God’s Perspective vs Man’s
Exodus 30:15 The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when they give an offering unto the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls.
Each man had equal value
When the children of Israel came out of Egypt they were numbered. A census was taken and every male twenty years old and older was counted. According to Numbers 1, this was a numbering of those who could serve in the army. When it came to fighting the battles of the Lord and possessing the land that had been entrusted to them, the value of each man was equal before the Lord. Each man had to pay a ransom for his soul so that there would be no plague among the children of Israel. Could we not apply this to our individual value to the Lord in spreading the Gospel and teaching the truth of the New Testament spiritual kingdom today?
Differing abilities
Now it is clear that we each have differing talents and gifts when it comes to fighting the Lord’s battles. But we all have the same value to the Lord. Before we can be used, an atonement or a ransom must be paid. That ransom has been paid for us, we do not pay it ourselves as the children of Israel did. That ransom was the blood of the Lord Jesus. While the ransom has been paid, we must apply the ransom to our own lives by faith. Once we have done that we have equal value in the service of the Lord. What is our value to the Lord? We are individually valued by the value of the Lord Jesus, the Son of God. I don’t think we can really understand the value that the Father placed upon His Son, His Son in Whom He was well pleased. But God’s Son was given so that we might be ransomed, redeemed, saved and delivered from the bondage of sin. God has certainly valued us at more than half a shekel of silver. But when it comes to salvation God’s value of each of us is the same.
Man’s Estimate of Value
Recently, we had a big important event in the United States. It was called the super bowl. Two of the best football teams in the U.S. were matched up that day. As I read news articles and saw social media postings about the big game, I noticed that there was a lot publicity given by the evangelical world to team members who professed faith in the Lord. Now I know that each person who trusts Christ is a miracle of grace, but somehow it seemed like it was more important to tell their story than the story of the millions of faceless people, many living in poverty and war ravaged lands, that have trusted Christ and that have been faithful to Him. I know that people in need of the Lord will listen to a football player when they won’t listen to me, but I kept wondering why their conversions to Christ seemed to be of more value to the evangelical world than mine. What message are we sending when we only get excited about the lives and testimonies of the rich and famous? I am glad for every football player and every actor and every President that is really saved. I get more excited, however, when someone I know comes to know Lord. I get more excited when my family comes to know the Lord. I am more excited and thankful that the Lord reached down in love and saved a poor sinner like me. Think of it, the Lord knows my name and has even numbered the hairs of my head. When we come to the Lord and trust Him, we find that the world at large may not esteem us, but the Lord does. A football player who comes to Christ is of infinite value to the Lord, but we need to remember that everyone has that same value as far as God is concerned. And when it comes to fighting the battles of the Lord, we do not need to be successful football players to do that.
The Measure of our Worth
God has asked the question in Mark 8:36, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” I take it that means that our lives or souls are worth more than the whole world. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” I take it that means that God considered our lives to be worth the life of His Son.
Conclusion
We need to remember that trusting Christ involves taking up a cross daily. It involves dying with Christ. It involves a path in life that is not popular and will likely involve persecution and ridicule. True Bible-believing-Chrisitians will be the minority and not the majority wherever they go except when they go to meetings of the church. We need to be honest about these things when we preach the Gospel. If those football players really came to know the Lord as their Savior, they have already found out that they have not chosen the well-accepted popular path.
The Lord sees things differently than we do. We need to get excited about everyone who trusts the Lord. The Lord got excited about a widow who only had two mites, and about lepers and the blind, and a thief on the cross as well as about a rich Joseph and a Nicodemus. In order to preach the Gospel faithfully and honestly, we need the Lord’s perspective.
Bruce Collins
Meditation for the week of February 9, 2014