2002-01-01
?Good Morning Faithful Readers,
The citations in today’s message really reveal the sharp contrast between God, who shows remarkable compassion, and Satan, who dishonors the things of God like forgiveness. You’ll remember that I was led to write that Satan makes us rehearse over and over again all the reasons why we are angry. He encourages grudge-holding, and is a purveyor of misery. On the other hand, while God has every reason to level His wrath at the people who have let Him down, He chooses instead to offer forgiveness and compassion when they turn from their sin.
The prophet, Micah, was a contemporary of Isaiah who wrote from 734 BC to 702 BC. He was from Judah and was convinced that Judah was about to face catastrophe like that which the prophet, Amos, in AM 3: 12-14, predicted for Israel. [God speaking] “But you made the Nazirites [NU 6: 1-8] drink wine, and order the prophet not to speak My message. And now I will crush you to the ground, and you will groan like a cart loaded with grain. No even fast runners will escape; strong men will lose their strength, and soldiers will not be able to save their own lives.” Despite the wanton sinfulness of Judah in Micah’s time, we see the Lord’s compassion on His chosen people in MIC 7:19. “You will be merciful to us once again. You will trample our sins under foot and send them to the bottom of the sea!” Had Satan been in God’s position, we can be sure he would have never even considered making forgiveness and temporary punishment to correct available to the Jews. Instead, they would have been destroyed.
I love the story of King Hezekiah of Judah’s illness and recovery in IS 38. Isaiah, who is then the main prophet came to this good king who had fallen ill to tell him that it was his time to die. The king put his face to the wall and cried bitterly, “Remember Lord, I have served You faithfully and loyally” [IS 38: 3]. When God heard this, He told Isaiah to return to Hezekiah and give him this message (5-6), “I, the Lord, the God of your ancestor David, have heard your prayer and seen your tears. I will let you live fifteen years longer. I will rescue you and this city of Jerusalem from the emperor of Assyria, and I will continue to protect the city.” How remarkable this was! It followed a pattern that I have often seen in both the OT and NT of God allowing those He esteems to see the future. It happened with Abraham, Moses, Daniel, Ezekiel, Paul, John, and others. What it took was obedient faith, something all of these men had. God has promised us protection and provision repeatedly if we will have faith in Him, and He delivers. There is ample proof of that. Hezekiah recovered and went on to write a powerful testimony of faith in his song of praise in IS 38: 10-20, which I hope you will read. Do you remember the story of Christ answering the question about the blind man, “Was it sin that caused him to be born blind?” in JN 9: 2. Christ’s answer in JN 9: 3 was, “He is blind so that God’s power might be seen at work in him.” The testimony that God’s compassion produced in Hezekiah is the same thing. It was a way that God’s glory can be seen through His mighty acts. We can take comfort in having that perspective today when we see people with enormous challenges to overcome in the circumstances of their lives. I can’t complete writing about Hezekiah without citing IS 38: 17 for the valuable lesson it contains for all of us. “My bitterness will turn into peace. You save my life from all danger; You forgive all my sins.”
The issue of God’s compassion is once again brought up in IS 43: 25, “And yet, I am the God Who forgives your sins, and I do this because of Who I am. I will not hold your sins against you.” Here’s the direct antithesis to Satan’s efforts to keep us holding grudges when we think we have been wronged. Where God tells us that He will not only forgive our sins but will forget them in HE 8: 12, Satan tries to get us to run the wrongdoing over and over like a tape running as a mobius strip in our minds. [A mobius strip is twisted and connected so that one can move his finger along the strip without ever stopping or having to pick up his finger]. With belief in God, there can be forward motion along the path to spiritual maturity and eternal life. With Satan in control, there can only be a one-way path to death and destruction in the lake of fire and sulfur. Because of Christ's death on the cross, we now have the ability to choose which path we take, who we allow to take leadership in our lives. I, for one, choose God! How about you?
PRAYER: O Lord, this morning You lead me to IS 42 to express the praise You deserve using Isaiah’s words from IS 42: 10-13. “Sing a new son to the Lord; sing His praise, all the world! Praise Him you that sail the sea; praise Him, all creatures of the sea! Sing, distant lands and all who live there! Let the desert and its towns praise God; let the people of Kedar praise Him! Let those who live in the city of Sela shout for joy from the tops of the mountains! Let those who live in distant lands give praise and glory to the Lord! The Lord goes out to fight like a warrior; He is ready and eager for battle. He give a war cry, a battle shout; He shows His power against His enemies.” While this praise song was written 300 years before Christ’s birth, it expresses the love and adoration we have for you today. While we least deserved it, You gave Your Son on the cross to suffer and die, so that He could be the perfect substitute sacrifice Who could wipe away all our sins. Your love extends to giving us the will to repent and have faith in Him. You sent us the gift of the Holy Spirit and asked us to join You in Your work. All the while, Your righteous agenda is our sanctification, so that we can one day come to You in heaven for a life of eternal joy and fellowship. The devil will be forgotten then, as will all his followers. The suffering at the enemy’s hand that we must endure today is so small in comparison to the glory You will reveal to us as joint-heirs to Your Kingdom with Christ Jesus [RO 8: 17-18]. We are sinners who come before You in confession of our sin, who offer You our eternal trust, obedience, honor, glory, loyalty, diligence, praise, and thanksgiving. In Christ’s holy name, we pray. Amen.
Tomorrow, I am led to look at how Christ eradicated the enmity that existed between God and ourselves when we came to faith and what it means to us. We are the being changed as God is sanctifying us. The inward spiritual self is growing stronger, and the outer fleshly self is losing its power. That condition exists in a state of conflict between the two that is beautifully described in RO 7: 14-25 and RO 8: 5-11. While we might wonder why we should welcome such a conflict, it really is a blessing. That is because of what lays at the end of the road it upon which it takes us. This is one more way that God shows His superb love for us. When we acknowledge that love with faithful obedience Satan’s hateful plan is thwarted. Peter and I send you our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn