Galatians 4:1-5 What I am saying is that as long as an heir is underage, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. 2The heir is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. 3So also, when we were underage, we were in slavery under the elemental spiritual forces of the world. 4But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.
It’s almost six years ago now. Hard to even imagine life before our Preston Ronald, our youngest grandson came on the scene. He is our last grandchild, with my husband’s name for his middle name. He was a perfect baby! I went to the Philadelphia area to our son and daughter-in-love’s home to help with care for their older child, Grant William. He was only older by 20 months! It was a happy and busy event, so it was helpful that this was a home with a ‘guardian’ either at the door, or under the bassinet 24/7! (see the photo above)
Jeffery is a 75 pound pit bull mix rescue dog. He became attached very quickly to me, and the family. As soon as I would enter the home, after I had greeted everyone, I would sit on the couch and call Jeffrey; ‘Come give Nana some sugar.’ Immediately Jeffrey would come running, climb up on my lap, (well, most of him was on my lap), and just cozy up, until he had enough. Then he would jump down an return to his post at the window or door. When Preston would be in the bassinet, Jeffrey would be laying under it. If you thought he was asleep, you would be wrong! As soon as baby Preston made a move, or a squeak, Jeffery was at attention, surveying the situation. On one of these occasions when Preston continued to cry, Jeffery found the adult in the house, (me) and barked at me until I went to Preston and resolved his issue. Preston’s older brother was on high alert also. Grant would be out somewhere with his Daddy and as soon as he entered the house his 20 month little frame ran to the bassinet to check on his ‘brudder.’ These two were the ‘guardians of the force.’ The ‘force’ in that home, at that time was Preston. He was incapable of caring for himself and needed guardians. He is still the force in that home today, and we love him dearly.
From God’s vantage point we are still the ‘Force’ that needs the guardian. We are just humans, frail and often incapable of knowing right from wrong! In fact, How does anyone really know right from wrong if someone did not give us that information. That is where ‘The Law’ comes in. Before Christ came to earth Moses was given ‘The Law’, The Ten Commandments.’ For years we had the law to keep us on the straight and narrow. The Law did a good job, for the most part, but the Word told us something better was coming. The Law was the ‘down payment’, or the security for a better plan God already had in place. We were all like the ‘under-aged heir’s of an immense fortune. We knew the fortune was coming, it had been promised by God in Isaiah 7:14, it was just a matter of God’s timing when the promise would be fulfilled.
Isaiah 7:14 14Therefore the LORD himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
Though we did not know exactly when it would come, we did not know how it would come, we did know we would receive it. Just like an inheritance, however, we could not receive what was promised until the guarantor-died. That’s just the way an inheritance worked. That was the only way to receive this indescribable gift from Father God!
When it all began to unfold with the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, very few of even the educated Jewish leaders we able to put the pieces of the puzzle together. There was just too much emotional attachment to this man, Jesus the healer. Not unlike ourselves when a close person to us dies, the inheritance is not our first concern. However, when the truth that the law was now exchanged for Grace, and rules were now written on our hearts, our eyes were opened to Salvation through Messiah. This is what the prophet was talking about. Now we experience it with our own eyes and understanding. Hallelujah!
Galatians 3:13 13Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.”
To me it sometimes seems too good to be true. The Creator of the Universe loved His creation so much that when we were so sinful, He still had a plan to redeem us back to Himself.
Some things in life need to be ‘believed’ to be ‘seen.
‘
Leave a Reply