Caribbean Moravian Devotions

MEMORIAL DAY: First Moravian Missionaries set off, 1732.

I will remove the guilt of this land in a single day. Zechariah 3 9b.

ZechariahÂ’s vision portrays how we receive GodÂ’s mercy. We do nothing ourselves. God removes our filthy clothes (sins), and then provides us with new, clean, rich garments [the righteousness and holiness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21, Ephesians 4:24)]. All we need to do is repent and ask God to forgive us. When Satan tries to make you feel dirty and unworthy, remember that the clean clothes of GodÂ’s righteousness make you worthy to draw near to God.

There was no priesthood during the exile, so it had to be reinstated upon return to the land. One of the high priestÂ’s duties was to offer a sacrifice on the Day of Atonement to make amends for all the sins of the people. The priest was the mediator between God and the nation. Thus, he represented the coming Messiah (Isaiah 11:1), who would change the entire order of GodÂ’s dealing with peopleÂ’s sin. Jesus, the Messiah, was the High Priest who offered, once and for all, the sacrifice of himself to take away our sins.

This verse was fulfilled hundreds of years later by Jesus Christ. God said “I will remove the sin of this land in a single day,” and this was fulfilled in Christ who “died for sins once and for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring us closer to God.” Friends, we cannot remove our sins by our own effort. We must allow God to remove them through Jesus Christ. Surrender your life to God and let him work his purpose out through Christ in you.

Br. Patrick Coke.