Sunday, November 1, 2009

John 8:3-11 & Jeremiah 17:13 Written in the Earth

Joh 8:3  And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,
4  They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. 5  Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?
6  This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. 7  So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. 8  And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. 9  And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
10  When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
11  She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.

I love it when God shows me Jesus in the Old Testament! Here we have the well-known story from the gospel of John of the woman taken in adultery. She is brought to Jesus by her accusers who test Him by asking what should be done with her. Instead of answering, he writes in the dirt. What does that mean? Then as they press Him, He turns their question back on them, allowing that anyone among them who is sinless may throw the first stone. And He writes in the dirt some more.

Here is where Jeremiah comes in. It explains the writing in the dirt.
Jer 17:13  O LORD, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living waters.
These accusers had forsaken God: the woman had been taken in the act of adultery, but where was the man? The law required that both be stoned (Lev 20:10  And the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.) so both should have been brought. Those who brought her wanted to find some fault in Jesus, not do what was just.

But Jesus shamed and disappointed them. He made them remember their own sins, and while they were thinking, he wrote them in the earth. Scripture doesn't say, but I hope some of them repented.

1 comment:

  1. dear dimple..it is just extraordinary..i was just thinking of this lady a couple of days ago..
    there is so much of people condemning other people it is not even funny.
    when i lived in ottawa, my sister, betty and i used to go to the art gallery.
    whenever we did, i went immediately to the old european art, right to the bible part.
    there was a picture there that i dearly loved and one that i never tired of gazing at.
    it was a picture of the lord jesus. he had his arm around a pretty lady who had tears in her eyes and she was trying to hold the top of her dress up to cover her immodesty.
    around that lady was a throng of mean faced men who were pointing accusing fingers at her.
    that painting remains etched in my heart.
    i could just feel the hurt and the shame of that lady and i could just feel the love of the lord jesus... and i think of paul when he says

    1 Timothy 1:15
    This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.

    oh the love of a jesus who could forgive even deeper sins that this dear lady had and who after he forgives her, tells her to go and sin no more...

    i am thinking dimple that maybe some of those men did repent..just like the thief on the cross did and it will be nice to meet them in heaven..and they can tell us exactly what the lord wrote on that ground......god bless you dimple. in this work that you are doing for the him...love terry

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