These Days - Pt 2

“The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen— just as you desired of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God or see this great fire any more, lest I die.’ And the Lord said to me, ‘They are right in what they have spoken. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. And whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him.” (Deuteronomy 18:15-19 ESV).

Today we will look at the first of the three periods Peter referenced in our reading yesterday (cf. Acts 3:24). These were the days of Jesus' Earthly life. The days he referred to here are the days when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea. We see this from our reading today. The word of Moses would not begin its final fulfillment until Jesus became man. From the very beginning, since the sin of Adam and Eve, God was raising up a new prophet whose word had all the authority of God. And so this first period of time probably extends from Jesus' birth to his ascension to the Father's right hand. When Peter preached the sermon (cf. Acts 3) there is little doubt that he sees the fulfillment of Moses' prophecy as something that is past and over. The earthly life and ministry of Jesus was the sending of the great Prophet proclaimed by Moses. Now that period is over. Jesus has returned to the Father. The reference to the Incarnation, the coming of Jesus as a man, is so important to us. Here’s what the Apostle Paul says: But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. And the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. (Romans 5:15-16 ESV). This is no small thing. Sin and death came into the world by the act of the first two humans; and, it was transferred to all. The only means by which anyone might be saved from this certain state of sin and the ultimate judgment of death was the coming of this one righteous God/man, Jesus. Through that one act of God in the birth of Jesus, all of the children of God would now have the means of redemption. I may fear the pain of dying, but I need have no fear of death! His grace calls to us with the certainty of life; our redemption is secured by the work of Jesus from His birth to death, resurrection, and ascension. Nothing is stronger; nothing else is necessary. That’s good news!