ordered his servants to murder his older half-brother, Amnon, because Amnon had raped Absalom's full sister, Tamar, and nothing had been done about it.

Following the murder, Absalom had fled to his mother's country of Geshur and dwelt there for three years. King David missed Absalom but he apparently wasn't comfortable with the ramifications for his kingdom if he set the precedent of letting members of the royal family be above the law. He knew justice would not be served by pardoning Absalom, and yet he pined for him.

After three years had passed without a solution, Joab, King David's nephew and the commander of his armies, decided he should intervene to help King David bring Absalom home. 

Joab hired a wise woman from Tekoa (a small town about six miles from Jerusalem) to come before King David with a petition to spare her son from the death penalty for killing his brother. 

Her plea was that her remaining son was the only one left to support her and to carry on the family line. 

King David's compassion was stirred, and he gave her an assurance her son would not be killed.

Once King David made his decision for mercy on her son's behalf, the wise woman pressed him concerning mercy for Absalom. 

She said: "For we will surely die and become like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again."

This is such a vivid and therefore haunting picture of the hopelessness of death without a Savior. Selah.                               
She reminds King David that we are all sinners without hope, but for the grace and mercy of God. The death penalty is upon us; yet, God does not pursue our death because He "is not willing that any should perish." 

She goes on to say, "God does not take away a life." She tells King David that God "devises means, so that His banished ones are not expelled from Him." And thus, she encourages King David to make a way for Absalom to come home.

The problem is that her plea was a call for King David to embrace mercy without satisfying justice.

The wise words of the woman of Tekoa were certainly true concerning our Heavenly Father. He created us to be with Him, but we turned our backs on Him by sinning. Our sin caused spiritual death and banished us from His presence. But God still longed for fellowship with us, so He devised a righteous means to bring us back into eternal relationship with Him.

Unlike King David's action, God's provision satisfied justice. It would violate His nature to do otherwise. For God to be morally consistent within Himself, He must satisfy mercy and justice! 

His means of salvation must pay the penalty for all sins committed by mankind. He could justly provide forgiveness in no other way. 

So He literally provided Himself a sacrifice! He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, to die on a cross in our place. 

Consider the magnitude of that sacrifice!  Being a sinless man qualified Jesus to die for a single sinful man, but being a sinless God/Man qualified Jesus to die for all sinners!

This is good news! Because of the death of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary "whosoever will" may come to the Father for forgiveness and eternal life. We are no longer banished and expelled! All is forgiven if we turn away from sin and ask the Father to forgive us because of the price Jesus Christ paid.     
                                                
Don't be like the unrepentant Absalom who perished in a rebellion against his father's kingdom. 

"Today is the day of salvation."

I invite you to return to your Heavenly Father for forgiveness and eternal life!

Put your trust in Jesus and come home!  

The Rose's Response to the Leaf

 

 

If I were a rose and you a leaf
I’d think myself well graced
For having you beside me
And knowing your embrace.

 

I’d gladly share my beauty,
My fragrance, I’ll be bold,
Grateful for your support
There’s nothing I’d withhold!

 

Most benevolent of companions,
Delightful source of much relief,
Attended by you I’d know pure joy,
If I were a rose and you a leaf.

 

Cherel S. Justice
 Copyright © 2009

 

"One" Gospel, Faith, Body & Way

There is one body and one Spirit—…one hope…—one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. Eph 4:5-6 NLT

All true believers are a part of the body of Christ, have the same Spirit, and the same faith. Denominations and sects do not represent “different forms of Christianity” any more than people of different colors and languages represent different races of humans. There is one human race with one blood exhibiting many genetic variables. There is one body of Christ (form of Christianity) manifesting through many doctrinal facets. The Cross: salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ by faith is the central doctrine of all true Christians.

Paul also made it clear there is no other gospel.

Paul, an apostle—sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead—… To the churches in Galatia: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the One who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned! Gal 1:1-9 NLT

Succinctly, there is only one way to respond to the gospel and that is to accept it by faith. Jesus died for our sins and rose again to give us eternal life. Jesus said, “…unless you believe that I Am who I claim to be, you will die in your sins.” How much clearer could it be?

It's such Good News. Won't you believe today?