The Israelites said to Moses, “We will die! We are lost, we are all lost! Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die. Are we all going to die?” (Num 17:12-13)
The Israelites who had grumbled against the Lord have now seen his power repeatedly displayed, and finally they fear him. This is an important step in their spiritual development, but it is not yet the whole story. There is a progression that many follow in coming to know the Lord, and that the Israelites were following. Initially they were ignorant of God altogether. Then they came to understand him as one of many gods. Now at last they have understood that he is the one true, all-powerful God and they fear him. But there is one more step each of us must take – to know that he is our God and he loves us. Perfect love casts out fear. (1 Jn 4:18) God is fearfully strong. But because I know he is good and loving I know that he desires only what is best for me. Saved by his grace I can rest secure in his arms. Our High Priest Jesus has made atonement for us. “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence,” not fear. (Heb 4:16)
Lord, thank you that you have made a way for us to boldly come before you. Not by our righteousness but by your grace. Thank you that I need not fear your presence! Amen.
Showing posts with label wrath of God. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wrath of God. Show all posts
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Friday, October 22, 2010
The Raging Tempest
Our God comes and will not be silent; a fire devours before him and around him a tempest rages. (Ps 50:2)
I am continually amazed at how dramatically the Bible portrays God’s wrath and the judgment to come. I have the sense that most Christians today tend to focus on the loving side of his character. Certainly that’s the most popular image of God in the broader culture. But if love is all we know of God, what sense can we make of a verse like this one? “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Heb 10:31 ESV) We cannot fully appreciate who God is without holding in our minds at once both his wrath and his love. In his wrath we are due his judgment, but in his love he has provided a way of salvation through the sacrifice of his Son. He is a God of both justice and of mercy. When I meditate on this, I can now better appreciate his patience. Knowing of his wrath, I am amazed that he delays the day of judgment. But knowing his love, I understand why he does. Thank you, Lord, for your mercy.
I am continually amazed at how dramatically the Bible portrays God’s wrath and the judgment to come. I have the sense that most Christians today tend to focus on the loving side of his character. Certainly that’s the most popular image of God in the broader culture. But if love is all we know of God, what sense can we make of a verse like this one? “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Heb 10:31 ESV) We cannot fully appreciate who God is without holding in our minds at once both his wrath and his love. In his wrath we are due his judgment, but in his love he has provided a way of salvation through the sacrifice of his Son. He is a God of both justice and of mercy. When I meditate on this, I can now better appreciate his patience. Knowing of his wrath, I am amazed that he delays the day of judgment. But knowing his love, I understand why he does. Thank you, Lord, for your mercy.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
The Wrath of God
The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath. (Ps 2:4-5)
I think one reason many of us do not feel more compassion for the lost than we do is our failure to fully appreciate the wrath of God that Jesus saved us from. His wrath burns like a white heat. I imagine being only a few feet away from the open door of a giant blast furnace. The only reason I do not perish is that I am standing behind a small wall which shields me. But I can see all around me the effects of that brilliant heat. I know I am secure behind that wall but I experience viscerally the fearfulness of that great force of nature. Or I can imagine being in a great spaceship and approaching the sun far closer than the orbit of Mercury. At this distance it fills the entire window in front of me, even though it is still many millions of miles away. The surface boils and churns like a cauldron of incandescent gas, and only the incredible shielding of the spaceship wall and window prevents me from being incinerated.
In that situation wouldn’t you have great compassion for anyone stuck outside with only their flimsy spacesuit to protect them? The whole ship would turn and begin emergency procedures to rescue any human being trapped outside. The urgency of our efforts would be driven by the ever present thought in our minds of the intensity of that heat. I am secure in Christ and I do not fear his wrath. But I must never forget about the great danger that faces all my unsaved friends and loved ones. God withholds his wrath today, out of his great compassion and patience. Indeed he blesses all mankind with life and sustenance, “sending his rain on the just and the unjust" (Mt 5:45). But judgment is coming, and the folly of those who would continue their rebellion against Almighty God will be revealed in the Day of Judgment. That is the picture of this verse in Psalms. A day is coming when it will be too late for them. The starkness of the choice before each of us is astonishing. How can we be complacent? Lord, I do not want to be driven by simple fear, but I pray that you would remind me daily of the urgency of the Great Commission.
I think one reason many of us do not feel more compassion for the lost than we do is our failure to fully appreciate the wrath of God that Jesus saved us from. His wrath burns like a white heat. I imagine being only a few feet away from the open door of a giant blast furnace. The only reason I do not perish is that I am standing behind a small wall which shields me. But I can see all around me the effects of that brilliant heat. I know I am secure behind that wall but I experience viscerally the fearfulness of that great force of nature. Or I can imagine being in a great spaceship and approaching the sun far closer than the orbit of Mercury. At this distance it fills the entire window in front of me, even though it is still many millions of miles away. The surface boils and churns like a cauldron of incandescent gas, and only the incredible shielding of the spaceship wall and window prevents me from being incinerated.
