At-One-Ment
Reflections: In Deuteronomy, we continue to see the many stipulations for Israel as God prepares them to go into the Promised Land to take the land He had given them. As they go into some of the nations, they are to spare the women and children, and in the most detestable of nations they are to completely wipe them out so that there will not be a chance for corruption later. In the passage below, we see the principle of “atonement”, where God demands reconciliation for sin. An easy way to remember the word atonement is to split it up “at-one-ment”, meaning to become one with God. As we know to become one with God we have to deal with the issue of sin. In this case since someone was slain and the killer is not known, so a heifer is led to the valley to be a sacrifice for the sin that was committed. This ensured that the Israelites would not be held guilty for the shedding of innocent blood.
Then, we also see that someone who committed a capital offense was judged by the same means and hung on a pole. But there is provision for the pole to be taken down at night because everybody who is hung on a pole is, “cursed by God”. I couldn’t help but thinking that our Lord and Savior hung on a pole and took God’s curse upon himself for our sin. Again it is helpful to have the Old Testament background, so we can fully understand what Jesus did for us and why! Our God is merciful and full of grace, but also demands an accounting for sin. Jesus paid the price for our sins which is the basis for our relationship with him. It is easy to forget the enormity of the price he paid for us!
As Jesus comes to us and lives out the power of the kingdom, we see that part of the reason for sinful condition is the presence of evil. In today’s text, Jesus meets a demon-possessed man who lived among the tombs. When the demons possessing the man see Jesus, they address him and plead with him not to be sent into the Abyss (their final destination at the end of time). Jesus casts them out of the man and sends them into pigs and they drown in a nearby lake. Instead of being grateful for the healing, the people are more concerned about the pigs they lost. Such was their concern for this poor man!
This reminds us of the reality of evil in our world today! As Christians, we can never be possessed by a demon, because we are possessed by God in the power of the Spirit. Yet, our battle as Paul reminds us is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers of this present darkness. As believers we can in the name of Jesus rebuke demons as we feel their presence or oppression in our lives, or the lives of others. Like the passage, they must obey because greater is the power within us (the power of Jesus), then the powers that still are in this world. One day we are promised that these dark powers will be defeated, but for now we must live in recognition, discernment and prayerfully against the powers of darkness. We must avoid the extremes of being scared of them, denying their existence, or being ignorant of them.
How do recognize when evil is present? How do you handle it? A simple prayer like, “Be gone in Jesus’ name!” realizing the power and authority you have as a son or daughter of God is sufficient to cast out any demonic presence. The main point I want you to know is you don’t have to be afraid of these powers, because Jesus has already overcome them, and you have the power of Jesus within you through power the Holy Spirit! Read Ephesians 6:10-20 for a listing of the armor of God you have as His child!
Psalm 83:9-12
9 Do to them as you did to Midian,
as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the river Kishon,
10 who perished at Endor
and became like dung on the ground.
11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb,
all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,
12 who said, “Let us take possession
of the pasturelands of God.”
Deuteronomy 20:10-21:23
Atonement for an Unsolved Murder
21 If someone is found slain, lying in a field in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess, and it is not known who the killer was, 2 your elders and judges shall go out and measure the distance from the body to the neighboring towns. 3 Then the elders of the town nearest the body shall take a heifer that has never been worked and has never worn a yoke 4 and lead it down to a valley that has not been plowed or planted and where there is a flowing stream. There in the valley they are to break the heifer’s neck. 5 The Levitical priests shall step forward, for the Lord your God has chosen them to minister and to pronounce blessings in the name of the Lord and to decide all cases of dispute and assault. 6 Then all the elders of the town nearest the body shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley, 7 and they shall declare: “Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it done. 8 Accept this atonement for your people Israel, whom you have redeemed, Lord, and do not hold your people guilty of the blood of an innocent person.” Then the bloodshed will be atoned for, 9 and you will have purged from yourselves the guilt of shedding innocent blood, since you have done what is right in the eyes of the Lord.
Various Laws
22 If someone guilty of a capital offense is put to death and their body is exposed on a pole, 23 you must not leave the body hanging on the pole overnight. Be sure to bury it that same day, because anyone who is hung on a pole is under God’s curse. You must not desecrate the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.
Luke 8:26-39
Jesus Restores a Demon-Possessed Man
26 They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee. 27 When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!” 29 For Jesus had commanded the impure spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places. 30 Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” “Legion,” he replied, because many demons had gone into him. 31 And they begged Jesus repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss. 32 A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs, and he gave them permission. 33 When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.34 When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, 35 and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus’ feet, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 36 Those who had seen it told the people how the demon-possessed man had been cured. 37 Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. So he got into the boat and left. 38 The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 “Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.
