God's Righteous Judgment

“O enemy, destructions are finished forever!

And you have destroyed cities; even their

memory has perished. But the Lord shall

endure forever; He has prepared His throne

for judgment, He shall judge the world in

righteousness, and He shall administer

judgment for the peoples in uprightness.

“The Lord also will be a refuge for the

oppressed, a refuge in time of trouble.

And those who know Your name will put

their trust in You; for You, Lord, have not

forsaken those who seek You. . . .

“The nations have sunk down in the pit

which they made; in the net which they

hid, their own foot is caught. The Lord is

known by the judgment He executes;

the wicked is snared in the work on his

own hands.

     Meditation. Selah.”

        Psalm 9:6-10, 15-16 (NKJV)

This psalm marks the Bible’s stark contrast between the redeemed and the lost; salvation and judgment. There is no middle ground with God and people don’t like to hear that. The idea of coming judgment is not popular either but it’s a recurring theme in Scripture and it is inevitable.

Judgment of sin is in keeping with God's holy character. God is not capricious or vindictive. His judgments are sure and always righteous. The Lord is known by the judgments He executes. Indeed, God often prefaces judgment by stating that those being judged will know that He is the Lord. (See, e.g., Exodus 7:5, Ezekiel 25:11)

The solemnity of God’s judgment is emphasized by the double exhortation of “Meditation. Selah.” (v. 16)  Readers are urged to ponder God’s coming righteous judgment and seriously consider whether they are ready for that day.

It is not just those who have “destroyed cities” (v. 6) or committed other crimes who will be judged, but even those who “forget God” (v. 17).  Indeed, all those who have not put their faith in Christ will be judged. 

Thankfully, God is merciful and He would rather forgive than judge. That forgiveness is a blessed refuge for sinners who put their faith in Christ. Everyone who knows Jesus and puts their trust in Him will be saved and not forsaken.

Consider the seriousness of this message and who God would have you tell of His plan of salvation that they may escape the judgment to come.

Thursday Devotional - Led to a Dead-end?

Have you ever had a time when you felt God led you in a certain direction and then it didn’t go at all the way you thought?

I wonder if Paul ever felt like that. He was arrested by the Jews and appealed to Caesar, but that just led to trials before various governors and kings. He faithfully shared the truth about God, but it didn’t seem to make a difference in the lives of the listeners.

Acts 26:29-32  ²⁹ Paul replied, “Short time or long—I pray to God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains.”

³⁰ The king rose, and with him the governor and Bernice and those sitting with them. ³¹ After they left the room, they began saying to one another, “This man is not doing anything that deserves death or imprisonment.”

³² Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.”

Paul was passed around and never released. I wonder if he ever second guessed being led to appeal to Caesar. I think I would have felt led to a dead-end!

I’ve certainly felt led to a dead-end several times in my life. One big situation was over a decade ago. When we were studying the book of Isaiah, I felt led by God to look into adopting orphans. We did various research on orphans and adoption and eventually were led to consider foster children. God even provided a weekend foster conference nearby the one weekend we could attend! Afterwards, we registered for foster parent orientation. However, we were literally locked out of the orientation class! We couldn’t even get rescheduled for the next month, because they weren’t having one. It was very confusing. In hindsight, God was preparing our hearts, but it sure felt like a dead-end at the time.

We can follow God’s lead, even if it seems to end at a dead-end. He sees the big picture. His purposes and ways are best. His timing is always perfect.  

Isaiah 55:8-9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Alice

Our Peace

Then the Lord said to Moses,  “Tell Aaron and his sons to bless the people of Israel with this special blessing:

‘May the Lord bless you
    and protect you.
May the Lord smile on you
    and be gracious to you.
May the Lord show you his favor
    and give you his peace.’ 

Whenever Aaron and his sons bless the people of Israel in my name, I myself will bless them.” Numbers 6:22-27

We all want a little peace, don’t we?  I realize we have reached the mid-point of what has been a very challenging and trying year.  From learning to stay at home from fears over the Coronavirus to civic unrest, there is a lot to be concerned about.  Yet today, I feel thankful.  Thankful that I am loved and supported by my wife and children.  Thankful that I have a church community that is very supportive.  Thankful for a job and coworkers whom I both admire and respect.  Thankful for a home that I honestly never thought I would have.  Maybe you do not have some of these things or perhaps you have all of it and then some.  Regardless, perhaps now is the time to just take a moment to just get on your knees and pray.  Lord, you are gracious and almighty.  I am thankful for all you have given me.  Grant me your peace.

Jesus Christ is always our peace.  Today’s verses are about Moses and his sharing with Aaron a blessing to the people of Israel.  As we look over this, one must ask a question.  If I am blessed with this, what would it look like?  Amidst all that is going on, I realize that it is now.  I have so much that He has given me.  Even as I miss out on so many things, I consider myself blessed, protected, smiled upon, shown grace, and favored.  But I still struggled.  Why did I not have peace?  I thought of the words of Jesus when He said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28 NKJV)  Then I focused on the words of David “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4 NKJV)  These are prayers and words of reassurance that God is with us.  Then as I read today’s verses, I felt peace.  It occurred to me that whenever I am not focusing on God, worry, fear, and darkness follow.  It blinds us from that which is His doing, and that is why peace is so challenging to find.  But when our focus is on Him, calm and ease soon follow.  We see things clearly, and we respond with love, mercy, and gratefulness. His spirit flows freely both within and around us.  That is the blessing, and that is where peace is found.

We must never lose sight of the blessings God has given us.  Even if you face what will be a tough and challenging day, know that God has something special for you in the future.  David said, “This is the day the Lord has made.  We will rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24)  He has so much in store for us if we just rejoice in the many blessings He has already given us.  He’s certainly smiled on us, and even when we didn’t deserve it, He has shown us grace.  We are given His favor in so many ways.  Let us remember those things while looking to Christ to find our peace.  What burdens can you lay before Him today?  Where can you go to find time with God?  My prayer is that we clear our minds of troubles to find time for Jesus Christ, our peace.  Amen.