# 339 Legalism Kills

The Book of Genesis

Day 339

Ge 37:14 Then he said to him, "Please go and see if it is well with your brothers and well with the flocks, and bring back word to me." So he sent him out of the Valley of Hebron, and he went to Shechem.

As I read this portion of Scripture, I have little problem picturing God and Jesus having a similar conversation before the incarnation. God says to His Son Jesus (who personifies grace) “please, go and see how things are going with Your brothers.”  (the people of Israel and the caretakers of My flock.) and Jesus says, “Here I am!” And He goes and He arrives on this earth as a fertilized egg in the virgin Mary. Through this miracle of the virgin birth, He arrives as God incarnate, Immanuel….God with us!  As Php 2:6 states, “who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,  7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.  8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.”

So Jesus goes, like Joseph did and both were greeted by the keepers of the flock in the same way. Joseph’s brothers plot to kill him, just as the religious leaders of Jesus’ day sought to kill Jesus!

Joseph, of course did not have the opportunity to report back to his father on the heartless condition of the caretakers of the flock, but Jesus did. And this is what he had to say about them:  "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. (Jn 8:44)

Not only murderers and liars, but they used the Law and legalism to burden the flock: "For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. (Mt 23:4)

“Father, this legalism has gotten out of hand, the people (the flock) are being oppressed. They need to be set free!”

And then one day at the beginning of His ministry, Jesus opened up the Bible and read: “The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to  the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed;  19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD."  20 Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him.  21 And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."(Luke 4:18-21)

With the arrival of Jesus, grace personified came to earth to set us free! As Jacob unwittingly sent grace to his sons, God WITTINGLY sends grace (Jesus) to us, with the goal of setting us free from legalism.

As He said in Joh 8:36 "if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” Do you want true freedom? Then quit trying to work your way to heaven. Legalism kills! Your good deeds can’t save you, only Jesus can do that.