August 7, 2010

Judges 21

Verse 15 says, “And the people grieved for Benjamin, because the Lord had made a void in the tribes of Israel.” Can this be? Was it the Lord who made the void in Israel? Ultimately, the Lord allowed it. Does that mean He did it? The Lord allowed Adam and Eve to sin. Does that mean He did it? He could have made them where they had no choice to obey, but He did not. Does that mean He made them sin? Ultimately, He allowed it and had the power to not let them do it. Does that mean He did it? How far do we press responsibility? The people grieved because they thought the Lord was responsible.

Was He responsible? Was he the one who killed all the people? No He was not. Did He tell them to kill all the men of Benjamin? Well, yes He did. We looked at that issue yesterday. Did He tell them to kill all the men of Jabesh Gilead? No, He did not. I think at this point the people are overstepping their bounds. The chapter and the book ends with this thesis statement, “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” He is trying to teach us to do only what is right in His eyes and not our own eyes. The Book of Judges is what happens when we resort to our own wisdom. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!

--Pastor john

Romans 9:1-15

Paul reveals two things of interest to me of the glory of Christ in verse 5.

He is over all! Wait a minute Paul. He is over all? You’ve experienced prisons, beatings, hardships and sicknesses and you say He is over all? Paul has seen enough of the glory of Christ that He knows Christ is over all. He feels no need to explain the hardships or the rejection of Israel. He is content to rest in Christ’s sovereignty. Let come what may, which he cannot avoid; Christ will make good out of the bad. He is content to let God be God. God will have compassion on whom He will have compassion and mercy on whom He will have mercy.
He is the eternally blessed God! The adverse or positive effects of our temporal state do not effect the state of God’s blessedness. My state of blessedness always seems to be rising and falling with the condition of the circumstances of my life. Not so with God, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is eternal. Being eternal, that which is true of His nature yesterday is true of His nature today. That which is true of His nature today is true of His nature tomorrow. That which is true of His nature yesterday, today and tomorrow is true of His nature forever. He is blessed. Jesus is happy. Jesus is joyful. Do you ever view Him that way? I think some people view Him as some kind of Cosmic Grouch. Perhaps they are thinking of His justice and wrath when they think that. Indeed, He is a God of wrath. But because of His blood we are not destined for wrath. We know His joy. He is eternally blessed!
Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!

--Pastor John