Grace in Galatians (Part 71): The Law Changed Everything

https://youtu.be/hJhMbIW2Lh4

Today, we continue our series entitled “Living the Grace Life,” where we will learn to embrace and walk in God’s unmerited, unearned, and often undeserved favor throughout 2025.

As part of this series, I am teaching a verse-by-verse exposition of the book of Galatians.

Key scriptures for this year:

(2 Corinthians 9:8 TPT)

"Yes, God is more than ready to overwhelm you with every form of grace, so that you will have more than enough of everything—every moment and in every way. He will make you overflow with abundance in every good thing you do."

(Galatians 5:4 TPT)

"If you want to be made right with God by fulfilling the obligations of the law, you have cut off more than your flesh—you have cut yourselves off from Christ and have fallen away from the revelation of grace!"

(Romans 6:14 ERV)

"Sin will not be your master, because you are not under law. You now live under God's grace."

(1 Corinthians 15:10 CEV)

"But God treated me with undeserved grace! He made me what I am, and his grace wasn't wasted. I worked much harder than any of the other apostles, although it was really God's grace at work and not me."

Scripture we will study today:

(Exodus 14:11-12 NIV)

“They said to Moses, ‘Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!'”

(Exodus 15:24 NIV)

“So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, ‘What are we to drink?'”

(Exodus 16:2-3 NIV)

“In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, ‘If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.'”

(Numbers 11:1 NIV)

“Now the people complained about their hardships in the hearing of the Lord, and when he heard them his anger was aroused. Then fire from the Lord burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp.”

(Numbers 14:2-3 NIV)

“All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, ‘If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness! Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword?'”

(Numbers 21:5-6 NIV)

“They spoke against God and against Moses, and said, ‘Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!’ Then the Lord sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died.”

Setting the Stage:

For the past week, we’ve been exploring how Abraham and his descendants relate to us through faith. We’ve discovered that Abraham was never under the Law. We’ve learned that faith makes us his children, that faith changes our family tree, and that God foresaw YOU when He looked at Abraham. But today, I want to drive home a point that has amazed many of you: Not only was Abraham under grace, but so were Moses and the millions of Israelites in the wilderness, UNTIL the Law was introduced!

This is powerful to understand! I’m going to show you specific examples where the Israelites complained, rebelled, and sinned BEFORE the Law was given at Mount Sinai, and God responded with grace, mercy, and provision. Then I’ll show you the SAME behaviors AFTER the Law was given, and how God responded with judgment, death, and destruction. The only difference? They had moved from grace to Law!

Paul was essentially telling the Galatians (and us): “Listen, we’re back under grace again! Don’t go back to a system that brings death when God has returned us to the system of life!”

So, what does this mean for you today? A few things.

1. Example #1: Rebellion and Wanting to Return to Egypt.

BEFORE THE LAW (Exodus 14:11-12): At the Red Sea, when Pharaoh’s army approached, the people rebelled against Moses, saying: “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!” This was outright rebellion and unbelief after all God had done for them to that point! God’s response? He parted the Red Sea and delivered them miraculously! No judgment for their lack of faith, just supernatural deliverance!

AFTER THE LAW (Numbers 14:2-35): When the twelve spies gave their report and ten of them were negative, the people said almost the exact same thing: “If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness! Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?” God’s response this time? That entire generation would die in the wilderness! Only Joshua and Caleb would enter the Promised Land!

How this applies to you:

— The same rebellion, the same desire to return to Egypt, but grace brought deliverance while Law brought death! An entire generation perished because they were under the Law, not grace!

— Before the Law, wanting to go back to Egypt brought the greatest miracle of the Old Testament; the parting of the Red Sea! After the Law, wanting to go back to Egypt brought 40 years of wandering until everyone over 20 years old died! That’s the difference between grace and Law!

— Under grace, even your moments of wanting to quit become opportunities for God to show His power! Under the Law, wanting to quit leads to terrible consequences.

