After the death of Joshua, the Israelites settled into the land of Canaan
but soon faced times of difficulty. The
Midianites in conjunction with the Amalekites and other nomadic tribes, invaded
the country initially every year, at the time
of the harvests, in great numbers, with their flocks and herds, pillaging the
land. Their ravaging activities became so terrible that sustenance became a serious problem and the Israelites were driven to dens, caves and
rocky strongholds for safety. After 7 years of such repeated invasion and
prolonged suffering, the people cried out to God and He sent them a deliverer
whose name was Gideon (Judges 6).
When the angel of the Lord brought God’s message to him however, Gideon
found it a bit tough to accept. The angel called him a valiant warrior and told
him he had been chosen to be Israel’s deliverer but Gideon evidently did not
conceive of himself that way- he saw no
qualifications in himself, or in his family or tribe, for the exalted position
of a saviour to his people. Gideon
therefore asked for some assurance that the message he had received was really
from God, and not a mere dream or delusion.
Many believers in Christ often respond to God like Gideon. We are not
always on the same frequency as God. We consider our personal qualifications, family
upbringing, past experiences and the likes while God expressly communicates to
us our exalted position in His grace. I encourage you to look away from everything
else and focus on what God says about you.
Sealed In Christ
“And you also were included in Christ when you
heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you
were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit”
Ephesians 1:13 NIV
Not only are believers blessed in Christ, we are also adopted,
redeemed, forgiven and also sealed in Christ. From our verse in focus today as
well as other verses of Scripture, the Holy Spirit Himself is the seal:
“And do not grieve the
Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption”
Ephesians 4:30 NIV
“Now it is God who
makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set His seal of
ownership on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what
is to come”
2nd
Corinthians 1:21, 22 NIV
A seal is an instrument of
stone, metal or other hard substance (sometimes set in a ring), on which a
figure is engraved and is used for making an impression on some soft substance,
such as clay or wax to be imprinted on a document
or other object. The use of seals dates back to very remote antiquity; they were commonly
used in older civilizations and they portrayed a number of things that are also
relevant to us as people who have been sealed by God:
- Possession or ownership: In Jeremiah 32 we see the example of Jeremiah becoming the legal owner of a piece of land he had purchased after the deed of purchase was signed and sealed. In the same way, God purchased us (as we saw last week) and He sealed us-an official ratification of the purchase through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the mark placed on us as God’s possession.
- Protection or security: In Daniel 6:17 and Matthew 26: 66, we read of how the authorities secured the lions’ den and Jesus’ tomb respectively by putting seals on them. We are sealed in Christ and as such we are secured in Him.
- Proof of genuineness or authenticity: In 1st Kings 21 we read the story of Jezebel writing a letter in King Ahab’s name and when the recipients got the letter, they accepted it as authentic because it had the King’s seal. The seal was like a stamp or signature that served as evidence of genuineness. In the same way, believers are sealed in Christ as God’s way of placing His stamp or signature on our lives (see Romans 8:9b).
Allow the word of God settle deep in your heart this week, oh child of
God: you are sealed with the Holy Spirit in Christ. You are God’s possession,
you are secure in Him and He has placed His mark of authenticity on you.
Thank you for this encouragement.
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