Sin destroys.
Sin destroys.
Sometimes sin will destroy within a few days. Other times it takes a lifetime for sin to lead to destruction.
Because of the nature of sin (it destroys), and because everyone sins, we need salvation. We need saved from ourselves. We need salvation from the destruction we have set in motion.
Set Apart
Back in early days of Israel, there was a group of men who rebelled against Moses. The entire nation has just been reprimanded for their lack of faith. They didn’t believe God could overcome the obstacles they faced in entering the Promised Land, so they were forced to wander the wilderness for 40 years.
Sin destroyed an entire generation’s hope, yet there was still hope for the people group as a whole. However, this was too was in jeopardy. This group of men decided there was nothing special about Moses or his brother, Aaron, the High Priest. They challenged Moses in front of the entire nation, exposing an underlying current of distrust of Moses, Aaron and, more importantly, God within the average citizen.
In voicing their distrust, these men used the phrase “set apart”. They believed Moses and Aaron weren’t set apart to do the work of God. Another word for “set apart” is “holy”. These men thought Moses and Aaron weren’t any more holy than the average person.
Sin destroys
God disagrees, so God acts. God first swallows into the ground the households of two of the leaders challenging Moses and Aaron. Then God sends a fire to destroy another 250 leaders set against Him. Sin destroyed them, and it’s not over yet.
The next day, the whole of the nation continues complaining and protesting about the punishment of these men. Again, God acts. This time God sends a plague to kill the people. Sin begins to destroy them. This plague moves out through the camp killing the people.
Humility and Obedience
Scripture records Moses as the most humble man to walk the earth (Numbers 12:3). In an act of humility, Moses commands Aaron to run out among the people with incense burner. Aaron obeys. The Bible records it this way:
“He stood between the dead and the living, and the plague stopped.” -Numbers 16:48 NLT
In my mind, there is a clear line between those killed from the plague and those not yet touched by it. Yet for the living, death is on it’s way. Into this split, Aaron runs. One man shields the living from impending death. Aaron stands in the gap.
A Better Aaron
Thousands of years later, this scenario is replayed. Sin has continued. In fact, sin has increased. The results of sin have compounded. Destruction is everywhere. Into this world, Jesus enters. Like Aaron, Jesus was set apart. However, Jesus was holy because he was perfect. In Jesus was no sin. Because there was no sin in Jesus, Jesus was able to destroy effects of sin.
At just the right time, God allowed a cross to stand between the dead and the living. On that cross hung Jesus. The plague of death stopped for those who put their faith in Jesus.
Jesus calls me holy because of his act of courage and mercy. I am what those rebels in the camp thought they were – set apart. If your faith is in Jesus, you too are set apart. You are holy.
Sin destroys.
Jesus saves.
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