— Think about this: Over 600,000 men, plus women, died in the wilderness for expressing the same attitude that previously brought miraculous deliverance! When Paul said “the letter kills” in 2 Corinthians 3:6, he wasn’t speaking metaphorically. The “letter” Paul was speaking about was the Law. The Law literally killed an entire generation! The same complaints, the same rebellion, the same desire to return to Egypt that received grace before Mount Sinai brought mass death after Mount Sinai. The letter kills! It killed them in the wilderness, and it will kill your spiritual life today if you try to live under it instead of under grace!

— How many times have you wanted to give up, yet God kept blessing you anyway? That’s because you’re under grace! Under the Law, your moment of weakness would have sealed your fate!

— The Law has no patience for your humanity, no understanding for your fears, no mercy for your moments of weakness. Grace embraces all of your humanity and still delivers you!

— Paul’s warning to the Galatians makes perfect sense: Why would you go back to a system that killed an entire generation for the same weakness God previously delivered them through? If you can understand this, you can understand why I teach grace the way I do.

2. Example #2: Complaining About Water.

BEFORE THE LAW (Exodus 15:22-25): Just three days after the Red Sea miracle, the Israelites came to Marah where the water was bitter. They grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?” God’s response? He showed Moses a piece of wood that, when thrown into the water, made it sweet. No punishment. No judgment. Just provision!

AFTER THE LAW (Numbers 20:2-12): At Meribah, the people quarelled with Moses about water again. This time, Moses got so frustrated that he struck the rock twice instead of speaking to it as God commanded. The result? Moses was banned from entering the Promised Land! The same type of complaint about water that received grace before the Law brought severe consequences after the Law!

How this applies to you:

— Before the Law, complaining brought provision. After the Law, the same complaining brought punishment. The only thing that changed was the introduction of the Law at Mount Sinai!

— Moses himself discovered that grace allows for mistakes, but the Law demands perfection. One moment of frustration, one deviation from God’s exact instructions, cost him his life’s dream of entering the Promised Land. The Law shows no mercy, not even to Moses!

— Under grace today, God still provides even when we complain! How many times have you grumbled about your situation, yet God still blessed you? That’s because you’re under grace, not the Law!

— The Law turned God’s provision into punishment. Grace turns your complaints into opportunities for miracles; Law turns them into judgments!

— If Moses, whom the Bible calls the meekest man on earth (Num 12:3), couldn’t keep the Law perfectly, what makes any of us think we can? Stop trying to live under a system that even Moses couldn’t successfully comply with!

— You have had your fair share of complaints, and we all know you are not perfect. But instead of being disqualified by your complaints and imperfections, God has chosen to qualify you by Christ’s perfection! That’s grace!

— Under grace, God works with your weaknesses. Under Law, one weakness can destroy your destiny.

— Every time God provides for you despite your bad attitude, you’re experiencing the same grace the Israelites experienced before Sinai! You’re living proof that we’re back under grace!

3. Example #3: Complaining About Food

BEFORE THE LAW (Exodus 16:2-12): In the Wilderness of Sin (yes, that’s actually what it was called, read Exodus 16:1 KJV), the entire community grumbled against Moses and Aaron about food. They even said they’d rather have died in Egypt, where they had pots of meat! God’s response? He rained down manna from heaven every morning and provided quail in the evening! No fire from heaven, no plague, no judgment; just supernatural provision!

AFTER THE LAW (Numbers 11:1-34): At Kibroth Hattaavah, the people complained about the manna and craved meat again. They said, “We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost!” God’s response this time? Yes, He gave them quail, a whole lot of it. The Bible says, “There were so many birds that the ground was covered. They were about three feet deep on the ground. There were quail in every direction as far as a man can walk in one day. They went out and gathered quail all that day and all that night. And they gathered quail all the next day too! The smallest amount anyone gathered was 60 bushels” (Num 11:31-32 ERV).

But then the Bible goes on to say, “while the meat was still between their teeth… the Lord struck the people with a severe plague” (Numbers 11:33). They named that place “graves of craving” because that’s where they buried everyone who had craved other food!

