“Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin-; and if not, blot me I pray thee, out of thy book which thou has written.”--Exodus 32:32
Have you ever had to fill in the blanks? We first encountered fill-in-the-blanks in school on short tests. The test question will restate a fact, but leave out one word which we fill with the answer. The answer has to be exact or will be marked incorrect. We encounter fill-in-the-blanks in a wide variety of applications.
We have become so accustomed to filling in the blanks that an entire industry has been spawned that generates blanks for us, called templates. An apology template may read: “Dear _____. It is has come to my attention that my recent action was _____. I never intended to _____ you. I want you to understand that I was merely trying to _____, though I can see now that it may appear that I was _____. Moving forward, I will attempt to _____. Please accept my apology. Signed: _____.”
What about the marriage proposal blank? “Dear _____. I think we are wonderful together. Because we _____ so well together and we have all of the _____ that each of us needs, I think it would be a great for us to marry as soon as we can _____. You have all of the _____ that I need and I think we should move quickly before _____. I am writing you my thoughts because I have _____ you and want to _____ you for the rest of my life. Your friend, _____.” Templates are impersonal, but there is a blank space that is really personal. Have you ever been given a signed blank check? That’s extremely personal. It is an enormous display of trust because, with an authorizing signature, a signed blank check has great power. Suppose you were given a blank check on the bank of heaven?
Suppose our God looked down on our lowly estate and decided to say in Philippians 4:19, “My God shall supply all of your need according to his riches in Glory by Christ Jesus.” Would that be a blank check? It may seem odd, but in reality, believers have been given a blank check on the bank of heaven that can be redeemed for so many purposes. Believers who are shouldering enormous burdens involving unemployment, family issues, crime, loneliness, frustration or any challenge, have the consolation of knowing that they possess a blank check on heaven through which God promises to provide what we need, when we need it, for as long as we need it.
Whatever we need from God, if we are true in our living, giving and service; we can faithfully trust him to fill in the blanks. As Christians, we are thankful that we serve a God who knows our needs and will faithfully show us mercy and provision every day. Whatever we need - you name it, God’s got it!
Whatever we need from God, if we are true in our living, giving and service; we can faithfully trust him to fill in the blanks. As Christians, we are thankful that we serve a God who knows our needs and will faithfully show us mercy and provision every day. Whatever we need - you name it, God’s got it!
This text focuses on Moses as he pleads for mercy for Israel after its sin in the wilderness. While Moses was in the top communing with God and receiving the commandments, the people below became anxious and weary. They pressed Aaron to make them a gold calf which they could worship. When Moses returned, he found the people engaged in idol worship and disobeying God. He caused the idol to be ground into dust and put into their drinking water. He then stood on the side of a mountain and asked all who were on God’s side to come to the mountain’s edge.
Seeking forgiveness for those who remained, Moses went before God and prayed for their redemption. He wanted to save them from the wrath of God. In his prayer a strange thing happened. Moses pleaded for the people, but stopped in the middle of his sentence and left a blank space. It is the only blank space recorded in the Bible. Moses said, “Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin —; after the blank space the sentence continues with “and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou has written.”
Some interpreters believe the blank space was intentional to emphasize a truth. To redeem the people of their sins, Moses had no options. He could not redeem them from their sins because the redemption of mankind was above him. There was no trade that he could make that could equal or balance the sins of the people. Redemption required a greater sacrifice of a divine nature. After the semi-colon, Moses tacked on a trade that he could make.
If heaven was not willing to fully forgiven the people, then he asked not to be allowed to enter Promised Land with them and that his name be blotted out of all official records, which he recorded; the first five books of the Bible. What Moses could not do was redeem the people because redemption required the blood of a universal lamb; one anointed and accepted by God.
He didn’t know the name of that lamb. He did not know in what form that lamb would come, so it is believed that he simply left a blank space. Believers now know what to put in the blank space that requires redemption by the Lamb of God, the name Jesus. Moses could not do it, it took Jesus! And today, Jesus is still filling in the blanks for believers, becoming what they need to respond to the issues of life each day.
When it comes to filling in the blanks that we experience in life there are a few considerations: FAITH LETS GOD FILL IN THE BLANKS: When life presents us with options, we are presented with occasions when we must fill in the blanks. Should I get a job or go to school? Should I get married or stay single? She I leave the city or should I stay?
Should I take the promotion and risk termination if I fail or should I seize the opportunity? Should I cheat on my spouse with this adorable person or remain faithful? All of these questions and more are showered upon believers every day. When we must make this kind of choice, we are exercising options, filling in the blanks.
