Present Faith in Future Promises

18 And the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying, 19 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: The fast of the fourth month and the fast of the fifth and the fast of the seventh and the fast of the tenth shall be to the house of Judah seasons of joy and gladness and cheerful feasts. Therefore love truth and peace.

20 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: Peoples shall yet come, even the inhabitants of many cities. 21 The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, ‘Let us go at once to entreat the favor of the Lord and to seek the Lord of hosts; I myself am going.’ 22 Many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the Lord. 23 Thus says the Lord of hosts: In those days ten men from the nations of every tongue shall take hold of the robe of a Jew, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’” – Zechariah 8:18-23 NLT

Chapter 7 began with a question about fasting. Now, Yahweh points to a future day when it will no longer be necessary to fast. Leviticus 16 records Yahweh’s command concerning fasting. ʿ

“And it shall be a statute to you forever that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict yourselves and shall do no work, either the native or the stranger who sojourns among you.” – Leviticus 16:29 ESV

The Hebrew word translated as “afflict” is ānâ and it carries the idea of humbling oneself, to be afflicted, or bowed down. It was commonly associated with fasting because fasting was intended as a sign of repentance and mourning over sins. The Book of Isaiah records Yahweh’s displeasure with the false fasting of the people of Israel.

“Is such the fast that I choose,
a day for a person to humble(ānâ) himself?
Is it to bow down his head like a reed,
and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him?
Will you call this a fast,
and a day acceptable to the Lord?” – Isaiah 58:5 ESV

He accused His people of going through the motions of fasting without the requisite heart change that was required. The people couldn’t understand why their outward displays of self-denial were getting them nowhere with Yahweh.

“Why have we fasted, and you see it not?
    Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?” – Isaiah 58:3 ESV

But Yahweh explained His disinterest and unwillingness to take their fasts seriously.

“Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure,
    and oppress all your workers.
Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight
    and to hit with a wicked fist.
Fasting like yours this day
    will not make your voice to be heard on high.” – Isaiah 58:3-4 ESV

Fasting was intended to display a repentant heart and a willingness to alter one’s behavior. It was an act of self-denial and public humiliation that demonstrated a recognition of one’s sin and a need for atonement.

But in this chapter, Yahweh describes a future in which fasting will be replaced by “seasons of joy and gladness and cheerful feasts” (Zechariah 8:19 ESV). The fasts associated with the fall of Jerusalem, the destruction of the Temple, and the exile of God’s people will no longer be necessary. Yahweh is pointing to a day when joy will replace mourning and celebrations commemorating His goodness will eliminate all memories of past sins and divine judgment.

The Temple, once completed, would fully restore the sacrificial system, not eliminate it. The need for atonement would continue to require the blood of bulls, goats, sheep, and rams. The immediate future of the people of Judah would require a fully functioning priesthood, a completed Temple, and the sacrifice of countless animals to serve as sin substitutes for the guilty. The Day of Atonement would still require fasting on the part of the people before they could be cleansed from sin. 

The author of Hebrews explains the necessity of the sacrificial system but also identifies its shortcomings.

For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. – Hebrews 10:1-4 ESV

So, when Yahweh speaks of “seasons of joy and gladness and cheerful feasts,” He is talking about a future day when full and permanent atonement will be attained for His people. This message from Yahweh includes His promise of the future restoration and spiritual transformation of His chosen people. It coincides with the message He delivered through the prophet Ezekiel.

“Therefore, give the people of Israel this message from the Sovereign Lord: I am bringing you back, but not because you deserve it. I am doing it to protect my holy name, on which you brought shame while you were scattered among the nations. I will show how holy my great name is—the name on which you brought shame among the nations. And when I reveal my holiness through you before their very eyes, says the Sovereign Lord, then the nations will know that I am the Lord. For I will gather you up from all the nations and bring you home again to your land.

“Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.” – Ezekiel 36:22-27 NLT

All of these promises will take place when Christ returns to set up His earthly Kingdom. Daniel was given a vision of the end times, including the period known as the Great Tribulation. During those days, God will bring judgment upon the earth and His people, both Jews and Christians, will suffer persecution at the hands of the Antichrist. But God will only allow this wicked world ruler to carry out his genocidal pogrom for three and a half years.

“He will defy the Most High and oppress the holy people of the Most High. He will try to change their sacred festivals and laws, and they will be placed under his control for a time, times, and half a time.

“But then the court will pass judgment, and all his power will be taken away and completely destroyed. Then the sovereignty, power, and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be given to the holy people of the Most High. His kingdom will last forever, and all rulers will serve and obey him.” – Daniel 7:25-27 NLT

This future kingdom will include believing Jews and Gentiles who will reign alongside Christ for 1,000 years.

“The manifestation of the kingdom will be attended by such a fulness of salvation that Judah will forget to commemorate the former mournful events and will only have occasion to rejoice in the benefits of grace bestowed by God.” –  Merrill F.  Unger, Zechariah

Yahweh wants Zechariah to know that the rebuilding of the Temple was just the beginning of His plans for the people of Judah. There is far more in store for His chosen people than they realize. They will accomplish their mission and complete the construction of God’s house. They will also rebuild the walls and hang the gates. The city will be repopulated and the nation will once again enjoy the blessings of Yahweh. But their greatest days lie in the distant future when God will redeem them fully and restore them to a right relationship with Himself that will last for eternity. The apostle Paul described this future day as a mystery. 

