Sermon #8
Leviticus Sermons
Title: The
Peace Offerings
Text: Leviticus 3:1-17
Subject: The Law of the Peace Offerings
Date: Sunday Morning – May 6, 2001
Tape # W-39b
Readings: Leviticus
3:1-17 and 7:11-21, 29-34
[Leviticus
3] "And if his oblation be a
sacrifice of peace offering, if he offer it of the herd; whether it
be a male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before the LORD.
[2] And he shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering, and kill it at
the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and Aaron's sons the
priests shall sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about. [3] And he
shall offer of the sacrifice of the peace offering an offering made by fire
unto the LORD; the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon
the inwards, [4] And the two kidneys, and the fat that is on
them, which is by the flanks, and the caul above the liver, with the
kidneys, it shall he take away. [5] And Aaron's sons shall burn it on
the altar upon the burnt sacrifice, which is upon the wood that is on
the fire: it is an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the
LORD.
[6]
And if his
offering for a sacrifice of peace offering unto the LORD be of the
flock; male or female, he shall offer it without blemish. [7] If he
offer a lamb for his offering, then shall he offer it before the LORD. [8] And
he shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering, and kill it before the
tabernacle of the congregation: and Aaron's sons shall sprinkle the blood
thereof round about upon the altar. [9] And he shall offer of the
sacrifice of the peace offering an offering made by fire unto the LORD; the fat
thereof, and the whole rump, it shall he take off hard by the backbone;
and the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the
inwards, [10] And the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them,
which is by the flanks, and the caul above the liver, with the kidneys,
it shall he take away. [11] And the priest shall burn it upon the altar:
it is the food of the offering made by fire unto the LORD.
[12]
And if his
offering be a goat, then he shall offer it before the LORD. [13] And
he shall lay his hand upon the head of it, and kill it before the tabernacle of
the congregation: and the sons of Aaron shall sprinkle the blood thereof upon
the altar round about. [14] And he shall offer thereof his offering, even
an offering made by fire unto the LORD; the fat that covereth the inwards,
and all the fat that is upon the inwards, [15] And the two
kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, which is by the flanks,
and the caul above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away. [16] And
the priest shall burn them upon the altar: it is the food of the
offering made by fire for a sweet savour: all the fat is the LORD'S.
[17] It shall be a perpetual statute for your generations throughout all
your dwellings, that ye eat neither fat nor blood."
[Leviticus
7:11-21] "And this is the
law of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which he shall offer unto the LORD.
[12] If he offer it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the
sacrifice of thanksgiving unleavened cakes mingled with oil, and unleavened
wafers anointed with oil, and cakes mingled with oil, of fine flour, fried.
[13] Besides the cakes, he shall offer for his offering leavened
bread with the sacrifice of thanksgiving of his peace offerings. [14] And
of it he shall offer one out of the whole oblation for an heave offering
unto the LORD, and it shall be the priest's that sprinkleth the blood of
the peace offerings. [15] And the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace
offerings for thanksgiving shall be eaten the same day that it is offered; he
shall not leave any of it until the morning. [16] But if the sacrifice
of his offering be a vow, or a voluntary offering, it shall be eaten the
same day that he offereth his sacrifice: and on the morrow also the remainder
of it shall be eaten: [17] But the remainder of the flesh of the
sacrifice on the third day shall be burnt with fire. [18] And if any of
the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings be eaten at all on the third
day, it shall not be accepted, neither shall it be imputed unto him that
offereth it: it shall be an abomination, and the soul that eateth of it shall
bear his iniquity. [19] And the flesh that toucheth any unclean thing
shall not be eaten; it shall be burnt with fire: and as for the flesh, all
that be clean shall eat thereof. [20] But the soul that eateth of the
flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings, that pertain unto the LORD,
having his uncleanness upon him, even that soul shall be cut off from his
people. [21] Moreover the soul that shall touch any unclean thing, as
the uncleanness of man, or any unclean beast, or any abominable
unclean thing, and eat of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings,
which pertain unto the LORD, even that soul shall be cut off from his
people."
