Heirs of the Promise!!

Reflection: One of the reasons why I chose the Moravian Daily Bible Reading plan, which goes through the Old and New Testament in two years, is that it continually keeps reminding us of God’s Story.  This Story began when God created the world, took a bad turn at the Fall, and then God began the history of redeeming His people through the call of Abraham.  In a famous verse in Genesis 15:5 it says, “Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness.”  Then, God also promised that through Abraham’s seed (Issac, Jacob and so on) all the nations would be blessed.  When it says “nations” it means all “people groups”, not just the 12 Jewish tribes of Israel. 

One of Paul’s purposes in the book of Galatians is that we would see the connection between the Old Testament promises made through Abraham and then fulfilled in Jesus.  Today’s verses highlight this connection including these from verses:

 “²³ Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. ²⁴ So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. ²⁵ Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian. ²⁶ So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, ²⁷ for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. ²⁸ There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹ If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”  Galatians 3:23-29

Paul is specifically outlining the purpose of the Law (as summarized by the 10 Commandments given to Moses to give to the people to set them apart from the nations), but more specifically I want to look at the covenant language.  Notice in verse 29 where it says, “You are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise”. 

Also we see that the Law is a “guardian” (aka babysitter, nanny today) until Jesus comes.  See these thoughts about this word also called “custodian” from (pericope.org):

Luther: Therefore the Law is not simply a custodian; it is a custodian 'until Christ came.' For what kind of custodian would it be who would merely annoy and whip a body and would teach him nothing?

The custodian was a slave-attendant assigned to and put in charge of a free-born boy. The slave had complete charge over the boy for the boy's own good. It has been suggested that a modern equivalent for this would be "baby-sitter."

The time of the custodian-ship came to an end when Christ came.

So we see the Law is a kind of baby sitter keeping us from hurting ourselves until Jesus came.  As Jesus has come we are now heirs of the promise. 

Why is this so important?  We have become children of God through faith in Jesus.  We are heirs of the promise.  We are no longer under the Law.  We have been set free and given the rights as God’s children.  Sort of like when a child finally is given the right to go out on their own, but they will always carry the family’s blessing and identity.  They will always be one and a representation of their parents. 

Do you see yourself as one of God’s children?  Do you see the empowerment for living as one who is under the promise and not under the law?  Notice too, the famous verse from Galatians 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, slave nor free, male or female but all of you are one in Christ.”  By being a child of God and believing in Jesus through faith our identity is forever changed.  We are not defined by economic status, gender, or ethnicity, or even by our denominations.  We are defined by our relationship with God through faith in the Promised One, through faith in Jesus.  And our baptism becomes a sign that we are one with Christ and part of the covenant family of God. 

If we get this right the bible’s teaching and admonitions will fall into place.  If we get it wrong we will forever be trying to justify ourselves and creating our own self- righteousness and missing out of the abundant life God has prepared for those who are heirs of the Promise! 

 Psalm 78:17-31 (All Scriptures are from the NIV Version)

¹⁷ But they continued to sin against him,
    rebelling in the wilderness against the Most High.
¹⁸ They willfully put God to the test
    by demanding the food they craved.
¹⁹ They spoke against God;
    they said, “Can God really
    spread a table in the wilderness?
²⁰ True, he struck the rock,
    and water gushed out,
    streams flowed abundantly,
but can he also give us bread?
    Can he supply meat for his people?”
²¹ When the Lord heard them, he was furious;
    his fire broke out against Jacob,
    and his wrath rose against Israel,
²² for they did not believe in God
    or trust in his deliverance.
²³ Yet he gave a command to the skies above
    and opened the doors of the heavens;
²⁴ he rained down manna for the people to eat,
    he gave them the grain of heaven.
²⁵ Human beings ate the bread of angels;
    he sent them all the food they could eat.
²⁶ He let loose the east wind from the heavens
    and by his power made the south wind blow.
²⁷ He rained meat down on them like dust,
    birds like sand on the seashore.
²⁸ He made them come down inside their camp,
    all around their tents.
²⁹ They ate till they were gorged—
    he had given them what they craved.
³⁰ But before they turned from what they craved,
    even while the food was still in their mouths,
³¹ God’s anger rose against them;
    he put to death the sturdiest among them,
    cutting down the young men of Israel.

Isaiah 2:1-4:1

The Mountain of the Lord

2 This is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem:

² In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established
    as the highest of the mountains;
it will be exalted above the hills,
    and all nations will stream to it.

³ Many peoples will come and say,

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
    to the temple of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us his ways,
    so that we may walk in his paths.”
The law will go out from Zion,
    the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
⁴ He will judge between the nations
    and will settle disputes for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into plowshares
    and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
    nor will they train for war anymore.

⁵ Come, descendants of Jacob,
    let us walk in the light of the Lord.

The Day of the Lord

⁶ You, Lord, have abandoned your people,
    the descendants of Jacob.
They are full of superstitions from the East;
    they practice divination like the Philistines
    and embrace pagan customs.
⁷ Their land is full of silver and gold;
    there is no end to their treasures.
Their land is full of horses;
    there is no end to their chariots.
⁸ Their land is full of idols;
    they bow down to the work of their hands,
    to what their fingers have made.
⁹ So people will be brought low
    and everyone humbled—
    do not forgive them.