I want you to understand this mystery, dear brothers and sisters, so that you will not feel proud about yourselves. Some of the people of Israel have hard hearts, but this will last only until the full number of Gentiles comes to Christ. And so all Israel will be saved. As the Scriptures say,

“The one who rescues will come from Jerusalem,
    and he will turn Israel away from ungodliness.
And this is my covenant with them,
    that I will take away their sins.” – Romans 11:25-27 NLT

As Zechariah listens to these amazing pronouncements from Yahweh, he can't help but consider the less-than-ideal circumstances surrounding him and the far-from-perfect spiritual state of his fellow Judahites. But God is promising Him a future free from godlessness and sin. Not only that, the formerly destroyed city of Jerusalem will become a light shining on a hill attracting people from all over the world. Countless individuals from distant nations will declare their intention to visit the glorious city of Jerusalem.

“Let us go at once to entreat the favor of the Lord and to seek the Lord of hosts; I myself am going.” – Zechariah 8:21 ESV

Three other prophets recorded this same scene, further certifying its validity and future certainty.

In the last days, the mountain of the Lord’s house
    will be the highest of all—
    the most important place on earth.
It will be raised above the other hills,
    and people from all over the world will stream there to worship.
People from many nations will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
    to the house of Jacob’s God.
There he will teach us his ways,
    and we will walk in his paths.”
For the Lord’s teaching will go out from Zion;
    his word will go out from Jerusalem. - Isaiah 2:2-3 NLT

In the last days, the mountain of the Lord’s house
    will be the highest of all—
    the most important place on earth.
It will be raised above the other hills,
    and people from all over the world will stream there to worship.
People from many nations will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
    to the house of Jacob’s God.
There he will teach us his ways,
    and we will walk in his paths.”
For the Lord’s teaching will go out from Zion;
    his word will go out from Jerusalem. – Micah 4:1-2 NLT

Long ago the Lord said to Israel:
“I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love.
    With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.
I will rebuild you, my virgin Israel.
    You will again be happy
    and dance merrily with your tambourines.
Again you will plant your vineyards on the mountains of Samaria
    and eat from your own gardens there.
The day will come when watchmen will shout
    from the hill country of Ephraim,
‘Come, let us go up to Jerusalem
    to worship the Lord our God.’” – Jeremiah 31:3-6 NLT

Yahweh reiterates His future intentions for His chosen people to Zechariah, stating, “In those days ten men from the nations of every tongue shall take hold of the robe of a Jew, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you’” (Zechariah 8:23 ESV). These promises concerning Judah’s future were meant to encourage Zechariah and motivate the people to carry out their work with enthusiasm and faith. They served a good and gracious God who loved them and had great plans for them.

But Yahweh didn’t want His people to live with their eyes focused on the future. They weren’t to live with their eye set on the preferred future God had in store for them. His promises of future redemption and restoration would take place long after they were gone so, in the meantime, they were to “love truth and peace” (Zechariah 8:19 ESV). In other words, they were to love what God loved. They were to live in keeping with His will, treating one another with love, dignity, respect, and honor. With all His future promises in mind, they were to dedicate themselves to living in a way that honored Him in the here and now.

“Speak the truth to one another; render in your gates judgments that are true and make for peace; do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath, for all these things I hate…” – Zechariah 8:16-17 ESV

The apostle Peter gave the same admonition to the believers who received his second epistle.

By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.

In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.

The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. – 2 Peter 1:3-8 NLT

The people of Judah were to live with the end in mind, but they were never to lose sight of Yahweh’s call to live godly lives. God’s future faithfulness was meant to inspire present obedience in His covenant people. No matter how difficult the days ahead might be, they could rest in the promise of Yahweh’s unwavering love and long-term commitment to their well-being.

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

I Have Returned

7 On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which is the month of Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, son of Iddo, saying, 8 “I saw in the night, and behold, a man riding on a red horse! He was standing among the myrtle trees in the glen, and behind him were red, sorrel, and white horses. 9 Then I said, ‘What are these, my lord?’ The angel who talked with me said to me, ‘I will show you what they are.’ 10 So the man who was standing among the myrtle trees answered, ‘These are they whom the Lord has sent to patrol the earth.’ 11 And they answered the angel of the LORD who was standing among the myrtle trees, and said, ‘We have patrolled the earth, and behold, all the earth remains at rest.’ 12 Then the angel of the LORD said, ‘O LORD of hosts, how long will you have no mercy on Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, against which you have been angry these seventy years?’ 13 And the LORD answered gracious and comforting words to the angel who talked with me. 14 So the angel who talked with me said to me, ‘Cry out, Thus says the LORD of hosts: I am exceedingly jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion. 15 And I am exceedingly angry with the nations that are at ease; for while I was angry but a little, they furthered the disaster. 16 Therefore, thus says the LORD, I have returned to Jerusalem with mercy; my house shall be built in it, declares the LORD of hosts, and the measuring line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem. 17 Cry out again, Thus says the LORD of hosts: My cities shall again overflow with prosperity, and the LORD will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem.’” – Zechariah 1:7-17 ESV

Zechariah, which means “Yahweh remembers,” was common among the Jews but perfectly suits the author of this book that bears his name. As a post-exilic prophet, Zechariah receives a message from Yawheh intended to encourage the generation of Jews who have returned to Judah from their exile in Babylon. Despite all the 70 years of captivity their fathers and mothers endured, this remnant of Israelites has not been forgotten by God. The LORD of Hosts had graciously restored them to the land and was calling them to repent and renew their covenant commitment to Him.