[Leviticus
7:29-34] "Speak unto the children
of Israel, saying, He that offereth the sacrifice of his peace offerings unto
the LORD shall bring his oblation unto the LORD of the sacrifice of his peace
offerings. [30] His own hands shall bring the offerings of the LORD made
by fire, the fat with the breast, it shall he bring, that the breast may be
waved for a wave offering before the LORD. [31] And the priest
shall burn the fat upon the altar: but the breast shall be Aaron's and his
sons'. [32] And the right shoulder shall ye give unto the priest for an
heave offering of the sacrifices of your peace offerings. [33] He among
the sons of Aaron, that offereth the blood of the peace offerings, and the fat,
shall have the right shoulder for his part. [34] For the wave
breast and the heave shoulder have I taken of the children of Israel from off
the sacrifices of their peace offerings, and have given them unto Aaron the
priest and unto his sons by a statute for ever from among the children of
Israel."
Introduction:
Three years ago (in May
1998) the Associated Press wire service ran a sad, tragic story that was picked
up by newspapers and television news rooms across the nation. Some of you may
remember the event.
Phil Hartman and his wife, Brynn, to all appearances, had
everything. He was 49, -- a famous comedian (Saturday Night Live and
NewsRadio). She was 40, -- a stunningly beautiful and successful fashion model.
They had two children, a boy and a girl, aged 9 and 6. They were, according to
family and friends, a loving, happy family. Why shouldn’t they be? They had
oodles of money, a new boat, their own airplane, a multi-million dollar
mansion, fancy cars, everything everyone wants.
In fact, Phil Hartman said to a friend a short while earlier, “I
have a plane. I have a boat. I have a great house. I have a great family. In
fact, I have everything I ever wanted. It feels great.” -- It soon became
obvious to everyone that something was missing.
At about 2:00 A.M. on Thursday morning of that week, Brynn
Hartman shot and killed her husband; then, sometime later, while the police
were entering her house to investigate, she shot and killed herself.
What happened?
What happened? Why would a
woman who, measuring by the world’s standards, had everything, kill her husband
and herself? What was missing? What made he do such a thing? We have no way of
knowing the detailed answers to such questions. Who can explain murder and
suicide? But this much is obvious. -- Brynn Hartman was deeply troubled. Her
money, her success, her fame, her luxurious house, her lavished lifestyle, all
proved to be utterly meaningless. They did not and could not satisfy her. There
was a need in her life they could not fill.
What Brynn Hartman did not have was peace. She had no peace.
When all the things money can buy and the world can give proved to be empty
bubbles, she turned to alcohol and drugs. But still she was utterly distraught
within. At last, she murdered her husband I his sleep, committed suicide, and
robbed her children of their parents, their home, and happiness.
What a sad, sad, tragic story! How often it has been repeated
through the centuries! It ought to cause people to ask…
Where can I find peace?
How can you and I find real
peace, -- true happiness and well-being? Where can we find wholeness and
satisfaction? There are many common ways men and women seek the peace that is
lacking in their lives. Here are three:
(1)
You could change your circumstances! You might trade in your
wife or your husband for newer model. You might change jobs, start a new
career, or move to a new town. Or you might try to make a little more money,
trying to find peace and security by building up our assets.
(2)
If that doesn’t work or is infeasible, you might run away from your
problem, or what appears to be your problem! That might include trying
to drown your troubles in alcohol, or stupefying your mind with drugs, or
literally running away from home if you are a teenager, running away from your
husband or wife, abandoning your family, abandoning your children. How many
have wrecked the lives of all who should have been dear to them, and wrecked
their own lives, abandoning everything for their own happiness!
:
(3)
And if that doesn’t work, you can always take the last option. -- Blame someone else. Find a good, expensive
analyst who will tell you that all your troubles are someone else’s fault.
Ideally, if you can get a good lawyer, you might even be able to sue your
parents, or the school teachers, or both, who warped your personality by
forcing you to change your shorts when you were a child.
Any of these solutions might lead to a temporary relief from the
stress and strain that you want to escape; but the relief is, at best, temporary.
Sooner or later the new circumstances change, the stress returns, and the
turmoil. – “There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.”
So where can we find peace? How can we find peace in a world of
woe?
Leviticus
3
Turn with me to the often
overlooked book of Leviticus. The book of Leviticus begins with a description
of five sacrifices that God ordained for the Israel. The sacrifices, of course,
are pictures of our Lord Jesus Christ and the redemption he accomplished for us
at Calvary, by the shedding of his blood. However, the sacrifices were also
acts of worship.
Proposition: The poor, needy sinner came
to God with the symbolic sacrifice God required and found in the sacrifice
(symbolically) both acceptance with God by blood atonement and mercy, grace,
and blessedness by the sacrifice.
Our
Needs
Each of these sacrifices
represented God’s provision for the deep needs of fallen men. Each one
displayed different aspects of our Savior’s accomplishments at Calvary.
We all need atonement, acceptance with God. That
is what is represented in the burnt offerings described in chapter one. – The
burnt offering pictured the acceptance of guilty sinners by the holy Lord God
through the merits of Christ. God’s acceptance of his people is complete. He
accepts us as a whole, all of us, all our parts. As the burnt offering was
consumed by fire in its entirety, as the Lord Jesus Christ was accepted as our
Substitute and consumed by fire in all his holy being, so we are accepted of
God for Christ’s sake. Here a great, basic human need is met. – acceptance with God. The burnt offering
declares, to every believing sinner, “accepted
in the Beloved!”
There is a second great need in the heart of man. Fallen
man, being estranged and alienated from God has within his soul a desperate
need of consecration to God. Man needs to give himself up to God.
He strives to find ways of doing so; but there is no rest in his soul until he
gives himself up entirely to God by faith in and devotion to Christ. That is
what is portrayed in the meat offerings described in chapter two.
Here we see man bringing back to God the very stuff of which we
are made, our staple food, bread. This portrays the believer’s response to the
mercy, love, and grace of God in Christ, the believer’s response to blood
atonement. Just as our Savior gave himself to God entirely as our sin-atoning
sacrifice, we give ourselves entirely to God in Christ. The meat offering is
the believer coming to God by Christ, full of gratitude, saying, “I am not my
own. I have been bought with the price of Christ’s precious blood. Henceforth I
am God’s.” The meat offering says, with penitent heart…
“But
drops of grief can ne’er repay
The
debt of love I owe!
Here,
Lord, I give myself away,
‘Tis
all that I can do.”
·
The
Old Testament Tithe
·
Giving
Still there is another universal need in fallen men. We
need peace, peace within, peace with one another, and peace with God.
The fact is, men can never have peace within, or peace with one another (not
really) until we have peace with God. That is what is portrayed in Leviticus
three. Here the holy Lord God describes for us the ceremonial, highly
symbolical, typical peace offerings, which (of course) portray Christ our
peace.
Here God answers the question, -- How can I find peace?
The order in which these offerings are given is not arbitrary; each offering
follows the one before it.
1st, Acceptance
through Blood Atonement
2nd, Consecration
to God
3rd, Peace
Without question, believers, though redeemed by the blood of
Christ and devoted to the will and glory of God, still live in a world of hurt.
We are often caught up in temptations, trials and troubles. We must, as long as
we live in this world, face and deal with trouble and persecution, famine and
nakedness, peril and sword (as Paul says). Yet, in the midst of all these
things, our Lord says, “My peace give I unto you.”
Let’s us look at Leviticus chapter three. I will do no more than
give you an overview with some practical lessons in this message; but I believe
I have a message that will, if blessed of God, help you through your day of
adversity in this world.
One
Way
As with the burnt offerings,
the peace offerings could be either a calf, or a lamb, or a goat. The
worshipper had to identify himself with the sacrifice. (Laying his hands upon
the animal’s head he acknowledged his guilt, confessed his sins, and expressed
his faith in God’s sacrifice for sin, the Lord Jesus Christ.) The innocent
victim had to be slain – Slain by the Worshipper! The blood had to be sprinkled
– Sprinkled by the Priest! In other words, there is only one way to God, the
blood of Christ.
We read the entire chapter earlier, so we will read just the
last section now, beginning at verse twelve.
[Leviticus
3:12-17] "And if his offering be
a goat, then he shall offer it before the LORD. [13] And he shall
lay his hand upon the head of it, and kill it before the tabernacle of the
congregation: and the sons of Aaron shall sprinkle the blood thereof upon the
altar round about. [14] And he shall offer thereof his offering, even
an offering made by fire unto the LORD; the fat that covereth the inwards,
and all the fat that is upon the inwards, [15] And the two
kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, which is by the flanks,
and the caul above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away. [16] And
the priest shall burn them upon the altar: it is the food of the
offering made by fire for a sweet savour: all the fat is the LORD'S.
[17] It shall be a perpetual statute for your generations throughout all
your dwellings, that ye eat neither fat nor blood."
Four
Things
Let me show you four things
about the peace offerings, four things that distinguish these from the other
offerings.
I.
