“Then the king said to Abiathar the priest, ‘Go back to your home in Anathoth. You deserve to die, but I will not kill you now, because you carried the Ark of the Sovereign Lord for David my father and you shared all his hardships.’ So Solomon deposed Abiathar from his position as priest of the Lord, thereby fulfilling the prophecy the Lord had given at Shiloh concerning the descendants of Eli.” (1 Kings 2:26-27 NLT)
There are times we do things that should and very well could result in our death, but God, in His Sovereign will and design, allows us to live. I think of the vast number of combat soldiers who bear the weight of why they lived and so many of their friends and comrades didn’t. The father of one of my high school friends used to speak with me as I was shooting baskets on my driveway. Drunk, as usual, crying because of haunting memories, bemoaning the fact so many died in war, not only his friends, but at his hand, yet he lived.
Life isn’t always fair, or so it seems. At times we have near misses in our car or even working around the house, while other times we trip over our own feet. What constitutes “goodness” or “badness”? Were all Germans evil because they had an evil leader in the 1940’s? We’re the Americans more evil than the Japanese because they used nuclear bombs to devastate not only geography, but populations of innocent people who simply loved their country?
War isn’t fair and innocent people die, but does that make it right? Does the end justify the means? These, of course, are questions with which we’ve wrestled for millennia and with which we’ll continue to wrestle, but my point here is simply this: how do you justify YOUR behavior? How do you see yourself in light of God’s laws and commandments? In your mind are you justified to commit the sin you’ve clearly chosen to commit in spite of God’s clear instructions not to?
Solomon clearly believed Abiathar the priest deserved to die, but by instruction of the Lord, allowed him to live. Here’s the truth – we all, except the Lord Jesus alone, deserve to die for our sins. That’s the whole reason Jesus had to give His life in our place. He died to pay the penalty for OUR sin, not His; so we might go free from death’s penalty. Had Jesus not been willing to die in our place, heaven would be empty and hell would be very, very crowded. Why is that so?
Trevin Wax gives us a clue when he writes: “Hell is full of people who think they deserve heaven. Heaven is full of people who know they deserve hell.” It’s not about who we are, what nationality we are, how rich or poor, educated or uneducated, male, female, or any other distinguishing characteristic we possess, there’s only one reason we go to heaven and His Name is Jesus. His forgiveness, grace, and mercy are the only reason!
You can believe with every fiber of your being that you’re a good person, deserving of every good and perfect gift, but if you haven’t left your sins at the foot of the Savior’s Cross, you’re still bearing them and they will weigh you down to the depths of hell. “But that doesn’t seem fair. Surely, with all the religions in the world and all the wonderful people, surely there’s another way.”
Here’s the miracle! THERE IS A WAY AND HIS NAME IS JESUS! He’s the One who said: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me.” You’re the drowning person in the middle of the ocean and a helicopter drops a ladder and someone extends a hand, are you going to drown because you’re afraid of helicopters or are you going to grab that hand and hold on for dear life? That’s your decision if you don’t know Jesus. Trust Him with the weight of your sin and let Him give you a life you never dared dream was even possible. Tap anewstory.com and learn what you’ve been missing! You’ll be so glad you did!
Please don’t wait another second to give your life to the Lord! Like me, you don’t deserve heaven, but Jesus wants you to be there with Him. He’s paid the price; all you need to do is say “YES!” Please grab His outstretched hand!
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 