Part of the message Zechariah will deliver is God’s call to complete the rebuilding of the Temple. But while this task will be completed in Zechariah’s lifetime, much of what he has to say to the citizens of Judah involves the distant future. This book is primarily eschatological in nature, dealing with events that neither Zechariah nor his readers will ever see. One such event is described in Chapter 12.

Watch, for the day of the Lord is coming when your possessions will be plundered right in front of you! I will gather all the nations to fight against Jerusalem. The city will be taken, the houses looted, and the women raped. Half the population will be taken into captivity, and the rest will be left among the ruins of the city.

Then the Lord will go out to fight against those nations, as he has fought in times past. On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem. And the Mount of Olives will split apart, making a wide valley running from east to west. Half the mountain will move toward the north and half toward the south. You will flee through this valley, for it will reach across to Azal. Yes, you will flee as you did from the earthquake in the days of King Uzziah of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come, and all his holy ones with him. – Zechariah 12:1-5 NLT

The Book of Zechariah contains numerous references to the end-time fate of the nation of Israel and the role of a divine redeemer who rescues and restores them to prominence and favor with God. As the returned exiles labored to rebuild the Temple destroyed by the Babylonians, Zechariah and his fellow prophet, Haggai, were commissioned by God to encourage the demoralized people of Judah to complete the Temple. But their primary message was that of future blessing.

“For this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: In just a little while I will again shake the heavens and the earth, the oceans and the dry land. I will shake all the nations, and the treasures of all the nations will be brought to this Temple. I will fill this place with glory, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. The future glory of this Temple will be greater than its past glory, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. And in this place I will bring peace. I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!” – Haggai 2:5-9 NLT

God had plans for the people of Judah that extended beyond their immediate context and far into the future.

“Particularly prominent in the book is the Messianic element. With the exception of Isaiah, there is no other prophet whose book contains such a wealth and variety of this element, not only in proportion to the total amount of material offered, but also as a sum total of passages.” – H. C. Leupold, Exposition of Zechariah

For Zechariah, these messages came on a single night in the form of eight apocalyptic visions. These rather bizarre and disturbing dreams gave Zechariah a glimpse into the distant future and were meant to assure the struggling people of Judah that God had not forgotten them. He had plans for the future of Jerusalem that were far beyond anything they could have imagined. Their job was to rebuild the Temple. God would do the rest.

Three months after his commission, Zechariah received the first of his eight visions from God. In the darkness of night, an angel visited Zechariah. As Zechariah and his divine guest talked, he saw a vision of a man seated upon a horse among a grove of evergreen trees. This rider was accompanied by others who sat upon horses of varying colors. Curious to know the meaning of this vision, Zechariah asked his angelic messenger for an explanation, but the answer came from one of the riders. He claimed they had been sent by God to “patrol the earth” (Zechariah 1:10). The other riders spoke up and declared that they had faithfully completed their assignment.

“We have been patrolling the earth, and the whole earth is at peace.” – Zechariah 1:11 NLT

This message must have sounded strange to Zechariah. He was living among the returned exiles in the devastated remains of Jerusalem. The walls around the city were little more than rubble. All the homes remained uninhabitable. Despite their return to the land, the people of Judah remained the unwilling servants of the Persian empire. And they were surrounded by hostile nations that constantly thwarted their efforts to rebuild and repopulate Jerusalem. From Zechariah’s perspective, the world was anything but peaceful.

Even the angel seemed to contradict the optimistic report of the riders.

“O LORD of Heaven’s Armies, for seventy years now you have been angry with Jerusalem and the towns of Judah. How long until you again show mercy to them?” – Zechariah 1:12 NLT

His prayer echoed the sentiments of the people. They continued to labor at rebuilding the Temple, but the work was slow, tedious, wearying, and seemingly unfruitful. The deck was stacked against them and their joy at returning to the land of promise had been anything but promising. The future looked bleak. They had no king, no army, a city with no walls or residential housing, and the ever-present threat of future invasion by Persia or some other world superpower.

But Zechariah heard Yahweh speak “kind and comforting words to the angel” (Zechariah 1:13 NLT). God reassured His angelic messenger and told him to deliver an assignment to Zechariah.

“Shout this message for all to hear: ‘This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: My love for Jerusalem and Mount Zion is passionate and strong. But I am very angry with the other nations that are now enjoying peace and security. I was only a little angry with my people, but the nations inflicted harm on them far beyond my intentions.

