Pardon and a Remnant’s Reward (Advent 20, 2022)

Not all who marched on dry land in deliverance out of slavery in Egypt would be part of the ongoing remnant. It’s not just heritage, remember? There’s something called faith, seeing the signs and wonders of God and taking them to heart.

Faith? Some just wouldn’t keep it.

Numbers 14:10 Then the glory of the LORD appeared at the tent of meeting to all the Israelites. 11 The LORD said to Moses, “How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the signs I have performed among them?…

God may be slow to anger, but it doesn’t mean He’ll never say, “Time’s up!” or “Enough!” Moses appeals to the character of God and His great love to forgive instead of God’s destroying them all for their unbelief.

Numbers 14:19 In accordance with your great love, forgive the sin of these people, just as you have pardoned them from the time they left Egypt until now.” 20 The LORD replied, “I have forgiven them, as you asked.

Pardon, however, didn’t restore a reward of the Promised Land.
God would give the reward to their children
while those old enough to have seen God’s miraculous deliverance
and chose instead to be faithless would die in the wilderness.

Numbers 14: 21 Nevertheless, as surely as I live and as surely as the glory of the LORD fills the whole earth, 22 not one of those who saw my glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times– 23 not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their ancestors. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it…. 31 As for your children that you said would be taken as plunder, I will bring them in to enjoy the land you have rejected. (Numbers 14:10-11, 19-23, 31)

Questions for further thought:

Are there any ways in which you’ve seen God working in your life, but then taken His actions for granted? Or you’ve attributed it to your own ability?
Does God’s pardon for sin restore the reward for faith?
Even in an age of God’s grace, how does forgiveness by the blood of Christ stand apart as a totally separate issue from the reward for faith by one’s actions? See 1 Corinthians 3:10-14.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus please open my eyes to see the pardon for sin and the grace You have shown. Help me to display works of faith not because it earns anything in this life but because it brings glory to You. May I bring a sacrifice of praise in honor of You. For Your glory we pray, Amen.

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Advent began Sunday, November 27, 2022 and continues to Saturday, December 24th as we explore the remnant spoken of in Scripture and awaken as the end draws near.

By signing up on the sidebar of my Home Page you can receive these daily “Awaken, Remnant” devotionals. Or they will be reposted on SeminaryGal’s Facebook page as well.

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Acknowledging inquiries about an entire season’s devotionals for your study group’s planning purposes, Seminary Gal’s prior seasons’ Advent devotionals can be accessed via the archives to the right and are as follows:

The multi-faceted Interlude between the promise of a Deliverer and the birth of our Messiah and King was the theme of 2021’s devotional series. It is archived beginning November 28, 2021.
2020’s Devotional Series Divine Intervention began on November 29, 2020 and explored God’s activity on behalf of a hurting world and nations in tumult– Intervention for you and for me when our status as sinners required nothing short of a miracle.
God’s Christmas list explored what might be on God’s Christmas list, learning what He wants from us. It began December 1, 2019.
Storyteller began December 2, 2018 and entered into the Christmas story through its telling.
The 2017 series Still Christmas, began December 3, 2017 and was the Advent complement to the Lenten series, Be Still and Know that I AM God.
The 2016 season devotionals were called “Timeless: The Message of Christmas for All Ages” and explored how the message of Christmas is timeless truth, for all ages of people, and for all ages at all times. Timeless hope, encouragement, grace, peace, and love as we looked into the Word, saw the face of our Lord Jesus, and experienced restoration in His presence. His goodness and His Gospel are truly Timeless. The 2016 devotionals began November 27, 2016.
The 2015 season devotionals were titled Incarnation and involved digging deep–and yes, I mean deep– in this important mystery of Christian theology. They began November 29, 2015.
Carol Me, Christmas! remains one of my most popular offerings and tells the Christmas story through our most beloved Christmas hymns and carols. You can access all of the numbered devotionals from 2014 via the archives. They began November 30, 2014.
The 2013 series was Emmanuel: When LOVE Showed Up in Person and examined the Prologue to the Gospel of John. It began December 1, 2013.
The 2012 series focused on Expecting the Unexpected…the unexpected, unlikely, and uniquely divine qualities of God’s perfect plan outlined in Luke’s account of the Christmas story. It began December 1, 2012.