2002-01-01
Hi There Dear Ones,
There are times when the Lord puts an idea in my mind to share with you, but He wants me to take several days to think and pray about it before I write it down. Today’s topic, a look at the conflict between justice and mercy, is just such a idea. The delicate balance the Lord achieves between justice and mercy is something that impacts our lives more days than not.
If you have read Genesis, then you will remember the story of God’s pronouncement of justice upon the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. The sinning going on there was intolerable to the Lord, and yet, the nephew, Lot, of a man God loved, Abraham, was living there with his family. Abraham appealed to God for mercy, and the Lord agreed to delay Sodom’s demise long enough for Abraham to get Lot and his family to safety. We can see a demonstration of God’s mercy in GN 19: 16, “Lot hesitated. The Lord however, had pity on him; so the men took him, his wife, and his two daughters by the hand and led them out of the city.” Previously in (12), God had warned Lot to get out of the city before He destroyed it.
You may ask yourself, why would God destroy Sodom rather than to take steps to bring it’s people to obedience? The answer to this question can be found in RO 3: 26. “God offered [Christ on the cross] to demonstrate His righteousness. In this way, God shows He is righteous and that He puts right anyone who believes in Christ.” In other words, God wouldn’t be able to show how righteous He is unless He drew a line as to how much sin He would tolerate before He took action to put it to a stop. It would be pretty hard for us to take God seriously, if all He did was to make empty threats that He would punish sin. Any parent knows that his/her children have to know the limits of misbehavior a parent will tolerate. Without this, misbehavior is never corrected, a condition which leads to horrendous consequences. In addition to this need to bring justice, God reveals another side of Himself in the Scriptures, his merciful hand in meting it out. RO 9: 15-16, “For [God] said to Moses, ‘I will have mercy on anyone I wish’ …So then, everything depends not on what man wants, but only on God’s mercy.”
In EX 33: 19, the Lord through Moses promises to be with His people, the Jews. “I will make all My splendor pass before you and in your presence I will pronounce My sacred name. I am the Lord and I show mercy and compassion on those whom I choose.” Isn’t this the same consistent promise God makes in RO 8: 28 through Paul? “We know that in all things God works for the good with those who love Him, those whom He has called according to His purpose.”
The history of my Jewish ancestors is one of the most salient examples of the delicate balance between justice and mercy God shows us. The nation that God set apart to be a “nation of priests” to “be a light to the nations” have a long history of grumbling, complaining, and sinning. It became necessary for God to withdraw His presence from Israel to demonstrate His righteousness. Ezekiel was a prophet in captivity in the Chabar River settlement in Babylonia. He saw a vision of God’s departure from the Temple in Jerusalem in EZK 10: 4, “the dazzling light of the Lord’s presence rose up from the cherubim and moved to the entrance of the Temple. Then the cloud filled the Temple and the courtyard was blazing with the light.” At this point in the train of events, it would be easy to say here is an example where God broke His promise. But such is not the case, when you read the rest of the story. God will never abandon the Jews, but He certainly has punished them for their iniquities. We know this because of RO 11: 25-26. “There is a secret truth, Brethren, which I [Paul] want you to know, for it will keep you from thinking how wise you are. It is that the stubbornness of the people of Israel is not permanent, but will last only until the complete number of Gentiles comes to God. And this is how Israel will be saved. As the Scriptures say, ‘The Savior will come from Zion and remove all the wickedness from the descendants of Jacob. I will make this covenant with them when I take away their sins.’ “ The Scriptures referred to in this citation are IS 9: 8, GN 32: 27-28, and Zechariah 13: 7-9, so let’s look at them to see how our Lord balances justice with mercy.
IS 9:8, “The Lord has pronounced judgment on the kingdom of Israel, on the descendants of Jacob.” GN 32: 27-28 takes place when Jacob wrestles with the man [a theophany-manifestation of God] at Peniel. “ ‘What is your name?’ the man asked his opponent. ‘Jacob,’ the other answered. ‘Your name is no longer Jacob [which in Hebrew means “deceiver”]. You have struggled with God and with men, and you have won. So, your name will be Israel’ [which means “He struggles with God”]. The name “Peniel” means “the face of God.” ZECH 13: 7-9, is a prophecy of Christ’s crucifixion and what will happen to the Jews during the tribulation. “The Lord God Almighty says, ‘Wake up sword and attack the Shepherd Who works for Me! Kill Him and I will attack My people. Throughout the land, two thirds of them will die, and I will test the one third that survives and purify them as silver is refined by fire. I will test them as gold is tested. I will tell them that they are my people, and they will confess that I am their God.’ “ Consider the balance between justice and mercy in this remarkable story.
We are all God’s children, so we can expect the same even-handed delivery of justice balanced with mercy from God as the Scriptures I quote indicate. If you are looking at your own circumstances and feeling blue about them, then remember your Father in heaven loves you so much that He will keep His promises to you. You may grapple with His timing, as I do, but he will deliver justice tempered by the purest mercy you will ever see. Join me in trusting Him to do this. Be encouraged that His is the Lord of our lives and wants us to inherit His Kingdom as joint-heirs with the Son. Never forget that He sacrificed His only begotten Son on the cross so that you and I could be saved. Now, that is how a loving Abba reveals Himself to us!
PRAYER: O Lord, we come to you in thankfulness that You demonstrate Your righteousness to us by delivering Divine justice balanced with tender mercy. We humbly acknowledge Your Sovereignty in our lives and put our trust in You. Help us to discern Your purpose in the actions You take and our proper responsibility in response to them. Give us the courage to make you the Lord of our lives. In Christ’s name, amen.
Peter and I send you our love this morning. We are thinking about you and praying for you.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn