And since then, O Kings and Ladies, I have been wandering to find him and my happiness is so great that it even weakens me like a wound. And this is the marvel of marvels, that he called me, Beloved, me who am but as a dog.
~Emeth, “The Last Battle” by C.S. Lewis
Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of My holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. And I will vindicate the holiness of My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. And the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Lord God, when through you I vindicate My holiness before their eyes. I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes and be careful to obey My rules. You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be My people, and I will be your God. And I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses. And I will summon the grain and make it abundant and lay no famine upon you. I will make the fruit of the tree and the increase of the field abundant, that you may never again suffer the disgrace of famine among the nations.
~ from Ezekiel 36
Why? Why did He save us beloved?
This writer often attempts to communicate truths he is learning with his own words. But the words of only a man fall very short on issues as profound as this. So, let this fool of a writer yield to the experts for a moment.
Nothing constrained Him to action.
Nothing generated need within His frame, for as Tozer said, “need is a creature word.”
Desire did not drive Him, for He needs no motivation. He is the prime mover.
Loneliness did not haunt Him, for He was, is and shall be ever in perfect communion as Trinity and already is all in all.
Hunger did not gnaw at Him, for He is the provider of all these things.
Thirst did not parch Him, for He is Himself the manifold rivers of Living Water.
He was not lost, for He is The Way.
He was not deceived, for He is The Truth.
He did not fear death, for He is The Life.
Poverty was not a factor, for He Himself is the definition of riches.
Oh my. Why?
He saved us because this was simply the right thing for His completely set-apart Self to do. The very holiness of the very G_d of creation has spoken and manifested itself into the action of redeeming fallen mankind.
Can we see it? He is not just showcasing His own brilliant holiness, power, glory, righteousness and power (though He is surely doing that… and amen to Him doing that). He is imparting the impossible.
He is pouring out onto us the very power that holds Himself together. Love.
Because of who He is. Because He always does the right thing. Because He has no competing interests – or any competition for that matter – He simply, completely, and profoundly Loves us. And that Love is both without limits and was completely poured out for us at the cross of Jesus Christ. And that Love is the only power in all of creation which can change the heart of a man from one stone, to one of flesh.
He, through all of this, has imparted on us immense value where none intrinsically existed before. And this is the leap of faith each of us must take to receive the gift. We must come to the place where we truly believe, that we bring nothing to the table of grace, and He alone is the provider of the feast.
And then, though, all we joyfully need to do from there is enjoy the feast.
Oh beloved, this is true. Would that many tonight would hear and believe.
See: Got Jesus?
