Esther 15:2, 5, Numbers 21:4b-9, Philippians 2:6-11, John 3:13-17, Psalm 78:1-2, 34-38

Esther 15:2, 5

Radiant in appearance after invoking the all seeing God and Savior, she took her two maids with her, and leaned gently on one of them for support, while the other followed carrying her train.  Although her heart was frozen with fear, she looked radiant in her perfect beauty, her face depicting love and joy.

Beloved, after every encounter with You the all-seeing, all knowing God and Savior, my soul too is radiant in perfect beauty.  The love and joy I experience, glows on my face.  I too have two wonderful maids called obedience and humility who serve me, I lean on them and they assiste me to be pleasing to You my God.

Numbers 21:4b-9

The people became impatient on the way. And the people spoke against God and against Moses, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food." Then the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. And the people came to Moses, and said, "We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you; pray to the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us." So Moses prayed for the people. And the LORD said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and every one who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live." So Moses made a bronze serpent, and set it on a pole; and if a serpent bit any man, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.

My Beloved, when we grumble we set ourselves against You and in doing so we bring upon ourselves misery and pain.  But when we acknowledge our sins before You, You please for mercy for us and the Cross becomes the means by which the Father is moved for the sake of His Son to forgive us.

Philippians 2:6-11

6 Though he was in the form of God,

he did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped,

7 but emptied himself,

taking on the nature of a servant, made in human likeness,

and in his appearance found as a man.

8 He humbled himself by being obedient to death,

death on the cross.

9 That is why God exalted him

and gave him the Name which outshines all names,

10 so that at the Name of Jesus all knees should bend

in heaven, on earth and among the dead,

11 and all tongues proclaim that Christ Jesus is the Lord

to the glory of God the Father.

Beloved, man is so full of pride and of himself that he is boastful and constantly setting himself up against You.  He worships at the idol of self and attributes to his efforts, all the gifts You have so lovingly bestowed on him.

If we stand or kneel before You and look at You hanging on the Cross long enough, wisdom will dawn and we willl quickly hang our head in shame.  The Cross is the price God paid to save us.  Every moment of those  three, long, agonising hours on the Cross, the hours before it and leading up to it in His horrific hours of bloody agony and shame of Body and Soul, the gruesome passion was the price that was paid to save our miserable, sinful souls.  We ought to fall on our knees daily in open-mouthed awe and gratitude.

 

John 3:13-17

No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended from heaven, the Son of man. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life."
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.

Sin is the vinegar, the gall, the scourge, the thorns, the nails, the lance, the cross that nailed,stretched, raised, pierced and left suspended between heaven and earth the Son of God whom the Father sent into the world for precisely this reason - to die in order that we may not perish but have eternal life.  Each time the Father looks at us, poor, weak sinners He sees the price that was paid to redeem us and and so He cannot condemn the repentant and contrite heart.  He loves us so much that He deliberately renders Himself helpless.  The price that was paid is beyond anything mortal man could imagine.  The angels look at us with envy and Satan and his minions writhe in anger and hate at the lengths God was prepared to go to save us.  He permitted His Son to drink to the dregs our wretched humanity so He could identify with us completely. No sin is beyond His mercy to forgive, no trial beyond our ability to endure.

Psalm 78:1-2, 34-38

Give heed, O my people, to my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth!

2 I will speak in parables, I will talk of old mysteries

34 When he slew them, they repented and sought him earnestly.

35 They remembered that God was their rock, the Most High, their redeemer.

36 But they flattered him with their mouths, they lied to him with their tongues,

37 while their hearts were unfaithful; they were untrue to his covenant.

38 Even then, in his compassion, he forgave their offenses and did not destroy them.

Many a time he restrained his anger and did not fully stir up his wrath.

This is what God has done for man through Jesus.  Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen!!!!!