If you are returning to the Lord with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods. 1 Samuel 7:3
Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:21
Our Lord, when we are tempted to compromise our relationship with you, we become confused with important parts of our faith and lose the precious values we need. Be with us. Amen.
Then, we also see that someone who committed a capital offense was judged by the same means and hung on a pole. But there is provision for the pole to be taken down at night because everybody who is hung on a pole is, “cursed by God”. I couldn’t help but thinking that our Lord and Savior hung on a pole and took God’s curse upon himself for our sin. Again it is helpful to have the Old Testament background, so we can fully understand what Jesus did for us and why! Our God is merciful and full of grace, but also demands an accounting for sin. Jesus paid the price for our sins which is the basis for our relationship with him. It is easy to forget the enormity of the price he paid for us!
As Jesus comes to us and lives out the power of the kingdom, we see that part of the reason for sinful condition is the presence of evil. In today’s text, Jesus meets a demon-possessed man who lived among the tombs. When the demons possessing the man see Jesus, they address him and plead with him not to be sent into the Abyss (their final destination at the end of time). Jesus casts them out of the man and sends them into pigs and they drown in a nearby lake. Instead of being grateful for the healing, the people are more concerned about the pigs they lost. Such was their concern for this poor man!
This reminds us of the reality of evil in our world today! As Christians, we can never be possessed by a demon, because we are possessed by God in the power of the Spirit. Yet, our battle as Paul reminds us is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers of this present darkness. As believers we can in the name of Jesus rebuke demons as we feel their presence or oppression in our lives, or the lives of others. Like the passage, they must obey because greater is the power within us (the power of Jesus), then the powers that still are in this world. One day we are promised that these dark powers will be defeated, but for now we must live in recognition, discernment and prayerfully against the powers of darkness. We must avoid the extremes of being scared of them, denying their existence, or being ignorant of them.
How do recognize when evil is present? How do you handle it? A simple prayer like, “Be gone in Jesus’ name!” realizing the power and authority you have as a son or daughter of God is sufficient to cast out any demonic presence. The main point I want you to know is you don’t have to be afraid of these powers, because Jesus has already overcome them, and you have the power of Jesus within you through power the Holy Spirit! Read Ephesians 6:10-20 for a listing of the armor of God you have as His child!
Psalm 83:9-12
9 Do to them as you did to Midian,
as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the river Kishon,
10 who perished at Endor
and became like dung on the ground.
11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb,
all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,
12 who said, “Let us take possession
of the pasturelands of God.”
Deuteronomy 20:10-21:23
Atonement for an Unsolved Murder
21 If someone is found slain, lying in a field in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess, and it is not known who the killer was, 2 your elders and judges shall go out and measure the distance from the body to the neighboring towns. 3 Then the elders of the town nearest the body shall take a heifer that has never been worked and has never worn a yoke 4 and lead it down to a valley that has not been plowed or planted and where there is a flowing stream. There in the valley they are to break the heifer’s neck. 5 The Levitical priests shall step forward, for the Lord your God has chosen them to minister and to pronounce blessings in the name of the Lord and to decide all cases of dispute and assault. 6 Then all the elders of the town nearest the body shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley, 7 and they shall declare: “Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it done. 8 Accept this atonement for your people Israel, whom you have redeemed, Lord, and do not hold your people guilty of the blood of an innocent person.” Then the bloodshed will be atoned for, 9 and you will have purged from yourselves the guilt of shedding innocent blood, since you have done what is right in the eyes of the Lord.
Various Laws
22 If someone guilty of a capital offense is put to death and their body is exposed on a pole, 23 you must not leave the body hanging on the pole overnight. Be sure to bury it that same day, because anyone who is hung on a pole is under God’s curse. You must not desecrate the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.
Luke 8:26-39
Jesus Restores a Demon-Possessed Man
26 They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee. 27 When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!” 29 For Jesus had commanded the impure spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places. 30 Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” “Legion,” he replied, because many demons had gone into him. 31 And they begged Jesus repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss. 32 A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs, and he gave them permission. 33 When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.34 When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, 35 and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus’ feet, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 36 Those who had seen it told the people how the demon-possessed man had been cured. 37 Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. So he got into the boat and left. 38 The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 “Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.
If you are returning to the Lord with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods. 1 Samuel 7:3
Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:21
Our Lord, when we are tempted to compromise our relationship with you, we become confused with important parts of our faith and lose the precious values we need. Be with us. Amen.
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