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 Preachers
are asked out” to many homes, and when there are small
children in the home, we can picture what takes place before we
arrive. Mother has prepared her favorite fancy foods plus some
new recipe she wants to try on the preacher. She has borrowed a
lace table-cloth, with the uneven knobs and swirls; and perhaps
some dinner candles, to cast shadows. She gets out her best
dishes, the tall stemmed water-glasses, the best silver. The
top-heavy water glasses balance precariously on the knotty lace
cloth; grape jelly is put in a cut-glass bowl, and one is
expected to fish the jelly across that lace cloth with a tiny
glass spoon. The gravy bowl is a booby-trap: sometimes it is
attached to the plate below, sometimes it is not. Woe is me!!
The
children are then washed and polished, and given a little
lecture. “The preacher is coming to dinner, and I expect you
to sit at the table like little ladies and gentlemen. You are to
mind your manners: say “Yes Sir,” “Please,” and “Thank
you.” Keep your fingers out of the food; and if you get one
drop of that grape jelly on the table cloth, if you make one
bobble, so help the, I’ll skin you alive and send you straight
to bed.”
The
kids may as well take their licking and go on to bed. There is
no
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way they can make it through the meal— she
has put them under the curse!!
Would
you believe that Paul wrote about this to the Galatians? Well,
would you believe this illustrates something about which he
wrote?
Gal.
3 :10 reads: “For as many as are of the works of the law are
under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is everyone that
continueth not in all things which are written in the book of
the law to do them.” He does not blame the law (Rom. 7:12-f),
nor can we blame a mother for wanting her children to be
perfect. But “do. .all” has an ominous sound to those who
recognize their bent for failure. In a system of law (nothing
but law and the penalty for failure) there is no forgiveness —
and mother “laid do the law” with no hint of mercy.
But
Christ became a “curse” for us when he died on the cross
(Gal. 3:13-) so that through faith in Him, we who strive but
fail may be forgiven. The demand to “sit up straight” is
still there, and a “spill” is a sin; but our hope is in Him
who understands and forgives those who come to Him.
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