“‘Therefore, this is what the LORD says: I have returned to show mercy to Jerusalem. My Temple will be rebuilt, says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, and measurements will be taken for the reconstruction of Jerusalem.” – Zechariah 1:14-16 NLT

The mounted horsemen appear to represent the host of heaven. They are angelic warriors who patrol the earth and ensure that God’s will is carried out. They appeared to Zechariah to let him know that all was well because God was in control. Despite the Babylonians and Persians, the LORD of Hosts remained in power and was ready to extend mercy to His people by assisting them in rebuilding their city and the Temple.

The Jews would complete the Temple five years later (Nehemiah 7:4), but it would be another 71 years before the city walls were restored (Nehemiah 11:1). Yet, God kept His word. It would be a slow and plodding process but, eventually, the city of Jerusalem would be restored.

Zechariah was to deliver this message of hope to the disheartened people of Judah. He had heard the words of the riders, declaring a time of peace. He had received God’s promise that the work on the Temple and the rebuilding of Jerusalem would not be in vain. The LORD of Hosts was on their side. Yahweh was no longer angry and was ready to bless them once again. God had not forgotten them. He had also not forgotten the role the Assyrians and Babylonians had played in the demise of His chosen people. He assured Zechariah that these nations would pay dearly for their wanton destruction of Israel and Judah. While they had served as His instruments of judgment on the disobedient people of God, the Babylonians and Assyrians did not have to be coerced to carry out their duties. They did their jobs willingly and with great pleasure. Now it was time for divine payback.

But as the visions will reveal, God had far more in store for His chosen people than a Temple that was a shadow of its former glory and a wall hastily built in 52 days. He was looking to make Jerusalem the greatest city on earth and restore the people of God to power and prominence under a King who would reign in righteousness and bring peace to the world. 

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Marvelous Mercies of God

16 “But they and our fathers acted presumptuously and stiffened their neck and did not obey your commandments. 17 They refused to obey and were not mindful of the wonders that you performed among them, but they stiffened their neck and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt. But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them. 18 Even when they had made for themselves a golden calf and said, ‘This is your God who brought you up out of Egypt,’ and had committed great blasphemies, 19 you in your great mercies did not forsake them in the wilderness. The pillar of cloud to lead them in the way did not depart from them by day, nor the pillar of fire by night to light for them the way by which they should go. 20 You gave your good Spirit to instruct them and did not withhold your manna from their mouth and gave them water for their thirst. 21 Forty years you sustained them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing. Their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell.

22 “And you gave them kingdoms and peoples and allotted to them every corner. So they took possession of the land of Sihon king of Heshbon and the land of Og king of Bashan. 23 You multiplied their children as the stars of heaven, and you brought them into the land that you had told their fathers to enter and possess. 24 So the descendants went in and possessed the land, and you subdued before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gave them into their hand, with their kings and the peoples of the land, that they might do with them as they would. 25 And they captured fortified cities and a rich land, and took possession of houses full of all good things, cisterns already hewn, vineyards, olive orchards and fruit trees in abundance. So they ate and were filled and became fat and delighted themselves in your great goodness.

26 “Nevertheless, they were disobedient and rebelled against you and cast your law behind their back and killed your prophets, who had warned them in order to turn them back to you, and they committed great blasphemies. 27 Therefore you gave them into the hand of their enemies, who made them suffer. And in the time of their suffering they cried out to you and you heard them from heaven, and according to your great mercies you gave them saviors who saved them from the hand of their enemies. 28 But after they had rest they did evil again before you, and you abandoned them to the hand of their enemies, so that they had dominion over them. Yet when they turned and cried to you, you heard from heaven, and many times you delivered them according to your mercies. 29 And you warned them in order to turn them back to your law. Yet they acted presumptuously and did not obey your commandments, but sinned against your rules, which if a person does them, he shall live by them, and they turned a stubborn shoulder and stiffened their neck and would not obey. 30 Many years you bore with them and warned them by your Spirit through your prophets. Yet they would not give ear. Therefore you gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands. 31 Nevertheless, in your great mercies you did not make an end of them or forsake them, for you are a gracious and merciful God.

32 “Now, therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love, let not all the hardship seem little to you that has come upon us, upon our kings, our princes, our priests, our prophets, our fathers, and all your people, since the time of the kings of Assyria until this day. 33 Yet you have been righteous in all that has come upon us, for you have dealt faithfully and we have acted wickedly. 34 Our kings, our princes, our priests, and our fathers have not kept your law or paid attention to your commandments and your warnings that you gave them. 35 Even in their own kingdom, and amid your great goodness that you gave them, and in the large and rich land that you set before them, they did not serve you or turn from their wicked works. 36 Behold, we are slaves this day; in the land that you gave to our fathers to enjoy its fruit and its good gifts, behold, we are slaves. 37 And its rich yield goes to the kings whom you have set over us because of our sins. They rule over our bodies and over our livestock as they please, and we are in great distress.

