Daily Reading: Numbers 28-30
Numbers 28:21
A several tenth deal shalt thou offer for every lamb, throughout the seven lambs:
New Testament Christianity is simple. It just is. Nowhere is its simplicity more apparent than when reading about the multiplicity of Old Testament sacrifices, holy days, convocations, dietary regulations, and the like. Consider today's reading. It's confusing. Right?
Praise the Lord for the simplicity of Christ! The Apostle Paul wrote about it. Consider II Corinthians 11:3: But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. How simple is the faith system of the New Testament? As simple as eating a piece of bread if you are hungry, for Christ is the Bread of Life. As simple as taking a drink of water if you are thirsty, for Christ is the Water of Life. As simple as opening a door and entering a room, as Christ is the Door. As simple as opening a door to a friend's knock, as Christ stands at the door and knocks.
Make no mistake, Christ is not simple. He is complex, more so than any person can fully understand. His sacrifice was complex with many variables associated with it. His life was complex as He confused all by His actions and reactions. His thinking was complex for He could not be outfoxed, outsmarted, or outmaneuvered. His work was complex, as He welcomed the little children, healed the lame, gave sight to the blind, cured the leper, lifted up the humble, enraged the intelligentsia, loved the unlovable, and raised the dead back to life.
When reading the Old Testament law of sacrificial laws remember this, Christ fulfilled all of the law's complexities and requirements as they all spoke of Him. Every lamb, turtledove, pigeon, ox, bullock, goat, and bird that was sacrificed pointed to His ultimate sacrifice on the cross of Calvary. Every ritualistic sprinkling, washing, duty, and rite was a forerunner of Him. Every aspect of the Tabernacle, every color, material, dimension, building material, and even the way it was to be positioned according to the compass spoke of His life, work, and ministry. Every implement, spoon, dish, laver, candle, and stave pictured some aspect of His life and times.
Yes, He is extraordinarily complex. Yet, He made it so simple for us, for I do not know about you, but I need simple. Someone once said that elegance and quality is the ability to take the complex and make it simple. As an example consider your smartphone, it is an extremely complex piece of technology, yet its operation is remarkably simple. Christ's complexity is far beyond modern day technology in that He created all the raw material, laws of science, electricity, logic, and the human brains that have harnessed these attributes to bring us simplicity for everyday usages.
Yes, our faith system in Christ is simple. Praise the Lord, for through Him we are no longer under the laws as given by Moses, for He has fulfilled those laws for us!
Until tomorrow, live for Christ today!
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