In that situation wouldn’t you have great compassion for anyone stuck outside with only their flimsy spacesuit to protect them? The whole ship would turn and begin emergency procedures to rescue any human being trapped outside. The urgency of our efforts would be driven by the ever present thought in our minds of the intensity of that heat. I am secure in Christ and I do not fear his wrath. But I must never forget about the great danger that faces all my unsaved friends and loved ones. God withholds his wrath today, out of his great compassion and patience. Indeed he blesses all mankind with life and sustenance, “sending his rain on the just and the unjust" (Mt 5:45). But judgment is coming, and the folly of those who would continue their rebellion against Almighty God will be revealed in the Day of Judgment. That is the picture of this verse in Psalms. A day is coming when it will be too late for them. The starkness of the choice before each of us is astonishing. How can we be complacent? Lord, I do not want to be driven by simple fear, but I pray that you would remind me daily of the urgency of the Great Commission.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Objects of Wrath
What if God, choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath – prepared for destruction? (Rom 9:22)
This verse is often taken to mean that God predestines some to destruction – that he created them with the intent to destroy them. But I do not believe that. First of all, Paul says “what if”. He only means to say God has the power and right to do so if he chooses. Second, he speaks of bearing them with great patience. What is the purpose of the patience? To demonstrate his compassion, sure, but also to allow those who would be saved plenty of opportunity to do so. “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Pet 3:9) And third, we find in Eph 2:3 that all of us, even the elect, were at one time objects of wrath: “All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.” Praise God for his patience and his mercy! Without them no one would be saved, least of all me!
This verse is often taken to mean that God predestines some to destruction – that he created them with the intent to destroy them. But I do not believe that. First of all, Paul says “what if”. He only means to say God has the power and right to do so if he chooses. Second, he speaks of bearing them with great patience. What is the purpose of the patience? To demonstrate his compassion, sure, but also to allow those who would be saved plenty of opportunity to do so. “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Pet 3:9) And third, we find in Eph 2:3 that all of us, even the elect, were at one time objects of wrath: “All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.” Praise God for his patience and his mercy! Without them no one would be saved, least of all me!
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Razing Canaan
It is not because of your righteousness or integrity that you are going in to take possession of their land; but on account of the wickedness of these nations, the Lord your God will drive them out before you…” (Deut 9:5)
Popular critics of the Bible portray the God of the Old Testament as a vicious tribal deity because he ordered the Israelites to conquer Canaan and slaughter all its inhabitants. People think God was cruel to them and unfairly favored the Israelites. But here we see the real story. The Canaanites were destroyed for their great wickedness – child sacrifice, temple prostitution, idol worship, etc. God explicitly tells the Israelites it is not because they deserve it or are holy – they themselves are a “stiff-necked people” who continually rebel against him. They only avoid the fate of Canaan because they acknowledge God as Lord and repent of their rebellion.
Popular critics of the Bible portray the God of the Old Testament as a vicious tribal deity because he ordered the Israelites to conquer Canaan and slaughter all its inhabitants. People think God was cruel to them and unfairly favored the Israelites. But here we see the real story. The Canaanites were destroyed for their great wickedness – child sacrifice, temple prostitution, idol worship, etc. God explicitly tells the Israelites it is not because they deserve it or are holy – they themselves are a “stiff-necked people” who continually rebel against him. They only avoid the fate of Canaan because they acknowledge God as Lord and repent of their rebellion.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
The Measure of God's Wrath
I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues – last, because with them God’s wrath is completed. (Rev 15:1)
There is a measure to God’s wrath. It is not limitless or unending. As great and terrible as his wrath is shown to be in this book, there is a point at which it is completed. In fact, his wrath is proportional to our sin, and this graphically demonstrates how great our sin is. This helps me to understand how much Jesus had to suffer for my sins, and helps me realize how much he loves me. Lord, help me never to treat sin so lightly. Remind me, Lord Jesus, of the wrath that you endured for my sake.
There is a measure to God’s wrath. It is not limitless or unending. As great and terrible as his wrath is shown to be in this book, there is a point at which it is completed. In fact, his wrath is proportional to our sin, and this graphically demonstrates how great our sin is. This helps me to understand how much Jesus had to suffer for my sins, and helps me realize how much he loves me. Lord, help me never to treat sin so lightly. Remind me, Lord Jesus, of the wrath that you endured for my sake.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
The Winepress of God's Wrath
The angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath. (Rev 14:19)
Too often today we share the Good News and people seem uninterested. Perhaps it is because they haven’t heard the Bad News. No one today would preach “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” (Jonathan Edward's most famous sermon) and if they did they would be reviled for it. The concept of sin is just as out of fashion as absolute truth. People cannot see God’s grace because they refuse to see his wrath. Lord, help the lost to see that they need a Savior because they deserve condemnation. Help me to share the truth in a way that others will receive it.
Too often today we share the Good News and people seem uninterested. Perhaps it is because they haven’t heard the Bad News. No one today would preach “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” (Jonathan Edward's most famous sermon) and if they did they would be reviled for it. The concept of sin is just as out of fashion as absolute truth. People cannot see God’s grace because they refuse to see his wrath. Lord, help the lost to see that they need a Savior because they deserve condemnation. Help me to share the truth in a way that others will receive it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
