April 27th
No Longer
2 Samuel 14:14
We must all die; we are like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. But God will not take away life, and he devises means so that the banished one will not remain an outcast.
Often, we feel like we are outcast. That God has banished us. That we are exiled from the exalted One. It may be because of doubt or because of some sin that we feel this way. But our feelings are not what is fact. Those that know the Lord may feel that they are unwanted and unaccepted, but they must place those thoughts next to His truth. Those who are His may be separated for a season because of sin, but they are never secluded forever. They “will not remain an outcast”. The banished are not removed forever. God has made a way to bring them back.
Here in the story of David, his son Absalom had commissioned the death of his brother Ammon for the rape of their sister, Tamar. After two years of injustice, he took matters into his own hands. He devised a plan to kill his brother and vindicate his sister. Justice would be served. He plotted with his servants to kill Ammon. They did. A conspirator in his death, he became a rebel, an outcast, a fugitive. He escapes to a city for refuge. Unable to return, he resided safely in exile in the city.
For years he remained banished from his home hoping to be brought back. Yet God had devised a means of return. A method of redemption. A manner by which the banished would be brought back and the felon could find favor again. God had set forth a plan for pardon. He set up cities of refuge. Safe havens, secure dwellings for fugitives. God had no intention of incarcerating them there indefinitely. He planned for their freedom. He arranged for a release from their captivity. He left them with hope for them to return home. His means was that all who had sought refuge would be released to return home at the death of the high priest. (Num 35:28). They would be acquitted of any accusation and absolved of any allegations. Their banishment would cease. They would be released. They could return home. They would “not remain an outcast”.
We too are banished. We are aliens from the Almighty and fugitives from His favor. Our sin has brought guilt upon us, making us offenders and outcasts. Bewildered and broken we see no hope for release. No help for our hopelessness. Yet God has made a way. He has made a path for our pardon. As in David’s time, so it is in ours. It is the death of the high priest that gains our freedom. Jesus is our high priest. His death brings our deliverance. Through Him we are not only acquitted but absolved of sin. His life was a life without sin. His death brought the death of our sin. He has released all who receive Him. He has redeemed them, reconciled them and He has restored them. No charge hangs over them. No condemnation holds them. No chains bind them. They are No longer outcast. They are no longer banished. They have been brought in by the blood of the lamb. They have been made righteous by the righteous one. They are free to live for Him, free to serve Him, and free to share of His great mercy and grace to all. Praise God, we are sinners set free. We are no longer outcasts.
Today rejoice that “the banished one will not remain an outcast’. Thank that Lord that through Christ we have been set free. Bless Him that by His death we have life and by His sacrifice we have salvation. Praise Him that the banishment for our sin has been broken by His blood. Thank Him that we are no longer outcasts, but objects of His mercy and grace.
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