First,
if you will look at the last part of verse 16 you will see what appears to be
an unusual requirement. There we are told, “All the fat is the Lord’s.”
What is the significance of
that statement? In the burnt offering the entire animal was consumed in the
fire. In the peace offering, God provides detailed instructions concerning the
parts of the body that are to be burned. Then, in verse 16, we read: "All
fat is the Lord's." Why?
In our culture the word "fat" has negative
connotations. Our ideal male and female forms are slender and thin. No one
wants to be called "fat." But in most cultures and in most times,
that has not been the case. Because most people in the history of the world
lived in poverty, only the prosperous could become fat. Those who are a bit
heavy tend to be those who are somewhat prosperous.
I am told by our friends who have spent some time in Africa and
New Guinea that this is the case. In those poor, tribal societies, if your wife
looks like a fashion model, other men feel sorry for you. To call a child
"very fat" is a great compliment to the parents. When a person
attains a measure of wealth, his waistline almost always increases.
In the Old Testament, the Jews had a similar attitude towards
fat. In fact, the word "fat" is commonly used in the Bible in
positive ways.
[Genesis
45:18] "And take your father and
your households, and come unto me: and I will give you the good of the land of
Egypt, and ye shall eat the fat of the land."
Here Pharaoh promised Joseph “the good of the land of Egypt
and the fat of the land.” The "fat of the land" is the best of the
land, the best produce of the land. Fat is represented abundance and
prosperity.
[Numbers
18:12] "All the best of the oil,
and all the best of the wine, and of the wheat, the firstfruits of them which
they shall offer unto the LORD, them have I given thee."
The word "fat" doesn't appear in our English
translation. But the word translated "best" by the NAS and
"finest" by the NI is the same Hebrew word, "fat." Wine has
no fat in it. But the "fat of the wine" is the best wine, the finest
wine.
This is why all fat belongs to the Lord; the fat
represents that which is good, indeed, that which is best. James puts
it this way.
[James
1:17] "Every good gift and every
perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with
whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."
If we would enjoy peace in this world two things are essential.
A.
We must recognize that the singular source of all that is good is our
God, and look to him alone for it.
·
All
Saving Goodness – (Eph. 1:3-6; 1 Cor.
1:30).
·
All
Spiritual Goodness.
·
All
Providential Goodness (Rom. 8:28).
·
All
Eternal Goodness.
B.
Realizing that all we have comes from God and belongs to God, we must,
with grateful, willing hearts, give all back to him again.
If we would have peace in this world, we must recognize that
there is nothing good in our lives except what comes from God. We do not
deserve what we have. We have not earned what we have. All that we are and all
that we have comes from our heavenly Father and rightfully belongs to him. It
is God alone who makes us to differ from others (1 Cor. 4:7).
This is a basic requirement for peace. If we try to hold onto
what we have and protect ourselves from losing what we have, then the more we
have the more we will fret and worry about it. If we can hold what we have
(everything we have in this world) lightly, with confidence that God is
sovereign, we will enjoy peace.
II.
Second,
if you will turn to chapter seven (verses 15-18), you will see that the sacrifice of the peace offering had to be
eaten.
In Leviticus 3:16 we are
told that this peace offering was “a food offering.” Now, look at
Leviticus 7:15-18. The sacrifice must be eaten.
[Leviticus
7:15-18] "And the flesh of the
sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving shall be eaten the same day
that it is offered; he shall not leave any of it until the morning. [16] But
if the sacrifice of his offering be a vow, or a voluntary offering, it
shall be eaten the same day that he offereth his sacrifice: and on the morrow
also the remainder of it shall be eaten: [17] But the remainder of the
flesh of the sacrifice on the third day shall be burnt with fire. [18] And
if any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings be eaten at
all on the third day, it shall not be accepted, neither shall it be imputed
unto him that offereth it: it shall be an abomination, and the soul that eateth
of it shall bear his iniquity."
This is the only offering that was to be eaten by the one who
brought it. Remember, the fat was given to God and burned on the altar. The
breast and the right shoulder were given to the priest. The rest was to be
eaten by the worshipper and could be shared with anyone who was ceremonially
clean before the Lord. Surely, there is much to be gleaned from this. Here
we see the Lord God himself, the Lord Jesus Christ our great High Priest, and
the redeemed sinner all feeding together upon and finding satisfaction with the
same thing, -- THE SACRIFICE! What a great, glorious,
effectual sacrifice Christ is!