38  “Because of all this we make a firm covenant in writing; on the sealed document are the names of our princes, our Levites, and our priests. – Nehemiah 9:16-38 ESV

While God had been faithful, the people of Israel had not been. The next part of this communal prayer was their corporate confession of ancestral culpability. To put it in modern terms, the people of Judah threw their ancestors under the bus, graphically detailing their many transgressions against God. In the second half of Chapter 9, they juxtapose their forefathers' unfaithfulness with Yahweh's grace and mercy. These people had heard the horror stories of Israel’s wilderness wanderings. They knew all about God’s miraculous deliverance of Jacob’s descendants from Egypt. Still, they were also keenly aware of how their forebearers responded to God’s goodness with grumbling and ingratitude as soon as their journey to Canaan took a turn for the worse. 

The trip from Egypt to the Promised Land was filled with delays and disappointments. There were times when water became scarce and their food supplies ran low. These unexpected setbacks led the people to respond with unbridled anger and frustration at Moses for his lack of leadership.

“If only the Lord had killed us back in Egypt,” they moaned. “There we sat around pots filled with meat and ate all the bread we wanted. But now you have brought us into this wilderness to starve us all to death.” – Exodus 16:3 NLT

These confrontations with Moses were far from rare but despite their stubbornness and ingratitude, God continued to shower them with grace and mercy. He quenched their thirst with water that flowed from a rock. For 40 years, He satisfied their hunger by providing quail they didn’t have to catch and bread they didn’t have to bake. Yet, they continued to complain and disobey His commands. This track record of insubordination culminated with the incident at Mount Sinai when the people of Israel decided to give up on Moses and turn their back on Yahweh.

When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, “Up, make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” – Exodus 32:1 ESV

While the people plotted their insurrection, Moses was on the mountaintop receiving the Ten Commandments from God. His lengthy absence caused the people to panic and plot a new strategy for reaching the Promised Land. They appointed Moses’ brother Aaron as their new leader and tasked him with making a new god. 

This unflattering episode from the past was common knowledge among the people of Judah. They included it in their prayer of confession and used it to highlight the longsuffering nature of Yahweh.

“…they became stubborn and appointed a leader to take them back to their slavery in Egypt. But you are a God of forgiveness, gracious and merciful, slow to become angry, and rich in unfailing love. You did not abandon them, even when they made an idol shaped like a calf and said, ‘This is your god who brought you out of Egypt!’ They committed terrible blasphemies.” – Nehemiah 9:16-17 NLT

What makes this story so amazing is that God had revealed Himself to the people of Israel in a powerful and impossible-to-miss manner.

On the morning of the third day, thunder roared and lightning flashed, and a dense cloud came down on the mountain. There was a long, loud blast from a ram’s horn, and all the people trembled. Moses led them out from the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. All of Mount Sinai was covered with smoke because the Lord had descended on it in the form of fire. The smoke billowed into the sky like smoke from a brick kiln, and the whole mountain shook violently. As the blast of the ram’s horn grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God thundered his reply. The Lord came down on the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the top of the mountain. So Moses climbed the mountain. – Exodus 19:16-20 NLT

The people of Israel were terrified by the devastating display of God’s presence and power. The sights and sounds emanating from Sinai scared them to death.

When the people heard the thunder and the loud blast of the ram’s horn, and when they saw the flashes of lightning and the smoke billowing from the mountain, they stood at a distance, trembling with fear.

And they said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen. But don’t let God speak directly to us, or we will die!” – Exodus 20:18-19 NLT

But their fear didn’t prevent them from disobeying God. In fact, their demand for Aaron to craft them “new gods” was actually a desire for a different manifestation of the one true God. They weren’t trying to replace Yahweh, they simply wanted Him in a more familiar and easy-to-manage form. When they saw what Aaron had crafted, they responded, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” (Exodus 32:4 ESV). The Hebrew word for “gods” is 'ĕlōhîm, which is the most commonly used name for God in the Scriptures. They were replacing the unattractive image of Yahweh as a God of fire, smoke, lightning, and thunder with a more user-friendly version. Aaron’s golden calf was Yahweh 2.0, a more accessible and amenable rendition of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

But God didn’t let this affront to His glory prevent Him from keeping His covenant promises.

“But in your great mercy you did not abandon them to die in the wilderness. The pillar of cloud still led them forward by day, and the pillar of fire showed them the way through the night. You sent your good Spirit to instruct them, and you did not stop giving them manna from heaven or water for their thirst. For forty years you sustained them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing. Their clothes did not wear out, and their feet did not swell!” – Nemeiah 9:19-21 NLT

This prayer expresses the people’s shock at God’s grace and mercy. As they reflect on the dark nature of their past, they can’t help but stand in amazement at their track record of disobedience and God’s outpourings of love, compassion, and undeserved mercy.

“In your wonderful mercy, you rescued them many times!” – Nehemiah 9:28 NLT

He faithful led them, fed them, protected and provided for them. After 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, He helped them conquer and occupy the land of Canaan. He supplied them with victories over more powerful nations. When they disobeyed, He lovingly punished them by allowing their enemies to gain the upper hand. Then He faithfully rescued and restored them. During their times of rebellion, God sent His prophets to call them to repentance, but rather than change their ways, the people turned on God's messengers. So, He kept His word and allowed them to suffer the consequences of their actions.

