Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

Today’s devotion comes from Numbers 9:1-14.

“1 Thus the Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying, 2 “Now, let the sons of Israel observe the Passover at its appointed time.  3 On the fourteenth day of this month, at twilight, you shall observe it at its appointed time;  you shall observe it according to all its statutes and according to all its ordinances.”  4 So Moses told the sons of Israel to observe the Passover.  5 They observed the Passover in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at twilight, in the wilderness of Sinai;  according to all that the Lord had commanded Moses, so the sons of Israel did.  6 But there were some men who were unclean because of the dead person, so that they could not observe Passover on that day;  so they came before Moses and Aaron on that day.  7 Those men said to him, “Though we are unclean because of the dead person, why are we restrained from presenting the offering of the Lord at its appointed time among the sons of Israel?”  8 Moses therefore said to them, “Wait, and I will listen to what the Lord will command concerning you.”

9 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 10 “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘If any one of you or of your generations becomes unclean because of a dead person, or is on a distant journey, he may, however, observe the Passover to the Lord.  11 In the second month on the fourteenth day at twilight, they shall observe it;  they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 1 2 They shall leave none of it until morning, nor break a bone of it;  according to all the statute of the Passover they shall observe it.  13 But the man who is clean and is not on a journey, and yet neglects to observe the Passover, that person shall then be cut off from his people, for he did not present the offering of the Lord at its appointed time.  That man will bear his sin.  14 If an alien sojourns among you and observes the Passover to the Lord, according to the statute of the Passover and according to its ordinance, so he shall do;  you shall have one statute, both for the alien and for the native of the land.’”  Numbers 9:1-14.

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The LORD made a temporary provision.  The LORD allowed those who were unable to take Passover on time, because they were temporarily unclean or on a trip, to take the Passover a month later.

But, the LORD did not excuse those who were able to take the Passover on time exactly as required, but who neglected to take it on time as exactly required for possible various reasons.  It may not have been convenient for them (possible reason for their neglect – verse 13) ) or customary to them (such as if they were an alien sojourning in the land, they would still be subject to the same law – verse 14).

How does this Scripture apply to us? 

There are many who think the lesson is simply that we cannot be excused from the requirements of the Law because it is inconvenient to us or strange to us.  They think that all we need is more time:  a second chance or even a repeated series of forgivenesses and retrys until we get it right.

But, are we truly able to obey the requirements of the Law?

No!  We can be given a second chance and all the rest of chances, and we will still be unable to obey the requirements of the Law.  Although “the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good” (Romans 7:12), the problem is sin within us.

“For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death.”   Romans 7:5.  “But sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind …”  Romans 7:8 “and this commandment, which was to result in life, proved to result in death for me;  for sin, taking an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me.”  Romans 7:10-11.

Are we, nevertheless, even though we will never get it right, forced to go through life continually in bondage to the Law?

Is there only a temporary provision for us? 

Or, does today’s Scripture give us hope that God may have made a permanent provision for us?

Praise God!  God did indeed make a permanent provision for us!

“For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did:  sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”  Romans 8:3-4.

“But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter.”  Romans 7:6.

“Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.”  Romans 7:4.