RESTITUTION!
In the Old Testament, when a person committed an offense against another such as stealing, it was required of that person not just to restore what they took, but to make restitution. Thus, if they stole a lamb, they had to make restitution by giving back five lambs! How interesting when we look at this passage of scripture from Isaiah 40:10:
Listen carefully, the Lord God will come with might,
And His arm will rule for Him.
Most certainly His reward is with Him,
And His restitution accompanies Him.
What an amazing promise! When God comes to bring us a blessing for that which has been stolen from us by the hand of the enemy, He not only comes to restore, He comes to bring restitution – He will give us abundantly more than we deserve!
Isn’t that what the message of salvation is? Jesus came not to give us what we deserve, for what we deserve is death. It does not matter that the deceiver enticed us into following his ways – we had a choice – and we chose to follow satan. In His infinite mercy and compassion, God looked down upon the children of men and saw that our hearts were bound to foolishly follow after sin. When nothing else could get our attention, He sent His Son, His only Son to live among men such a sinless life that our excuses became invalid. Once and for all, He forgave our sins, and with one act of compassion, He nailed our sins to the cross. He went to the grave and hell, only to rise with not only restoration power, but restitution power – giving us more, so much more than we deserve.
How can you pass on an offer such as this?
Maria