“But in your great mercy, you did not destroy them completely or abandon them forever. What a gracious and merciful God you are!” – Nehemiah 9:31 NLT

Verse 32 brings the prayer full circle, placing the emphasis on the current state of affairs in Judah. The returned exiles have rebuilt the Temple and restored the walls of Jerusalem, but they are still suffering the aftereffects of their forefathers’ sins. They find themselves living in a “land of plenty” (Nehemiah 9:36 NLT), but they confess, “The lush produce of this land piles up in the hands of the kings whom you have set over us because of our sins” (Nehemiah 9:37 NLT).

They describe themselves as little more than slaves. While they are back in the land they still have to endure foreign oppression and are unable to enjoy the many benefits the land has to offer. This prayer is a call for repentance on the part of the people and a request for God to intervene. They are ready and willing to renew their commitment to God and agree to put it in the form of a legal document. 

“…we are making a solemn promise and putting it in writing. On this sealed document are the names of our leaders and Levites and priests.” – Nehemiah 9:38 NLT

This corporate pledge of allegiance will bind them “to observe and do all the commandments of the Lord our Lord and his rules and his statutes” (Nehemiah 10:29 ESV). God has proven Himself to be faithful, loving, merciful, and compassionate. Now it is their turn to declare their faithfulness and pledge their commitment to Yahweh alone.

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Cause to Celebrate

1 And all the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate. And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the Lord had commanded Israel. 2 So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could understand what they heard, on the first day of the seventh month. 3 And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand. And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law. 4 And Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform that they had made for the purpose. And beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right hand, and Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam on his left hand. 5 And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people, and as he opened it all the people stood. 6 And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. 7 Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, the Levites, helped the people to understand the Law, while the people remained in their places. 8 They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.

9 And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept as they heard the words of the Law. 10 Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” 11 So the Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be quiet, for this day is holy; do not be grieved.” 12 And all the people went their way to eat and drink and to send portions and to make great rejoicing, because they had understood the words that were declared to them.

13 On the second day the heads of fathers' houses of all the people, with the priests and the Levites, came together to Ezra the scribe in order to study the words of the Law. 14 And they found it written in the Law that the Lord had commanded by Moses that the people of Israel should dwell in booths during the feast of the seventh month, 15 and that they should proclaim it and publish it in all their towns and in Jerusalem, “Go out to the hills and bring branches of olive, wild olive, myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees to make booths, as it is written.” 16 So the people went out and brought them and made booths for themselves, each on his roof, and in their courts and in the courts of the house of God, and in the square at the Water Gate and in the square at the Gate of Ephraim. 17 And all the assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and lived in the booths, for from the days of Jeshua the son of Nun to that day the people of Israel had not done so. And there was very great rejoicing. 18 And day by day, from the first day to the last day, he read from the Book of the Law of God. They kept the feast seven days, and on the eighth day there was a solemn assembly, according to the rule. – Nehemiah 8:1-18 ESV

The walls of Jerusalem had been rebuilt – in just 52 days. The temple had already been restored under the leadership of Ezra. But the city was a virtual ghost town. Most of the people who had returned to the land lived in towns and villages outside the city’s walls. So, Nehemiah knew that his work was incomplete. While he had accomplished his primary objective of rebuilding the walls, he chose not to return to Susa as he had promised King Artaxerxes (Nehemiah 2:6). Instead, he stayed because he knew that rebuilt walls did not make a city; it had to be repopulated and its citizens needed to be made right with God.

With the construction work completed, Nehemiah shifted roles from project manager to pastor. He assembled the congregation of Judah and arranged for Ezra to read from the Book of the Law. This could have been the entire Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible, or just the book of Deuteronomy along with portions of Leviticus. But whatever it was that Ezra read, it took hours for him to do so, and the people stood the entire time. This was in keeping with the command Moses gave the people just prior to their entrance into the land of Canaan.

And Moses commanded them, “At the end of every seven years, at the set time in the year of release, at the Feast of Booths, when all Israel comes to appear before the Lord your God at the place that he will choose, you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing. Assemble the people, men, women, and little ones, and the sojourner within your towns, that they may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God, and be careful to do all the words of this law, and that their children, who have not known it, may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God, as long as you live in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.” – Deuteronomy 31:10-13 ESV

It seems that the completion of the walls coincided with the celebration of the Feast of Booths which inspired Nehemiah to call for this holy convocation. He enlisted the aid of Ezra who was a scribe and priest. The law was read and explained in detail so the people could understand it. This lengthy recitation of God’s laws had the desired effect, convicting the people of their sins. They wept and mourned as they heard how they had violated the commands of God. But Nehemiah told them, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep” (Nehemiah 8:9 ESV). Instead, he encouraged them to focus their attention on God.

“Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!” – Nehemiah 8:10 NLT

While the law had reminded them of their sin, he wanted them to remember their gracious, merciful God. It was time to celebrate because God was their strength. He had provided a means for them to receive forgiveness for their sins. These events took place in the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar. Part of what was read to them out of the law was God’s command to keep the annual festivals. They were to celebrate the Feast of Trumpets, the Feast of Booths, and the Day of Atonement. These festivals were intended to remind them of all that God had done for them in the past. They were to culminate with the once-a-year sacrifice made on their behalf by the high priest. On the Day of Atonement, he would enter into the Holy of Holies and make atonement for the unintentional sins they had committed that year. This sacrifice was to culminate in a celebration. While their sins alienated them from God, He graciously provided a means of receiving forgiveness and pardon.

When God gave the people of Israel His plans for the Tabernacle and His commands for observing the sacrificial system, it foreshadowed greater things to come. It was an earthly picture of a heavenly reality but was designed to be temporary and incomplete. The author of Hebrews says, “They serve as a copy and shadow of heavenly things” (Hebrews 8:5 ESV). The Mosaic Law, associated with the Old Covenant, was not intended to be a permanent solution to man's persistent sin problem.

For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second. – Hebrews 8:7 ESV

God told the people of Israel, “Behold, days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah” (Hebrews 8:8 ESV). He had a plan for a new and improved covenant that would be permanent and complete. Everything that the people of Israel had done in association with the Tabernacle and the temple had pointed toward something greater to come. Under the Loaw, one of the key elements involved in man's atonement was the shedding of blood.

Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin. – Hebrews 9:22 ESV

Every year, on the Day of Atonement, the high priest had to offer a sacrifice for his own sins before he could intercede for the people because he was a sinner just like those to whom he ministered. Once his sins were atoned for, he had to offer another sacrifice and mis the blood with water and, using scarlet wool and hyssop, he sprinkled it on the Book of the Law and the people, declaring, “This is the blood of the covenant that God commanded for you” (Hebrews 9:20 ESV).

With that action, the covenant between God and His people was ratified and renewed. But again, it was just a foreshadowing of things to come. That event had to take place every year because their atonement was temporary and incomplete. The Book of Hebrews goes on to state, “For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4 ESV). Complete and permanent forgiveness of sins could never happen through the sacrifice of bulls and goats. But God had a better solution.

Our sin is an ever-present reality that follows us wherever we go. It is a permanent part of our experience as fallen human beings. When we read God's Word, we are reminded of our sinfulness. It convicts us by revealing our unfaithfulness and consistent rebellion against a faithful, loving God. But rather than weep and mourn over our sins, we must learn to rejoice in the gift of our Savior. God has provided a solution to our sin problem, one that is far better than the one the Israelites had.

For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. – Hebrews 9:24 ESV

Christ didn't enter into an earthly Tabernacle or Temple. As our high priest, He presented His sacrifice before God the Father, once and for all.

But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. – Hebrew 9:26 ESV

He gave His life as a sacrifice for our sins and, unlike the animal sacrifices under the Old Covenant, His sacrifice was a permanent solution to man's sin problem. His death provided complete atonement for the sins of mankind – past, present, and future. He secured an “eternal redemption” (Hebrews 9:12 ESV).

So what should our reaction be to this news? We should rejoice and celebrate. We should recognize that the joy of the Lord is our strength because He has provided for our salvation. He has made a way for us to be restored to a right relationship with Him that is not based on human effort. God has done for us what we could never have done for ourselves.

God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. – 1 John 4:9 NLT

But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. – Romans 5:8 NLT

That is cause for celebration and ample reason for rejoicing. Our God is great, His love is unimaginable, and His grace is immeasurable. Yes, our sin is real but so is our salvation. Those of us who have placed our faith and hope in the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross can celebrate because our redemption is eternal and our atonement is complete. The truly great news is, “Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him” (Hebrews 9:28 NLT).

Celebration is the proper response to God’s goodness and grace. So, when the Law had been read, and the people understood their guilt and God’s grace, they were prepared to celebrate. With the Feast of Booths at hand, they “went out and cut branches and used them to build shelters on the roofs of their houses, in their courtyards, in the courtyards of God’s Temple, or in the squares just inside the Water Gate and the Ephraim Gate” (Nehemiah 8:16 NLT). This feast was to serve as an annual reminder of God’s provision during Israel’s years of wandering in the wilderness. When their ancestors had refused to enter the Promised Land, God banned that generation of Israelites from ever entering His “rest,” condemning them to spend their lives outside the borders of Canaan until they died off. But during those days, and despite their disobedience, He graciously provided them with food and shelter. He met their needs and ensured that their descendants were the recipients of His covenant promises.

This celebration of the Feast of Booths was the first one to be held in nearly 150 years. It is unlikely that they celebrated the feasts during their exile in Babylon and there is no indication that the feasts had been reinstituted since the first exiles had returned. So, Nehemiah records that this celebration was an especially joyous occasion.

So everyone who had returned from captivity lived in these shelters during the festival, and they were all filled with great joy! The Israelites had not celebrated like this since the days of Joshua son of Nun. – Nehemiah 8:17 NLT

God had been gracious and good. His people had wandered away into the wilderness of Babylon, but He had graciously returned them to the land. He was a loving and forgiving God who kept His covenant promises. And that was cause for celebration.

