I know that my Redeemer
lives, - Job 19:25a (NIV)
Robert Grey sat at his kitchen table staring at some papers laying in front of him. As his eyes scanned the numbers you could here him making strange noises sort of like “Chic a chic a chic a chic a chic a ching. Chic a chic a chic a chic a chic a ching.” over and over again. This was how Randy found him
“Are you okay?” Randy asked after
a few minutes of standing and watching him. “Huh? What? Where did
you come from?” Robert stuttered in surprise. “Your wife let me
in.” Randy told him, “She said I'd find you in the kitchen. I
figured you'd be eating, but, what are you doing?” “Thinking.”
Robert told him and started making more “Chic a chic a chic a chic
a chic a ching.” sounds.
“Do you always make such strange
noises when you think?” Randy asked. “No.” Robert replied,
“Just once in a while, when I'm thinking about Harold.” “I
guess I make funny noises too when I think about him.” Randy said
and then they both let out a good laugh.
Once their laughing calmed down,
Robert said in a rather somber voice, “Harold's in a lot of trouble
isn't he?” “I think letting a skunk loose in the church may be
the last straw for Harold.” Randy replied in an equally somber
voice. The church board had a emergency meeting and they are
seriously thinking of banishing Harold form the church and anything
doing with it.”
“Yeah,” Robert frowned, “That is
pretty serious.” “It's worse than that though,” Randy
continued, “Most of the church members want him to personally pay
for all the damages and no one will stick up for him.” “There is
one person that may stick up for him.” Robert interrupted, “That
is, if I can come up with enough money. There is no way Harold could
pay for all the damage.”
“Do you really think you'll be able
to help him?” Randy quietly asked “I'm not completely certain,
but he is my grandson and I think I should try.” “How are you
going to help him?” Robert asked not thinking anything could help
Harold. “Well,” Robert answered, “I have a friend who owns a
grocery warehouse and he said he could get me tomato sauce in the
bulk. And I know someone who claims he can get the skunk smell out of
the church building in less than a week but it's expensive and will
cost me all of my savings.”
“That will definitely go along way
towards helping Harold but I don't think it'll be enough.” Randy
said half hopeful. “What do you mean, it won't be enough?” Robert
asked thinking what he was doing would be enough. “There's still
the matter of getting all the people to forgive.” Randy told him.
“Oh!” Robert said, “I hadn't thought of that. And than he put
his head down and started making more funny noises.
For all have sinned and fall short
of the glory of God. - Romans 3:23 (HCSB) While we may like to
think of people, at least some people as being good, the Bible
reminds us that people are not good. Some people are bad and some
people are really bad. Jehoram would likely fall into the really bad
category. Jehoram was king of Israel and he lived in Samaria, the
capital city. From their he led his people away from God which of
course didn't bode well for him or his people.
Starting in the 24th verse
of 2 Kings chapter 6 we find that Ben-hadad, king of Aram, and
brought his army to Samaria and held it under siege. In the city
things got so bad that a donkey’s head sold for 80 silver shekels,
and a cup of dove’s dung sold for five silver shekels which was a
lot of money to pay for something to eat. Even worse than that, we
read that women were to the point of killing their own children to
eat them. When Jehoram heard of this, he tore his clothes and
pronounced the death sentence on Elisha, the prophet of God as if he
brought all these problems.
Things looked pretty bleak for Harold
and his Grandfather decided to redeem him even though he didn't
deserve it. Things looked pretty bleak for Jehoram and the people in
Samaria but God decided to redeem them. When one continued to read
the 2 Kings we find that when the kings right hand man came to
collect Elisha, he was told that the next day there would be food a
plenty but because he didn't believe, he would only see it but never
enjoy it.
During the night following, God scared
the Arameans away, the fled so fast that they left all their
possessions, including lots of food, behind. Some Lepers found it and
reported it to the gate keepers who in turn reported it to the king.
After checking it out to make sure it wasn't a trap, the people
plundered the camp trampling the kings right hand man on the way. The
people were saved, Harold will be saved, and all will turn out
because someone cares enough to redeem us even when we don't deserve
it.
As we enter the month of December our
thoughts often turn towards Christmas and when we think of Christmas
we should be thinking of our Redeemer, our Savior. Matthew 1:20-21
reads - But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord
appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do
not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is
conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a
son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his
people from their sins." (NIV)
While Jesus work of redeeming us
didn't take place at Christmas, Christmas is the time when He made
his entrance into the world as a man so that he could one day go to
the cross and there by redeem us. Galatians 3:13 says Christ
redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for
it is written, "Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree"
(ESV)
I'm not Harold letting skunks loose in
church, I'm not Jehoram or the people of Samaria, but I am me and as
me, I need a redeemer for just like everybody else, I've fallen short
of the glory of God. You're likely not letting skunks loose in
church either and your not Jehoram or the people of Samaria but you
too need a redeemer, the one that was born over 2000 years ago.
Here's Something To Ponder
- Would you be willing to redeem someone who doesn't deserve it?
- Are you willing to receive the redemption Jesus made available?
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