The Fear of God

Ive been reading through Matthew and Exodus in my devotion time, and I have come across a few passages that have really made me think...

I was reading Exodus 21 and there are various sins that required the death penalty. I kept reading and more and more crimes resulted in the offender being put to death. I saw this and thought "thats a bit rough isnt it?" Surely the punishment is too harsh.

Then I continued thinking, earlier in Exodus 20:20 God says, "Do not fear; for God has come to test you, and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin." So these terrible punishments are to deter us from sinning.

Furthermore, I also started thinking that Im too light on sin. Sin is bad. The apostle Paul says in Romans that "the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ." That is what this Exodus passage was saying too, the wages of sin is death.

I continued thinking, in Exodus 19 God told the Israleites that if they beyed God they would be for Him a "Kingdom of priests and a holy nation." This is why the sinner couldnt be simply excluded or allowed to live in sinful rebellion. If Israelites were disobeying God they had to be gotten rid of so it didnt tarnish the rest of the Israelites. This reminds us of the sin of Achan in Joshua 7:10-26. So death was the way to have a "holy people."

Isnt it amazing that although sin came into the whole world through one man Adam which brought death, that through one mans death, Jesus Christs death, He paid the price for the whole world? Now, we can be a holy people, the wages of sin have been paid by God as He hung upon the cross.

God is good! Sin is bad. Hate sin. Get rid of it. Live in resurrection power today! Get convicted of your sin, repent, give your WHOLE life to Jesus and live in faith!

Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. Romans 5:18