How this applies to you:

— The exact same complaint about food brought blessing before the Law and death after the Law! This proves that the Law fundamentally changes how God must respond to sin!

— Before the Law, their craving for meat brought both manna AND quail; a double blessing! After the Law, their craving brought graves! The Law literally turned blessings into burials!

— Notice that God still gave them quail both times, but under the Law, the blessing itself became a curse! The very thing they craved killed them! The Law has the power to poison God’s provision!

— How many times has God provided for you even when your attitude was poor? Every time He did, that was grace! Under the Law, your bad attitude would have brought judgment, not provision!

— The place was literally named “graves of craving.” Grace turns your desires into opportunities for God to show His goodness, not His judgment!

— Stop craving a system where even answered prayers can become curses! Stay under grace where God’s goodness flows freely and His blessings are not tainted by your performance!

4. Example #4: Testing God and Speaking Against Him

BEFORE THE LAW (Exodus 17:1-7): At Rephidim, there was no water and the people quarreled with Moses. They tested God saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?” That’s a serious accusation; questioning God’s very presence! God’s response? He told Moses to strike the rock at Horeb, and water gushed out for everyone to drink. The place was called Massah and Meribah (testing and quarreling), but no one died!

AFTER THE LAW (Numbers 21:4-6): On the way around Edom, the people grew impatient and spoke against both God and Moses: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!” God’s response? “Then the Lord sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died.”

How this applies to you:

— Testing God and questioning His presence brought water before the Law, but brought venomous snakes after the Law! Same terrible attitude, completely different response from God!

— They literally asked, “Is God even with us?” before the Law, and God proved His presence by providing water! After the Law, speaking against God brought deadly snakes! Grace proves God’s love; Law proves God’s judgment!

— Under grace, your doubts don’t disqualify you from God’s provision. Thomas doubted Jesus’ resurrection, but Jesus still showed him His hands and side. Under Law, doubt brings death!

— Every time you’ve questioned God’s presence in your trials and He still showed up for you, that’s grace!

— Here’s something deep to consider: In Numbers 21:8-9, God told Moses to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole. Anyone who was bitten by the venomous snakes could look at the bronze snake on the pole and live! Think about how strange this must have seemed; looking at the very image of what was killing them, lifted up on a pole, to receive healing! But this was God painting a picture of what was coming. Jesus Himself made this connection in John 3:14-15 when He said, “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”

I will close with this parallel: In the wilderness, the serpent was the source of death, but when lifted on a pole, it became the source of healing. On the cross, Jesus became sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21) and became a curse for us (Galatians 3:13), and by looking to Him (the One who took on the very thing that was killing us) we are healed!

But here’s what’s even more powerful: The bronze snake only healed from snake bites. Jesus heals from EVERY curse of the Law! Think of every curse the Law could bring (the snakes, the plagues, the fire, the death); Jesus took them ALL! The New Testament has ONE remedy for ALL curses: Jesus Christ lifted up on the cross!

This is why Paul was trying to tell the Galatians: Through Jesus Christ, we are back under the system of grace that Abraham enjoyed, that Moses experienced before Sinai, and that allowed people to fail and still receive God’s favor! The Law was a temporary interruption in God’s grace plan, not His permanent way of dealing with humanity!

The Law lasted about 1,500 years, from Moses to Jesus. But grace? Grace was there from Adam to Moses, and grace has been here from Jesus until now. Grace is God’s preferred method of operation!

That’s enough for today.

Declaration of Faith:

Father, I thank You for opening my eyes to this powerful truth!

I see clearly that You have always preferred grace over the Law.

Before the Law, You provided when people complained.

After the Law, You punished for the same complaints.

Through Jesus, I am back under grace, not the Law!

My failures don’t bring Your fire; they bring Your favor!

My complaints don’t bring Your curses; they bring Your compassion!

My doubts don’t bring destruction; they bring Your deliverance!

I walk in the same grace Abraham walked in, the same grace the Israelites experienced before Sinai!

I am Living #TheGraceLife and GREATER IS COMING FOR ME!

I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!