¹⁰ Go into the rocks, hide in the ground
    from the fearful presence of the Lord
    and the splendor of his majesty!
¹¹ The eyes of the arrogant will be humbled
    and human pride brought low;
the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.

¹² The Lord Almighty has a day in store
    for all the proud and lofty,
for all that is exalted
    (and they will be humbled),
¹³ for all the cedars of Lebanon, tall and lofty,
    and all the oaks of Bashan,
¹⁴ for all the towering mountains
    and all the high hills,
¹⁵ for every lofty tower
    and every fortified wall,
¹⁶ for every trading ship
    and every stately vessel.
¹⁷ The arrogance of man will be brought low
    and human pride humbled;
the Lord alone will be exalted in that day,
¹⁸     and the idols will totally disappear.

¹⁹ People will flee to caves in the rocks
    and to holes in the ground
from the fearful presence of the Lord
    and the splendor of his majesty,
    when he rises to shake the earth.
²⁰ In that day people will throw away
    to the moles and bats
their idols of silver and idols of gold,
    which they made to worship.
²¹ They will flee to caverns in the rocks
    and to the overhanging crags
from the fearful presence of the Lord
    and the splendor of his majesty,
    when he rises to shake the earth.

²² Stop trusting in mere humans,
    who have but a breath in their nostrils.
    Why hold them in esteem?

Judgment on Jerusalem and Judah

3 See now, the Lord,
    the Lord Almighty,
is about to take from Jerusalem and Judah
    both supply and support:
all supplies of food and all supplies of water,
²     the hero and the warrior,
the judge and the prophet,
    the diviner and the elder,
³ the captain of fifty and the man of rank,
    the counselor, skilled craftsman and clever enchanter.

⁴ “I will make mere youths their officials;
    children will rule over them.”

⁵ People will oppress each other—
    man against man, neighbor against neighbor.
The young will rise up against the old,
    the nobody against the honored.

⁶ A man will seize one of his brothers
    in his father’s house, and say,
“You have a cloak, you be our leader;
    take charge of this heap of ruins!”
⁷ But in that day he will cry out,
    “I have no remedy.
I have no food or clothing in my house;
    do not make me the leader of the people.”

⁸ Jerusalem staggers,
    Judah is falling;
their words and deeds are against the Lord,
    defying his glorious presence.
⁹ The look on their faces testifies against them;
    they parade their sin like Sodom;
    they do not hide it.
Woe to them!
    They have brought disaster upon themselves.

¹⁰ Tell the righteous it will be well with them,
    for they will enjoy the fruit of their deeds.
¹¹ Woe to the wicked!
    Disaster is upon them!
They will be paid back
    for what their hands have done.

¹² Youths oppress my people,
    women rule over them.
My people, your guides lead you astray;
    they turn you from the path.

¹³ The Lord takes his place in court;
    he rises to judge the people.
¹⁴ The Lord enters into judgment
    against the elders and leaders of his people:
“It is you who have ruined my vineyard;
    the plunder from the poor is in your houses.
¹⁵ What do you mean by crushing my people
    and grinding the faces of the poor?”
declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.

¹⁶ The Lord says,
    “The women of Zion are haughty,
walking along with outstretched necks,
    flirting with their eyes,
strutting along with swaying hips,
    with ornaments jingling on their ankles.
¹⁷ Therefore the Lord will bring sores on the heads of the women of Zion;
    the Lord will make their scalps bald.”

¹⁸ In that day the Lord will snatch away their finery: the bangles and headbands and crescent necklaces, ¹⁹ the earrings and bracelets and veils, ²⁰ the headdresses and anklets and sashes, the perfume bottles and charms, ²¹ the signet rings and nose rings, ²² the fine robes and the capes and cloaks, the purses ²³ and mirrors, and the linen garments and tiaras and shawls.

²⁴ Instead of fragrance there will be a stench;
    instead of a sash, a rope;
instead of well-dressed hair, baldness;
    instead of fine clothing, sackcloth;
    instead of beauty, branding.
²⁵ Your men will fall by the sword,
    your warriors in battle.
²⁶ The gates of Zion will lament and mourn;
    destitute, she will sit on the ground.

4 ¹ In that day seven women
    will take hold of one man
and say, “We will eat our own food
    and provide our own clothes;
only let us be called by your name.
    Take away our disgrace!”

Galatians 3:19-29
¹⁹ Why, then, was the law given at all? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was given through angels and entrusted to a mediator. ²⁰ A mediator, however, implies more than one party; but God is one.

²¹ Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. ²² But Scripture has locked up everything under the control of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.

Children of God

²³ Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. ²⁴ So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. ²⁵ Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian. ²⁶ So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, ²⁷ for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. ²⁸ There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹ If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

You crown the year with your bounty. Psalm 65:11

God has not left himself without a witness in doing good – giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, and filling you with food and your hearts with joy. Acts 14:17

Bountiful God, you have given us so much and we should want for nothing. Help us to be good stewards of the land, water, and air which you have entrus