The Grace of Truth for Us:
Truth or Consequences
As previously stated in the Old Testament, the Law of Moses was in fact full of mercy and grace, as God was gracious to His people, the children of Israel. He gave them such wonderful benefits, especially compared to other nations in their region of the world. This includes (not a comprehensive list):
The Word or law
To govern them, which was not unheard of by other nations, for many nations had laws to follow, but all such word, was backed by an earthly deity, a Pharaoh or King. We know that the Ten Commandments were given to Moses and etched upon stone, a type and foreshadow of the day when the law would be written upon the table of our hearts. We are living epistles.
The Word of God
The law to govern His people was, as described by King David, truly perfect.
“The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the Lord are true; they are righteous all together. They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold, Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.” (Psalms 19:7-10).
The Promise of Success and Prosperity
The word of God had the power to make them powerful, successful, and prosperous. See the instruction given to Joshua.
Joshua 1:7 “Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. 8“This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success. 9“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
Again in Psalms 1 we see:
“1 How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. 3 He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers.“
The Promise of Protection
Further, God provided to the children of Israel, His chosen protection in the wilderness; the cloud by day to protect them from the sun, the pillar of fire by night to ward off fear, and the Manna from heaven that fed them. These miraculous provisions were grace for the people as they journeyed in the wilderness. Of course, one must be careful to not over generalize any promise of God, as they were, in many cases, specific to the day and time, and also, often exaggerated (using the concept of hyperbole) to emphasize the important point being made.
The Promise of Provision…
Also, God provided leaders to help them, including Moses, Joshua, Aaron, Miriam, and eventually others, with the greatest leaders being Moses and David. Of course, none of these leaders were perfect, but were chosen and anointed to assist the people to stay on task. Even though they seemed to resist at every turn, God continued to provide key leaders to guide and care for them, even as God would.
The Promise of His Presence
Along with key leaders, God himself walked with His people, showing patience in His longsuffering journey with them, and significant mercy to rescue them, even after He divorced them to marry another (the New Covenant church, consisting of Jew and Gentile) He continued to reconcile them because He simply loved them, chose them and watched over them.
In His Will
Grace presented God’s will concerning man and His good will towards us, but it was also fearful and dutiful. It was clear that to follow God and to fear Him was really not an option for the people of God. Yet in Christ, as we have previously stated, we have grace and truth. In fact, in Christ grace goes beyond that of Moses, for it provided what Moses or the law could not; for we were;
- Cleansed; not just covered in our sin, but legitimately and fully cleansed from our sin nature, set free from the power of sin and death, translated from the kingdom of darkness to the Kingdom of His own dear Son. The fact is, the issue was never becoming good enough for God; that is an impossible task, or of being too bad for redemption. The issue has always been life or death. For Christ translates from death to life by the power of His shed blood and resurrection. Further, we have been…
- Delivered from our sin, and the consequences of sin, and from the dominion of Satan and his minions. What a full salvation we have received, what grace; what blessings in Jesus. Also, we have been….
- Freed to be all He created us to be, and, as stated above, to share the same grace with others, which leads us to the importance of ….