June 5: Saved from the curse

Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.   (Galatians 3:13,14 — New King James Version)

When God gave His Law to the people of Israel on Mt. Sinai, He promised many blessings for them. Obedience meant that they would be a blessed nation, and a healthy, prosperous people. In Deuteronomy 28, God‘s great prophet and lawgiver Moses, proclaimed to God’s people that they would be blessed if they kept God‘s Law, and cursed if they broke it. He said, "And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God,” and then he listed the blessings. But Moses also said, “If you do not obey the voice of the Lord your God… all these curses will come upon you and overtake you”.

When we consider our lives — our thoughts, our behavior, our failings, our past, the secrets of our hearts — all of us must admit that we have sinned and broken God‘s Law. We have all failed. But this scripture says that the Lord Jesus redeemed us from the curse of the Law. Jesus’ death removed our sins and broke the curses that came from our disobedience. If you have genuine faith in Jesus and turn away from your sin, He will cleanse you and remove the curse from your life. Then, instead of curses, your life will be one of blessings.

Why did Jesus die the way He did — crucified on a cross? He could have been stoned like Stephen, or had his head cut off like John the Baptist and the apostle James. Before Jesus, this type of death is never mentioned in the Bible. It is an extremely painful, humiliating death, one reserved only for criminals. But in the above verse Paul reminds us of a verse from the Law of Moses (Deuteronomy 21:22) which says: “for anyone hung on a tree is under God’s curse” (HCSB). — So, in God’s own words, this type of death meant that a person was cursed, and this is precisely why Jesus chose it. He became a curse in order to free anyone under a curse. Isn’t that great news? Feeling cursed is not a death sentence. There is a way out through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. — If you are not free from every curse, get free right now.