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The Way
by Kevin Pauley
My people, remember…what happened from Acacia Grove to Gilgal, so that you may acknowledge the LORD's righteous acts. What should I bring before the LORD when I come to bow before God on high? Should I come before Him with burnt offerings, with year-old calves? Would the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousand streams of oil? Should I give my firstborn for my transgression, the child of my body for my own sin? He has told you men what is good and what it is the LORD requires of you: Only to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your God. The voice of the LORD calls out to the city (and it is wise to fear Your name): "Pay attention to the rod and the One who ordained it. - Micah 6:5-9 HCSB
Acacia Grove (translated in some versions as “Shittam”) was the place where Israel began to have sexual relations with Moabite women.[1] This was apparently a ruse; an intentional seduction designed to betray the Israelites.[2] The women invited them to the sacrifices for their gods, and the people ate and bowed in worship to their gods which angered the Lord. He killed 24,000 of the Israelites with a plague and did not stop until Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, killed the woman who apparently headed up this Mata Hari style of treachery.[3]
To fully understand Micah’s valuable metaphor, one must know that Acacia Grove was also the last place the Israelites camped before crossing the Jordan River[4], the geographical division between their existence as homeless, runaway slaves and freedom. Gilgal was the site of their first night after the crossing.[5]So they went from a place marked by sin, deception, treachery and death to a place marked by celebration for their deliverance and a new home in a span of a few miles. There they celebrated.
We have all lived shackled by the chains of our sins, our backs scarred from the consequences of our decisions, marked for death and betrayed by one who is the Father of lies. We have wandered in the darkness of spiritual oblivion only to have a great Deliverer and Teacher come to our aid. He has provided a way of escape for us and is leading us to a Promised Land. Who has more cause for celebration than the Ransomed?
This should lead us to offering sacrifices of just, humble living to our God. We should never pull back from God’s rod of discipline knowing that He ordained it for our good and not our calamity.
The journey from Acacia Grove to Gilgal was short but incredibly significant. The journey from one’s head (intellectual assent to the existence and demands of Christ) to one’s heart (submissive yielding to those demands) is also a short one. Many do not make it – to their peril. Those who do know joy this world will never experience.
Kevin Pauley is a pastor and writer. He lives in Illinois with his wife, Lynn, their five children and two dogs. His internet address is Berea.
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