A.
It is the sin-atoning blood of Christ, and that alone, which gives
satisfaction to the holy Lord God (“He is the propitiation for our sins!”).
[Zephaniah
3:17] "The LORD thy God in the
midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with
joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing."
B.
The Lord Jesus Christ, our great High Priest, finds satisfaction in his
own sacrifice (Isa. 53:9-11; Heb. 12:2).
[Isaiah
53:9-11] "And he made his grave
with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no
violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. [10] Yet it
pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou
shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall
prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his
hand. [11] He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be
satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he
shall bear their iniquities."
C.
Believing sinners find satisfaction in Christ, ever eating his flesh
and drinking his blood by faith (Ps. 73:25-26; John 3:13-14; 6:48, 53-55; Ps.
17:15).
[Psalms
73:25-26] "Whom have I in heaven but
thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.
[26] My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength
of my heart, and my portion for ever."
[John
4:13-14] "Jesus answered and said
unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: [14] But
whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but
the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up
into everlasting life."
[John
6:48] "I am that bread of
life."
[John
6:53-55] "Then Jesus said unto
them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of
man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. [54] Whoso eateth my
flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the
last day. [55] For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink
indeed."
[Psalms
17:15] "As for me, I will behold
thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy
likeness."
D.
All who are clean before God feed upon the same sacrifice. – The Worshipper – The Priests
– The Priests Sons
E.
Now,
watch this. – The peace offering was to be eaten within two days.
1.
The
worshipper could begin eating it on the day it was offered. – This is what that
means. – Peace with God commences in the soul as soon as we apprehend the
accomplishment of redemption by faith. The efficacy of Christ’s
sacrifice does not wait for our faith. Thank God for that! But peace, soul
satisfaction, commences when faith apprehends the efficacy of the sacrifice! –
Peace comes to the soul when Christ, the Peace Offering is trusted (Rom. 5:1).
2.
All
the sacrifice had to be eaten before the third day. Why? – The third day is
resurrection day. – If we would have peace in this world, we must live by
faith, ever feeding upon Christ, until our days in this world of woe are ended,
until our change comes (Rom. 8:17-21, 28-39).
[Romans
8:17-21] "And if children, then
heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him,
that we may be also glorified together. [18] For I reckon that the
sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with
the glory which shall be revealed in us. [19] For the earnest
expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
[20] For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by
reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, [21] Because
the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into
the glorious liberty of the children of God."
[Romans
8:28-39] "And we know that all
things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called
according to his purpose. [29] For whom he did foreknow, he also
did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might
be the firstborn among many brethren. [30] Moreover whom he did
predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified:
and whom he justified, them he also glorified. [31] What shall we then
say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
[32] He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how
shall he not with him also freely give us all things? [33] Who shall lay
any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.
[34] Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea
rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also
maketh intercession for us. [35] Who shall separate us from the love of
Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or
nakedness, or peril, or sword? [36] As it is written, For thy sake we
are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
[37] Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that
loved us. [38] For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor
angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
[39] Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to
separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
III. Third, only
those who stood clean before the Lord were allowed to eat the sacrifice (Lev. 7:20-21).
If a person had any uncleanness upon him, he could not feast
upon God’s sacrifice. But is not the Lord Jesus Christ a Fountain opened for
the unclean? Is he not specifically said to be the Friend of sinners? Did he
not come to save sinners? Most certainly he did. But the sinner who comes to
God with his burnt-offering, (the blood of Christ), his meat-offering (the
righteousness of Christ), and his peace-offering (the Lamb of God), is clean
before the Lord. He has no uncleanness upon him!
IV.Fourth, I want you to turn to Leviticus 7:29-34. Here we see
that the breast and the right
shoulder were the priests portion.
[Leviticus
7:29-34] "Speak unto the children
of Israel, saying, He that offereth the sacrifice of his peace offerings unto
the LORD shall bring his oblation unto the LORD of the sacrifice of his peace
offerings. [30] His own hands shall bring the offerings of the LORD made
by fire, the fat with the breast, it shall he bring, that the breast may be
waved for a wave offering before the LORD. [31] And the priest
shall burn the fat upon the altar: but the breast shall be Aaron's and his
sons'. [32] And the right shoulder shall ye give unto the priest for an
heave offering of the sacrifices of your peace offerings. [33] He among
the sons of Aaron, that offereth the blood of the peace offerings, and the fat,
shall have the right shoulder for his part. [34] For the wave
breast and the heave shoulder have I taken of the children of Israel from off
the sacrifices of their peace offerings, and have given them unto Aaron the
priest and unto his sons by a statute for ever from among the children of
Israel."
