Aborted, Adopted, Adapted…
There is a passage in an Old Testament prophetic portrayal of God ransoming His people which sounds very much like the Lord Almighty coming upon an aborted fetus,
“On the day you were born your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to make you clean, nor were you rubbed with salt or wrapped in cloths. No one looked on you with pity or had compassion enough to do any of these things for you. Rather, you were thrown out into the open field, for on the day you were born you were despised. Then I passed by and saw you kicking about in your blood, and as you lay there in your blood I said to you, ‘Live!’” (Ezek. 16:4-6)
Garbage! Birth discharge! Worth no man’s attention but to be tossed aside, made fodder for scavengers. But God sees hope in this bloody issue! His creative voice and life-giving breath speaks to it and command “Live!” And what happens? “Paul says it in Romans: “the Spirit you received brought about your adoption… by Him we cry, “Abba, Father.” (Rom. 8:15). He says it again in Galatians: “God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” …you are His child” (Gal. 4:6,7). You cry out, “Daddy!”
The above Ezekiel passage continues to describe God growing and nurturing this child, washing and perfuming her, clothing and jeweling her to a creature of great beauty!
From aborting to adopting – this is God’s plan for our redemption. But that is not all! Not only does God seek to restore us to wholeness, but He desires fellowship with us. And not only does He desire fellowship with us, but He also desires to make us like Himself. He desires not only to adopt us, but to adapt us – to fit us for Heaven — to make us holy as He is Holy, for we must be holy to be in His Presence (see Heb. 12:14).
This is the miracle In which John marvels when he writes, “…now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.” (1 John 3:2).
Aborted, Adopted, Adapted!
The Law was just a step along this way. God has much bigger plans in mind.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jer. 29:11).
What an amazing, marvelous and gracious God!
More tomorrow…
To hear this past Sunday’s message, go to the Facebook page of Lincoln Baptist Church, or link to the livestream from the church website.
thebrokenrunner 