32 Ask now about the former days, long before your time, from the day God created human beings on the earth; ask from one end of the heavens to the other. Has anything so great as this ever happened, or has anything like it ever been heard of? 33 Has any other people heard the voice of God[a] speaking out of fire, as you have, and lived? 34 Has any god ever tried to take for himself one nation out of another nation, by testings, by signs and wonders, by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, or by great and awesome deeds, like all the things the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your very eyes?
35 You were shown these things so that you might know that the Lord is God; besides him there is no other. 36 From heaven he made you hear his voice to discipline you On earth he showed you his great fire, and you heard his words from out of the fire. 37 Because he loved your ancestors and chose their descendants after them, he brought you out of Egypt by his Presence and his great strength, 38 to drive out before you nations greater and stronger than you and to bring you into their land to give it to you for your inheritance, as it is today.”
What could the nation of Israel say to such questions? These type of questions are really not meant to be answered because everybody knows the answers. God is making statements. He could have easily phrased things this way:
“I have done things that are unprecedented! No one has ever heard my voice speaking out of fire and lived, but now you have. I have never taken one nation out of another, but now I have done this with you.”
All Israel could do was nod their heads, because knew these things had no equal.
But…….
That is not true today. No, greater things have happened. Things that trump even these incredible deeds by God from days of old. What are they?
Here you go:
“The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,20and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. 21Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.22But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation.” Colossians 1:15-22
And there you have it.
All the fullness of God in Jesus. All things reconciled by Him. Peace being made through His blood, shed on a cross. We are no longer alienated from God. We are now holy in His sight – without one blemish or defect….because of Christ.
We can marvel over the things God did in the Old Testament and worship and praise Him because of them. But nothing, no nothing, will ever come close to what was accomplished through Jesus Christ.
May His name be praised forever. Amen.
Rob