The breast being the meat closest to the heart, speaks of
affection, the love of God in Christ. The right shoulder represents both
strength and majesty. The priest eats them both. What is the meaning of this?
There is no peace for anyone in this world until he is
enabled by the grace of God to believe, to trust, the Lord Jesus Christ, Zion’s
glorious King and Priest, in whom alone all the love of God and all the
omnipotence of the Almighty is found. He who is God our Savior is both
God full of compassion, (“God is love!”) and the God of omnipotent
ability, God mighty to save. Peace is found in trusting him!
[Psalms
62:3-4] "How long will ye imagine
mischief against a man? ye shall be slain all of you: as a bowing wall shall
ye be, and as a tottering fence. [4] They only consult to cast him
down from his excellency: they delight in lies: they bless with their
mouth, but they curse inwardly. Selah."
[Psalms
62:11-12] "God hath spoken once;
twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God. [12] Also
unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy (love – compassion)."
These two things are basic. If we would have peace, we must be
convinced that he who is God our Savior is God full of compassion, One who
loves us, and God almighty, One who is able to save! – Everything men might
fear is under his total control!
Application:
Without this confidence in
God our Savior, without this confidence in Christ, we are easily overwhelmed by
our circumstances. We live in a world that seems out of control. How often men
and women are brought into such straits that they think, “I just can’t take any
more!” I suppose that is the way Brynn Hartman must have felt when she murdered
her husband and committed suicide three years ago. Without God, without Christ,
without faith in Christ, without hope, she tried to find peace in the most
extreme way, by killing her husband and herself. How sad!
John
and Betty Stam
Let me tell you about
another couple. Here we will see a totally different reaction to far greater,
more extreme stress than most of us can ever imagine.
John and Betty Stam met in Bible college about 1930. They were
both in their mid-twenties. Betty grew up in China. Her parents were
missionaries there. She returned to China in 1931. John soon followed. In a
little less than two years, in October 1933, they were married.
Fourteen months later, communist insurgents under the command of
Mao Tse Tung captured the town where John, Betty, and their infant child Helen
lived. The Stams were arrested. Early on December 8, the soldiers discussed how
they would kill baby Helen. A poor Chinese farmer stepped forward, pleading for
the child's life. The soldiers replied, "Fine. We won't kill the child --
if you're willing to die in her place!" The farmer agreed. The soldiers
shot and killed him.
The next morning, the soldiers forced John and Betty to leave
their house without Helen. They stripped the couple down to their underwear,
and marched them through the town, mocking them. As a crowd formed, the Stams
were sentenced to death. A Chinese doctor, until this time afraid to speak up,
made a last-minute plea for their lives. The communists asked if he was a
Christian. When he professed Christ as his Lord, they killed him. Then John and
Betty were ordered to their knees. John was beheaded with a sword. Betty
grabbed him to hold him and she too was beheaded.
When Betty’s parents were informed of her death,
they replied by telegraph to the staff of China Inland Mission: -- “Deeply
appreciate your consolation. Sacrifice seems great, but not too great for Him
who gave Himself for us. Experiencing God's grace. Believe wholeheartedly
Romans 8:28.”
Betty Stam's parents knew the truths of Romans 8 that we read
earlier. They knew that no matter what the circumstances, even in death, we are
"more than conquerors through him who loved us."
Betty’s sister Helen, for whom the baby had been
named, wrote to her bereaved parents: -- “Dearest Daddy and Mother, you don't
need to hear me say how much we love you and are thinking of and praying for
you in these days... I have such a radiant pictures of Betty and John standing
with their palms of victory before the Throne, singing a song of pure joy…that
I cannot break lose and cry about it as people expect. Crying seems to be too
petty for a thing that was so manifestly in God's hands alone; but my heart is
very, very sore for you.”
It is this peace, the peace of God that passeth understanding
that is set forth in the peace offerings. It is this peace that God gives to
sinners, as we trust his Son and feed upon him. It is this peace, the peace
that Christ gives, which the world can neither understand nor take away. May
God be pleased to make it yours and mine, for Christ’s sake.
AMEN.