The Better Word Spoken

“You have come… to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel” (Heb. 12:22a,23b,24; ESV).

What did the blood of Abel say? It cried out in condemnation of Cain.

You and I may not have shed innocent blood. Regardless, inside our heads, we have heard the voice of condemnation crying out against us. Within our minds, within our hearts, that menacing voice has trumpeted the message of our failures. That voice has sat down heavily upon our emotions and eaten mercilessly away at our joy.

But you have come. You have come… to the new covenant Jesus mediated for you. You have come… to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the hostile voice of accusation.

The blood of Jesus has its own breathtaking voice. Its voice is louder, better, and exceedingly more powerful than the ugly mutters of condemnation in our souls. Its voice is superior in every way. The blood of Jesus ALWAYS overwhelmingly trumps the voice of the accuser.

In the desert, the stricken Israelites had merely to look up at the bronze snake Moses hung on a pole, and they were saved from their affliction (Num. 21:9). That snake typified how Jesus would become a curse for us as He hung on the cross, to redeem us from the curse of our condemnation (Gal. 3:13). When we simply look up to Him, His gaze meets ours, and we, too, are instantly saved from our affliction.

Look to Him. Find the forgiveness in His eyes. Find the mercy. Find the cleansing. It’s there. It’s for you. It’s available right now. Immediately. There’s no price you need to pay. He already paid it.

Listen as His blood proclaims this prevailing word over you: “It is finished! Once and for all… you are made holy, righteous, blameless in My sight. Right now, My precious blood washes your iniquity and your shame away. I have made your spirit perfect. I have purchased and sealed you with My very own life’s blood. You are Mine… forever Mine!”

Even right now, look to Him! “Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame” (Ps. 34:5, NIV).

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Many voices are clamoring to define us. If the blood of Jesus speaks a “better word” over our inmost being, what to do we need to do in order to listen to that word?