As we approach Easter, Keith shares his thought for the week; He has done it all.
Easter is a fantastic time to be a Christian because it’s when we remember the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, which gives us forgiveness of sins. As I reflect on this, one of the most unusual scriptures we find in the Old Testament is found in Genesis chapter 15. If you’ve ever read this, you might have been confused by it, but it’s an account here. A few years after Abraham has been promised amazing things by God, and he comes to God in Genesis 15 and says, “But will this really happen?”
That gives me confidence because sometimes God will say things to us and we might doubt. But God says, “Yes, it will happen. The things I’ve promised you are going to come to pass.” But then God instructs Abraham to do something rather strange to us. He says, “Gather certain types of animals, slaughter them, divide them in half, and lay them in the line parallel to each other.”
Abraham does this, and he knows exactly what this is about. This was a form of confirming and making a blood covenant between two parties. What would normally happen is that the two people making the covenant would walk in between those slaughtered animals and they would promise each other, “If I break this covenant, may I also be broken and pulled apart.” It’s quite gruesome when we think about it. But Abraham doesn’t walk through the parts. If you read there in Genesis 15, he falls asleep and there’s a representation of God who walks through the broken animals.
What’s being said here? God knows that we are not strong enough to keep the covenant on our own. In fact, we’ll break it. We’ll be unfaithful. We’ll walk away. We’ll do all manner of things that therefore we deserve the punishment for our sin. We deserve to be broken. But God himself walks through those parts there in Genesis 15 promising that even when we fail, he will stand in our place and be broken for our sins. And that’s what Easter is all about. In all the covenants of the Old Testament, you find a picture of Jesus.
What happens here in Genesis 15 is a picture of Jesus. This Easter week, if you don’t feel strong enough, if you don’t feel like you’re good enough, if you don’t feel like you’re the best Christian that has ever walked the earth, the chances are you’re probably not the best Christian that’s ever walked the face of the earth. But the good news about Easter is this. Jesus was broken for our sins. He takes our place. He takes our punishment. And then on the third day, he’s raised to life again to show that he is even victor over death.
So however you feel this week, God says to you, you’re not strong enough, but I will be strong on your behalf. Have a great Easter week. God bless.
Every week one of our members shares a short thought aiming to inspire you for the week. You can watch previous Thought For The Week videos by clicking here.