First day back to work…Mixed emotions. Glad to be back with my team who had a rough run up to the Christmas break but didn’t feel like I got enough time with the family during my break after all of us suffering the FLU for half of it. I started last night off drifting off to sleep only to be woken up by my oldest (Bella) carrying our youngest (Brooklyn) who was coughing and appearing to have trouble breathing. Brooklyn and I left the house at 11:45pm and headed to the hospital. After arriving at the hospital Brooklyn was doing noticeably better but after talking to the triage nurse, decided to stay and see the doctor. Diagnosis -> The Croup. The Dr gave Brooklyn a dose of steroids that should knock down (and did) the tightness in her throat and set off back home at 3am.
7 Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses' face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? 9 For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory. 10 Indeed, in this case, what once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it. 11 For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory. 2 Corinthians 3:7-11 [ESV]
Paul starts out with an exposition on the passage in Exodus 34:29–32 which describes Moses’ descent down from the mountain with the two tablets in his hands and fear struck in the hearts of the Israelites upon seeing the brightness of Moses’ face. Paul calls this the ‘ministry of death’ which is best understood in the light of Romans 7:10 -> “the very commandment which promised life proved to be death to me”. Although Leviticus 18:5 may promise life to those who keep the law, Paul knew that no-one does so in fact, and that the law can only pronounce the verdict of death over the transgressor. Unlike the law carved into the stone, which could not enable a person to fulfil its own demands, the Spirit given under the new covenant actually causes people to walk in the way of God’s commandments (Ezekiel 36:27 & Romans 8:3-4). So as Paul says, isn’t the dispensation of the Spirit far more splendid than the dispensation of death?
| Old Covenant (Carved Letters in Stone) | New Covenant (Jesus/Holy Spirit) |
| Death through Identification of Sin | Life in Jesus |
| Condemnation and Needing a Blood Sacrifice | Righteousness in Jesus |
| Fades Away as New Sin is Committed | Permanent in Jesus |
This very cool exposition of Paul of the Law (Old Covenant) and the Spirit through the Messiah (New Covenant) adds the weight of splendor to the latter.
Application:
The attention drawn by Paul to the amazing gift that God has given us in His Son Jesus is overwhelming. Why do I complain at all? I have access to the Spirit of God on a daily basis through Jesus Who stands at the right hand of the Father in the throne room of heaven, representing me and my needs. I cannot take for granted these gifts and access to the Lord I have right here on earth. This has to be a daily recognition and gratefulness of what I have been ‘gifted’.