If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. 1 Peter 2:3
Numbers 13 tells of the Israelites as they came to the borders of the promised land, and sent spies into the land to check it out. The twelve spies discovered that the land was indeed a rich territory, with abundance of crops and ideal conditions for farming. Verse 23 of the chapter is the most impressive: ‘And they came unto the brook of Eshcol, and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it between two upon a staff; and they brought of the pomegranates, and of the figs’. What an impressive sight that must have been as the spies returned to the camp of the Israelites, with two of the spies carrying one cluster of grapes! We are not told the quality of the grapes, but there is little doubt that they were good. Surely the people would have gathered around to admire the cluster and to sample the grapes. But even such an impressive sight – and such an exquisite taste – was not enough to convince the people to enter the land at that time. Will we, who have also tasted of the graciousness of God, be more willing to venture forth for Him?
It is true that not everyone has tasted of the grace of God. But it is also true that God’s grace is extended to everybody, according to Titus 2:11: ‘For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men’. The work of Christ to redeem us from our sinful and damned condition is infinite in its value and universal in its scope. But only those who have by faith trusted in that work of Christ have tasted that the Lord is gracious. Many of those around us blame God for all the bad things that happen to them, seeing nothing gracious about God. Many others who are depending on their religion and works for their salvation see God as demanding and severe, and they miss the reality of His grace. But the sinner who has trusted Christ as Saviour and Lord can truly appreciate that He is gracious. And the best of all, that which we enjoy as children of God is only a preliminary taste of that great feast that is to be ours forever.
There is much for you and me to rejoice in today as part of the package of our salvation. We have the joy of knowing our sins forgiven, the glorious expectation of Heaven as our ultimate destination, the comfort of our Lord’s presence with us throughout earth’s ups and downs, the bounty of the Word of God to feed us, and the blessing of the Lord’s people to encourage us. And with all that we appreciate in time, our blessings in eternity will be much greater. The rapture of the saints will tear us forever away from everything unpleasant about life in this world. The Marriage Supper of the Lamb will unfold to us the richness of the blessings of being forever with the Lord. We love to imagine what Heaven will be like, knowing that our imaginations are incapable of bringing us anywhere near to what God has prepared for us.
Today, we enjoy the taste of the graciousness of our Lord. Tomorrow, we may enjoy the feast of which today’s sweet taste is but the beginning. -Jim MacIntosh