BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH

«And he stood between the dead and the living; so the plague was stopped» (Numbers 16:48).

Only twenty-four hours after the earth swallowed Dathan and Abiram alive during Korah’s rebellion, the people of Israel murmured again. The Bible says, «On the next day all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron, saying, ‘You have killed the people of the Lord’ » (Numbers 16:41). Then the Lord told Moses and Aaron to turn away from the congregation because He was going to destroy them. Instead of walking away and thinking only of saving their lives, Moses and Aaron interceded for the Israelites. The plague of death had already begun; however, Aaron ran and stood in the middle of the people, armed only with faith and a censer of fire. Then the dying stopped.

When I think of this story, about the High Priest running toward the plague (rather than away from it), I cannot help but see an image of Jesus. Aaron stood up, made himself like a human shield to protect the very ones who had murmured against him. In Spurgeon’s Verse Expositions of the Bible, the famous English preacher described it this way: «There stood Aaron, the mediator, with his arms outstretched and censers that were swinging toward heaven, standing between the darts of death and the people.» Like Aaron, Jesus was wrongfully accused and attacked. Although we were worthy of punishment, He prayed for us and ran to our rescue. Jesus stood between life and death with His arms outstretched to give us salvation.

If Aaron—with only a censer—was able to protect a guilty, stubborn, and rebellious people, how much more will Jesus’s blood protect us! When resentment, bitterness, and pain prevent us from forgiving, let us ask Jesus to stand between the life and death of our own hearts. Let us ask Him, with His arms open wide, to stop the plague that threatens to destroy us. Let us pray that He will, by His grace, give us the humility and power to forgive as we were forgiven. There is no resentment, however noxious it might be, that Jesus cannot stop if we ask Him.

Dear Jesus, thank You for coming to my rescue. Thank You for standing with Your arms outstretched between the life and death of my heart to stop and heal the pestilence of resentment.

#WomensDevotional
#RadioJovenAdventista
#MeditacionesDiarias

Take From: Devotional Thoughts for Women 2022
«NO FEARS»
BY: VANEZA PISSUTO
Collaborators: Alexandra Pérez & Angelica Cuate.