Measure Upon Measure – Cursed – The Restoration Of God - Part 6 Series

MEASURE UPON MEASURE – CURSED – THE RESTORATION OF GOD - Part 6

We continue the third consequence of sin which is CURSE, for sin produced cursing in the earth – the ground, and on creation. Last time we had covered the ruined serenity of Eden, then the results of sin (the curse this time) and we had begun The Saviour’s Road. This is how the Lord identified with the curse, taking it upon Himself. We will continue that and then look at what the Lord Jesus restored!

THE SAVIOUR’S ROAD

The record written of Achan has some interesting parallels to the Genesis account in chapter 3. Immediately prior to the entry of the Jewish army under Joshua into the town of Jericho, strict instructions were given to the people through Joshua, and among those instructions, it was impressed upon them that nothing within the town was to be taken, except the gold, silver and bronze for the Lord alone. Joshua 6:18 reads, {{“But as for you, only keep yourselves from the things under the ban, lest you covet them and take some of the things under the ban, so you would make the camp of Israel ACCURSED and bring trouble on it.”}} I want to select the clause, “so you would make the camp of Israel accursed,” that is, to bring a curse upon the nation.

While in the town, Achan set his eyes upon certain forbidden objects in the same way that Eve did with the fruit of the forbidden tree. He touched them and then plucked them for himself exactly in the same manner that Eve did. Achan, when caught out, confessed in this vein: {{Joshua 7:20-21 “And this is what I did: when I saw among the spoil, a beautiful mantle from Shinar and two hundred shekels of silver and a bar of gold fifty shekels in weight, then I coveted them and took them; and behold, they are concealed in the earth inside my tent with the silver underneath it.”

Because of what Achan did, a curse came upon the camp and in the next conflict at Ai, the army was defeated. His sin produced a curse, just as Adam and Eve’s did. So that the curse could be removed from the nation, Achan died for his own sin. So that the curse of sin could be removed permanently, Christ died, not only for the curse, but for our sin that caused that curse.

Before the entry into Canaan, the Lord clearly defined the two ways for the people, setting before them blessing and cursing, where Mount Ebal represented the curse and Mount Gerizim, the blessing. They were told that turning aside from the Lord’s commands and adopting idolatry would result in the curse.

Willingly the people accepted the way of the curse and faced rejection by their God, and death and expulsion. Willingly, Christ in His identification, accepted the way of the curse and faced rejection by His Father, and death. But how vastly different, though, the outcomes were! For the Jews, the promised result was expulsion. For Jesus, the outcome was resurrection and glorification; and for us it is a righteous acceptance by God and His subsequent blessings. The Saviour’s Road was a humiliating one.

WHAT CHRIST RESTORED - BLESSING

This then brings us to the restoration brought about by the Saviour through being made a curse for us, for out of cursing comes restoration and blessing. The curse upon the earth will one day be reversed. Christ’s redemption has already laid the groundwork for the earth’s restoration but while the race of men here now blatantly shakes its fist in the face of God, the culmination of the blessings in this physical world will not be realised until the appointed time. Several of the prophets speak of the wonderful prosperity in the earth during Christ’s future reign (Amos 9:13), and the change in climate (Zechariah), and the changed character of animal behaviour (Isaiah).

The earth will return to its former glory during the Messianic age, but that will be only a shadow when compared with the glory that will shine and the beautiful holiness and innocence when the dawning of the New Heavens and the New Earth has arrived. This whole facet of Restoration will be studied in greater detail in a later section so it won’t be probed any more here.

There is a special significance for Israel too, in the redemptive work of Christ on the cross. Today the Jews are in rejection, having gone the way of Mount Ebal, thereby bringing the curse of God on them. There is coming a day when the nation will repent so the effects of the curse will be removed. Then the overflowing blessings detailed by the prophets will be theirs. Presently, that will suffice for I want to examine Israel’s restoration later also.