What we put in the blanks in answer to this life changing questions often determines the direction of our lives for years to come. Men and women of faith pray to God for direction, wait until He responds, then they fill in the blanks. It is dangerous to fill in the blanks on the first things that pop into your mind. In anger, the words you use to fill in the blank may not be blessed. In frustration, the words may have sting or a sour taste.
Before you push the send button on that email or post that Facebook comment to fill in the blank, ask: Will this comment reflect my faith in God? Faith lets God fill in the blank! What should Daniel, faced with the threat of Lion’s Den, put in the blank? Faith or fear? The Three Hebrew Boys faced with the prospect of being burned in the fiery furnace answered the question.
Will your God deliver you? By letting faith fill in the blank, “We don’t know if our God will deliver, but what we do know is our God is able!” God is able to protect us from all sides; let faith fill in the blanks! God is able to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves; let faith fill in the blanks!
Sometimes the blanks baffle us. We don’t know what we are supposed to do or say. That was the dilemma Moses faced when God told him to tell Pharaoh to “Let my people go.” God told Moses to tell Pharaoh “I am that I am” sent him. That was a fill in the blank answer. When Moses needed ten miracles to show Pharaoh, God became “that” and the miracles occurred.
When Moses needed a bridge through the Red Sea, God became that and parted the sea. No matter what answer the blank space called for, God became “that.” What should believers do when they don’t know what to do? When we don’t know what to put in the blank spaces that life presents us every day of our lives, we should do what David did. The bible says in Psalm 121:1 he said, “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, who made the heaven and the earth.” The blank spaces may seem insurmountable, but we serve a God who specializes in filling in blanks spaces and has proven that He can make a way out of no way.
What to do about the poverty in our neighborhoods, is a blank space, but together with Christ we can reach out to the poor in ways that are significant and meaningful. He can show us what to do and fill in the blank space. A way to feed the growing number of hungry is a blank space, because our church kitchens are not big enough. However, we serve a Savior who takes two little fishes and five loaves of bread and feeds thousands! How to quiet the storms that rage in our lives is a blank space, but our Savior can speak to the winds and the waves and they will obey his will. He knows how to fill in the blank!
DON’T PUT MORE IN THE BLANK THAN IS NEEDED: There are many who try to fill in the blank on a form and actually put in more information that is needed. The form asks for a one word reply and some enter phrases and sentences that run down the side of the paper. A short blank is expecting a short response. A longer blank is expecting a longer response, but not longer than the blank. Filling in the blank with more than is necessary happens when we attempt to take matters into our own hands instead of letting God’s word command the day. God told Abraham and Sarai that she would have a child. He left a blank space. He did not say when, so when she reached her 80’s and still had no child, she decided to fill in the space that God left blank. She arranged for her husband to have a child by her maid and then became jealous of the child. She put more in the blank space God left and caused herself a problem. Today, believers should leave some things that are unknown or unexplained to God; let him fill in the space.
Don’t you try to fill in the blanks because we walk by faith and not sight! There are some things in life that have a short space, because there is only one word that goes in the space. For there is “None other name under the heavens whereby we must be saved, but the name of Jesus!”
Brothers and sisters, we must consider that while Moses could not fill in the blank for those who are need God, once the lost know Jesus, he automatically fills in the blanks. Once you have been saved by the blood of Jesus, your name is recorded in the Book of Life. It’s like the login information on your email or cell phone, once it’s saved on your computer, your name is recorded on the hard drive of the computer or the memory of your phone. The computer will ask, “Do you want your name saved?” If you click yes, every time you get to a blank anywhere that asks for name, it automatically fills in the blank! It automatically fills in the blank, because your name is saved on its roll! Amazon carries it one step further. When you order what you need from Amazon, they have a service called “One Click." Once you put your name on their roll, all you need is one click to get what you need. You need to enter your name, or your address or mailing address, with just one click –what you need is already on the way!
The beauty of being saved is not only heaven, but we also have auto-fill. If we have a blank space because of a medical need, one prayer calls up JEHOVAH RAPHA because, “I am the Lord that healeth thee.” If we have a blank space because we need for peace, one prayer calls up JEHOVAH SHALOM because God is our peace. If we have a blank space because we desire to conquer an evil presence, one prayer calls up JEHOVAH-NISSI because the Lord is our banner of victory. If we have a blank space because we have unseen needs, one prayer calls up JEHOVAH-JIREH because he both sees our needs and provides. Moses did not know what to put in the blank, but today we know the answer. Moses sought a way to wash away the sins of Israel, but he could not fill in the blank.
Today, we can answer Moses’ question with the songwriter's lyrics, “What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus!” Jesus, whose — Power never weakens; -Grace never disappoints -Love never leaves; -Promises never fail -Glory never diminishes; -Joy never ends -Foundation never shakes; -Truth never changes -Supply never shrinks; -Blessings never stop coming!
Comments