Today I went to my usual Wednesday Bible study. We are working our way through Genesis.
Today was Genesis 15. Go ahead and read it.Genesis 15
During the covenant part, as we learned today, God is saying He is responsible for the covenant. Blood covenants had to be completed or the one who didn't do it died. As you read, Abram stood to one side and God went through the blood.
What is fascinating to me is how this seems to still show the idea I had (and probably others). There are three things that are used in purification of things and people that I have seen in Scripture. 1) Blood, 2) Water, and 3) Fire. Blood is the one that seems to be the one which is used for the largest purification...with the priests of God doing a blood sacrifice for the people of Israel yearly.
What I love is as I read about God, He seems to come out more and more as being the perfect of these three things of purification. God is always seen as fire, smoke, light. So there is the number three thing on the list. The Spirit is called over and over water throughout scripture, with the memorable conversation with the Samaritan woman over drawing water being one. The last, and as equally important, is the blood of Christ spilled to cover the sins of the "people" of God. Us, those who believe, are covered fully and completely, with no need of further sacrifice, by that blood.
The blood of God, then, poured out for us into the dust of the earth. Then, the Spirit, the water, comes and is with us, forever washing us, reminding us, steering us as we walk in faith. The fire, the light of God we follow when we ask for direction, but I think also is the smelting process we go through through life.
It is said in Timothy Keller's book Walking with God through Pain and Suffering that perhaps the fall allows us, in the "future" to see Heaven in a better light. To think it all the more wonderful and glorious based on our difficulties here...
Further, our smelting process, our purification by trials and such smooth off rough sides. Let us shine like pure gold for the glory of God. Our trials make us lean on God all the harder. If life was "perfect" by our worldly standards and we "thought" we had everything we wanted, would we lean on God, or want Him in our lives?
God is so beyond our comprehension. And I love that when I think of it. For as we could (hopefully) rely on our parents as small children to keep us safe, hold us close, kiss our bonked heads, how much more will an infinitely powerful, infinitely wise heavenly Father do so?
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