The Promise!

Reflection: Today Paul begins to get at the heart of the Gospel, the Good News of salvation by grace through faith.  Paul uses Abraham as the first example of someone who was justified by faith in God’s promises.  In Genesis 15:5, Abraham believed, and it was a credited to him as righteousness.  Paul is using an accounting word to show Abraham’s debt with God is settled through God’s gift (grace) in His Son.  To be justified by the Law, or counted as righteous because of the Law, we would have to obey it at every level.  Meaning to be justified in God’s sight by the Law we would have to be sinless.  The word sin means to “miss the mark”.  Whenever we miss the mark by sinning, we are separated from God.

But the Good News is that God’s plan to reconcile involves the language of promise not law.  Law means “if/then”. If you do this, then this is the consequence good and bad.  Promise language is “because/and”. Because I love you I sent my Son to do for you what you could not do for yourselves.  And, if you trust in the promise, you will become my chosen one, the crown of my creation.  We teach our kids about faith and we use the definition of faith is: “Trusting in God’s promises”, and/or “Trusting in the One in whom you believe.” 

I love what God says about Abraham in regard to trusting in God’s promises, “Being fully persuaded that God had the power to do what He promised.”  At the heart of faith is being persuaded that if God is God, He can do what He promised.  God has given us the Holy Spirit, which convicts us of our need to cling to God’s promises.  As we trust in God’s promises, we are made right with God, which is also called “justification”.  And the rest of the life of faith is fully relying on God’s promises no matter what happens in our lives, being fully persuaded that God has the power to do what He promised!

Where do you need to trust in God’s power to do what He promised He would do?  Take some time and pray to God, and in the power of the Holy Spirit, God will grant you the faith to step out and trust in His promises just as He did for Abraham, the father of our faith.  Amen.

Psalm 37:1-6 (Of David.)                                     

1 Do not fret because of those who are evil

    or be envious of those who do wrong;

2 for like the grass they will soon wither,

    like green plants they will soon die away.

3 Trust in the Lord and do good;

    dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

4 Take delight in the Lord,

    and he will give you the desires of your heart.

5 Commit your way to the Lord;

    trust in him and he will do this:

6 He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,

    your vindication like the noonday sun.

Nehemiah 6:15-7:73

15 So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days.

Opposition to the Completed Wall

16 When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God. 17 Also, in those days the nobles of Judah were sending many letters to Tobiah, and replies from Tobiah kept coming to them. 18 For many in Judah were under oath to him, since he was son-in-law to Shekaniah son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam son of Berekiah. 19 Moreover, they kept reporting to me his good deeds and then telling him what I said. And Tobiah sent letters to intimidate me.

7 After the wall had been rebuilt and I had set the doors in place, the gatekeepers, the musicians and the Levites were appointed. 2 I put in charge of Jerusalem my brother Hanani, along with Hananiah the commander of the citadel, because he was a man of integrity and feared God more than most people do. 3 I said to them, “The gates of Jerusalem are not to be opened until the sun is hot. While the gatekeepers are still on duty, have them shut the doors and bar them. Also appoint residents of Jerusalem as guards, some at their posts and some near their own houses.”

The List of the Exiles Who Returned

4 Now the city was large and spacious, but there were few people in it, and the houses had not yet been rebuilt. 5 So my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles, the officials and the common people for registration by families. I found the genealogical record of those who had been the first to return. This is what I found written there:

6 These are the people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had taken captive (they returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town, 7 in company with Zerubbabel, Joshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum and Baanah):

The list of the men of Israel:

8 the descendants of Parosh   2,172

9 of Shephatiah           372

10 of Arah       652

11 of Pahath-Moab (through the line of Jeshua and Joab)    2,818

12 of Elam       1,254

13 of Zattu      845

14 of Zakkai    760

15 of Binnui     648

16 of Bebai      628

17 of Azgad     2,322

18 of Adonikam           667

19 of Bigvai     2,067

20 of Adin        655

21 of Ater (through Hezekiah)            98

22 of Hashum  328

23 of Bezai      324

24 of Hariph    112

25 of Gibeon   95

26 the men of Bethlehem and Netophah       188

27 of Anathoth            128

28 of Beth Azmaveth  42

29 of Kiriath Jearim, Kephirah and Beeroth   743

30 of Ramah and Geba           621

31 of Mikmash            122

32 of Bethel and Ai     123

33 of the other Nebo  52

34 of the other Elam   1,254

35 of Harim     320

36 of Jericho   345

37 of Lod, Hadid and Ono       721

38 of Senaah   3,930

39 The priests:

the descendants of Jedaiah (through the family of Jeshua)   973

40 of Immer    1,052

41 of Pashhur  1,247

42 of Harim     1,017

43 The Levites:

the descendants of Jeshua (through Kadmiel through the line of Hodaviah)            74

44 The musicians:

the descendants of Asaph       148

45 The gatekeepers:

the descendants of

Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita and Shobai     138

46 The temple servants:

the descendants of

Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth,

47 Keros, Sia, Padon,

48 Lebana, Hagaba, Shalmai,

49 Hanan, Giddel, Gahar,

50 Reaiah, Rezin, Nekoda,

51 Gazzam, Uzza, Paseah,

52 Besai, Meunim, Nephusim,

53 Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur,

54 Bazluth, Mehida, Harsha,

55 Barkos, Sisera, Temah,

56 Neziah and Hatipha

57 The descendants of the servants of Solomon:

the descendants of

Sotai, Sophereth, Perida,

58 Jaala, Darkon, Giddel,

59 Shephatiah, Hattil,

Pokereth-Hazzebaim and Amon

60 The temple servants and the descendants of the servants of Solomon         392

61 The following came up from the towns of Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Kerub, Addon and Immer, but they could not show that their families were descended from Israel:

62 the descendants of

Delaiah, Tobiah and Nekoda  642

63 And from among the priests:

the descendants of

Hobaiah, Hakkoz and Barzillai (a man who had married a daughter of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by that name).

64 These searched for their family records, but they could not find them and so were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. 65 The governor, therefore, ordered them not to eat any of the most sacred food until there should be a priest ministering with the Urim and Thummim.

66 The whole company numbered 42,360, 67 besides their 7,337 male and female slaves; and they also had 245 male and female singers. 68 There were 736 horses, 245 mules, 69 435 camels and 6,720 donkeys.

70 Some of the heads of the families contributed to the work. The governor gave to the treasury 1,000 darics of gold, 50 bowls and 530 garments for priests. 71 Some of the heads of the families gave to the treasury for the work 20,000 darics of gold and 2,200 minas of silver. 72 The total given by the rest of the people was 20,000 darics of gold, 2,000 minas of silver and 67 garments for priests.

73 The priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the musicians and the temple servants, along with certain of the people and the rest of the Israelites, settled in their own towns.

Ezra Reads the Law

When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns

Romans 4:13-25

13 It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. 14 For if those who depend on the law are heirs, faith means nothing and the promise is worthless, 15 because the law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression.

16 Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. 17 As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.”[a] He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.

18 Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”[b] 19 Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. 20 Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21 being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. 22 This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” 23 The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, 24 but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25 He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.

Footnotes:

a.   Romans 4:17 Gen. 17:5

b.   Romans 4:18 Gen. 15:5

If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand? Psalm130:3

In Jesus Christ we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace. Ephesians 1:7

Gracious God of new beginnings, there are times when the deep pains of life overwhelm us. Help us to hear anew your invitation to release our distress to your gentle Spirit, which offers love, forgiveness, and life anew. Amen.