The biblical storyline unfolds in the book of Deuteronomy…the people of God are proceeding on to their promised land…the conditions under the Old Covenant–provided by God’s mediator, Moses–are laid out clearly.
The Israelites of old are now faced with a choice:
“…will they control their appetites or will they succumb to them?“
In other words, will God’s chosen people–by their food restrictions–be clean or unclean…be holy or unholy…be allowed to enter into God’s presence or be rejected?
“For you are a holy people to the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. “You shall not eat any detestable thing…”
Deuteronomy 14:2-3
We don’t know exactly why each animal was selected to be consumed or not, but we do know that God’s intent for His people was that they remain distinct in a culture where sickness and disease ran rampant and where worshipping the created instead of the Creator was a regular occurrence. It was into this ancient culture that God put forth limitations on what could be eaten by His chosen people. They were to be distinct…unique…peculiar…a royal priesthood.
The problem was…they didn’t restrain their appetites. They didn’t keep a governor on their passions and desires. As a result…the were judged. They were set down. The reality is, however, we don’t constrain our appetites and desires either. The ancient people of God couldn’t restrain their inner drives…and neither can we. As a result…we are judged. We are set down…
At some point, we all fold to various temptations, and we all stop fighting against the sinful cravings within. We all instead have given in to the raging lusts, taboo pleasures, mechanisms of control, and on and on and on. But that doesn’t have to be the final word.
We, like the wandering ancient people of God from of old, need something to change us from within. We need Someone who didn’t give in to His appetites. We need Someone who didn’t cave to passions. We need Someone who instead resisted every temptation. We need Someone who remained faithful in the face of trials…until His very last breath. We need this individual to be perfect…so that in our failure to restrain our desires, we have an acceptable Substitute. One who stands in our place before God as a Sacrifice to ultimately deal with our failures…One who takes the penalty for our falling to temptation and desire after temptation and desire.
Really, what we need…what all men need, is a Savior…a God-man…Jesus Christ!
This is yet another reason Why Christ Had To Die…
How Does This Apply To Us Today?
- You will never–by your own initiative–stop the sinful cravings, the pernicious passions, and the deep down destructive drives. Try as you might, you (nor I) will ever succeed. There must be something outside of us that changes the drives within us.
- Enter Jesus Christ.
- It was into our world that Jesus Christ came in order to live the life we couldn’t live…to die the death we wouldn’t die…and to be raised from the grace defeating both death and sin.
Our desires are too strong. Temptations are too tempting. Our failures are too often and too prolonged.
And it was into this fray that God sent forth His Son…
Tired of fighting a never ending battle? Look to the One who went before you…who fought and won the victory.
Tired of trying remedy after fad-filled remedy to fix your behaviors? Turn to Christ in faith. Believe He died for you. Trust that your sins kept you from Him, and that His grace is free and your faith is a gift. Look to Him and believe He offers you salvation…turn to Him in faith.
And then…never stop believing…never stop trusting…never stop looking to Him in faith!
“…if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved…”
Romans 10:9
— August 9, 2019