7 times 7 - the right kind of weakness

Psalm 106:28-31 "They joined themselves also to Baal-peor and ate sacrifices offered to the dead. Thus they provoked Him to anger with their deeds, and the plague broke out among them. The Phinehas stood up and interposed, and so they plague was stayed. And it was reckoned to him for righteousness to all generations forever."

Chapter 25 of Numbers describes the scene recounted above, where the Israelites are taking Midianite women as harlots and then sacrificing the their god "Baal of Peor." The Israelites participate in their worship and bow down to their idols. God commands Moses and the people of Israel to execute all of those who had joined themselves to Baal and Phinehas executes a Israelite man and Midianite woman. God blesses him and makes a covenant with his family as a perpetual priesthood, "because he was jealous for his God and made atonement for the sons of Israel." (Num 25:13)

The judgement Phinehas executes is actually considered making atonement, because he is obeying the Lord and has a heart only for Him. It is a small picture of Jesus, our great high priest, who has an eternal priesthood, not just through a family line, but in His eternal life, and "is able to save forever those who draw near through Him, for He always lives to make intercession for them". (Heb 7:25)

Our need for intercession comes from the fundamental issue of our sin. I have become more and more convinced that there is no great enemy to our walk of faith than our own fallen nature inside of us. Jesus cautions His disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane "Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; for the Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." (Matt 26:41) Within us is a flesh that continually needs to be put to death, to be surrendered to the work of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, because in our strength we will fail. But our weakness does not surprise or bother the Lord. As Paul writes in 2 Corinthians "And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power in perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weakness, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me."

This is not a call to be weak, but rather to be dependent. We see a continual pattern of the Israelites called to wander, but rather than stay in step with the Lord in dependence, they wander not only physically, but spiritually as well. They become distracted by their circumstance, own desires for comfort, and the disconnect between their will and God's will for them. They worship the physical - be it water, meat, or even a tangible idol worship instead of the Almighty God.

We all suffer in this struggle and as saved in the blood of Christ, once for all time, we do not bear the weight of guilt and the stain of sin. Our sins have been wiped clean - even those we have yet to commit. But in humble dependence and obedience to the one who saved us, we are to invite Christ to reign in our hearts. Romans 6 says "Even so, considers yourself to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourself to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace." (vs 11-14)

We are not under a law, which condemns our wandering heart and wayward flesh - but rather we are under grace which invites us to be led by the hand through the wilderness, dependent on His provision and His perfect plan for us. This is the right kind of weakness - not one which results giving into our urges and temptations, but the weakness who says "God, please help me. I'm not enough in my own strength.

The Psalmist says it well in Psalm 118:5-6 "From my distress I called upon the Lord; The Lord answered me and set me in a large place. The Lord is for me; I will not fear; what can man do to me?"

The Lord is for us - we do not need to fear the things of this earth - even the fallenness of our own hearts. I feel often times like the Lord will save me from the things surrounding me, but what about the heart within? He saves me from myself. That was what happened at Calvary. God said to Cain, before he murdered Abel "If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it." (Gen 4:7) Satan's desire is for us to be overwhelmed by our own flesh and fall into sin and despair. God's desire is for us to be surrounded by His love and fall into His protective arms.

Live under the shadow of the cross - be needy for Him - cling to Him - embrace your dependence - for He is gracious and He longs to give us rest for our souls. (Matt 11:28-30)