Living Under Grace

Simeon and Levi are bretheren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations. Genesis 49:5


Living under grace is not a new testament concept. God has been forgiving his people/providing a means for forgiveness from the day he said "let us make man in our image" (Genesis 1:26). The same holds true here, as we look at the blessing Jacob pronounces over each of his sons prior to his death. They had all done wrong, such as when they worked in concert to get rid of their brother Joseph (Genesis 37). In spite of that, that is not their legacy. We don't remember Judah as a schemer, or Levi as a murderer. Instead, we learn that Jesus the Messiah descended from Judah (Matt 1, Luke 3), whose name means "praise" (Gen 29:35). Similarly, Moses and Aaron, the leaders of the Exodus came from the tribe of Levi, the same tribe that was charged with the priesthood and bearing the presence of God (the ark of the covenant).

Don't lose faith just because you've made a mistake. God can and will use you in spite of you. In fact, sometimes it takes being faced with your sin to push you to where you need to be in God. If Moses had not killed the Egyptian (Exodus 2), he would not have fled Egypt and would not have encountered God in the way that he did.


Don't be a slave to your sin. It does not define you. Allow God to help you through your struggles. HE IS YOUR KEEPER!


-AMR