for i am the Lord your God,
the holy one of israel, your savior.
i give egypt as your ransom,
cush and seba in exchange for you.
because you are precious in my eyes,
and honored, and I love you,
i give men in return for you,
peoples in exchange for your life.
[isaiah 43:3-4]
in matthew 22 a pharisee asked Jesus what the greatest commandment is in the law. he said, “you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. . .” in the old testament this phrase, “the Lord your God,” is repeated many times. at one point, the israelites didn’t know who God was or what his righteousness meant. they were given the law to understand his will. they received signs and wonders, deliverance from oppressors, and judgment for doubting. the father was showing them who he is. he was showing them they were his chosen people.
i will take you to be my people, and i will be your God, and you shall know that i am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the egyptians. [exodus 6:7]
they didn’t know the greatest of the sacrifices he would give for them.
they didn’t know the extent of his love.
last week we saw the father’s will was to crush Jesus for our redemption. as a father, i can hardly grasp the fullness of this gift. that decision seems almost insurmountable. it doesn’t seem logical. why would an all powerful God choose this path? the answer must be, that we may see the depths of his glory.
how can we doubt the depths of his love, mercy, kindness, justice, or righteousness when confronted with this fact? the son of man was given in exchange for me, you, and everyone who is called by his name.
we are called to love him with our whole hearts, souls, and minds. our whole being. this is the greatest commandment. in response to Jesus taking our sins on the cross, how can we not love him! how can we not come to him, humble ourselves, and encounter him? at times, i feel like i’m only beginning to understand what this even implies. i long to know, and experience the fullness of God’s presence!
what does today look like with this call? what does it look like to give of yourself today? to worship? to be thankful? to love him?
~ joe lorsung