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Transcendence of God

Studying the attributes of God is a noble and worthy task but it must be acknowledged that man’s capacity to understand the greatness of God is limited by his inherent finiteness. The apostle Paul eloquently stated humanity’s dilemma.

Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!

For who can know the Lord’s thoughts?
    Who knows enough to give him advice?
And who has given him so much
    that he needs to pay it back?

For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen. – Romans 11:33-36 NLT

Paul makes it clear that the human mind is incapable of fully comprehending the greatness of God. This all-powerful and incomparable Being is Invisible to the human eye and incomprehensible to the human mind and must choose to make Himself known if He is to be recognized at all. As Paul stated in the opening chapter of Romans, God displayed certain aspects of His divine nature through creation.

For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. – Romans 1:20 NLT

The universe reveals His power, majesty, creativity, and sovereign control over all things. While we can’t physically see God, we can witness the work of His hands and begin to grasp the awesome nature of His power and transcendence. David was blown away by the indisputable evidence of God found in the natural world. He could see the proof of God’s existence everywhere he looked.

The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
    The skies display his craftsmanship.
Day after day they continue to speak;
    night after night they make him known.
They speak without a sound or word;
    their voice is never heard.
Yet their message has gone throughout the earth,
    and their words to all the world. – Psalm 19:1-14 NLT

Creation declares the glory of God but it will never fully mirror the majesty of its Maker, and David seemed to understand that fact. When he became king of Israel, David voiced his growing awareness of God’s unlimited power and sovereignty over all things. God didn’t just make the universe, He ruled over it with unrivaled authority that made David’s royal power pale in comparison.

“O Lord, the God of our ancestor Israel, may you be praised forever and ever! Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things. Wealth and honor come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand, and at your discretion people are made great and given strength.” – 1 Chronicles 29:10-12 NLT

To say that God is transcendent is to confess His otherness. In other words, it is an admission that God is not like us. He is not a slightly improved version of man; a human being on steroids. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, transcendent means “being beyond the limits of all possible experience and knowledge” (“Transcendent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/transcendent. Accessed 15 Aug. 2024). God is beyond our comprehension. He exists outside our scope of understanding. He is not only invisible but unknowable and, yet, He has chosen to make Himself known.

God desires for us to know Him, not just cognitively but personally and intimately. The Bible is the record of God’s revelation of Himself to man. It all began in the garden where God developed an ongoing relationship with the first man and woman. In that pristine and perfect environment, Adam and Eve enjoyed the presence of the transcendent God. He spoke to them and made His presence known to them. They couldn’t see Him but they knew He was there. When they eventually disobeyed His command concerning the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they attempted to hide from Him.

When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees. – Genesis 3:8 NLT

Their sin resulted in their banishment from the garden and the loss of their intimacy with God. From that point forward, mankind began its unrelenting trajectory away from God. It was not that God was somehow relegated to the garden and their travels took them further from His presence. Distance didn’t determine their separation from God, it was the spiritual state of their hearts. But the further they went, the weaker their awareness of God became. In time, they forgot about Him altogether, and the Book of Genesis records the sad result of their faithlessness and forgetfulness.

The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. – Genesis 6:5 NLT

Humanity had been allowed to know and experience the transcendent God of the universe but had chosen to walk away from Him. So God started over, revealing Himself to a man named Noah. Once again, the invisible, all-powerful God made Himself known and knowable. He spoke with Noah and provided him with a plan to repopulate the world and reboot the system. The flood destroyed the rest of humanity but Noah and his family were preserved by God. They were given the privilege of salvation and the responsibility to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. 

This royal reboot allowed Noah and his family to experience the personal presence of the transcendent God. He sealed them in the ark and protected them during the days of the flood. He graciously preserved them and mercifully released them to begin the process of filling the world with more of their kind. But the rest of the Book of Genesis records the less-than-stellar results of their post-flood experience. It didn’t take long for Humanity 2.0 to succumb to the same internal bugs that doomed the previous model.

But all along the way, God continued to make Himself known. He revealed Himself to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He displayed His glory to Moses. He showed up in a light show on the peak of Mount Sinai, displaying His majestic power to the people of Israel cowering in the valley. He gave them His Law, designed to be a further revelation of His holiness and righteousness. He provided them with the Tabernacle and the sacrificial system to accentuate His set-apartness and to ensure their own holiness. The invisible, unknowable, inaccessible God continued to make Himself known. He had made them His own people, His chosen possession. He gave them a land as their inheritance. He provided them with kings. He blessed them and prospered them. But in return, they turned their back on Him

“When Israel was a child, I loved him,
    and I called my son out of Egypt.
But the more I called to him,
    the farther he moved from me,
offering sacrifices to the images of Baal
    and burning incense to idols.
I myself taught Israel how to walk,
    leading him along by the hand.
But he doesn’t know or even care
    that it was I who took care of him.
I led Israel along
    with my ropes of kindness and love.
I lifted the yoke from his neck,
    and I myself stooped to feed him.” – Hosea 11:1-4 NLT

The more the transcendent God made Himself known, the more comfortable and complacent the people of God became. They lost their awareness of His greatness. Their awe and wonder diminished over time. His blessings became rote and expected. They took His power for granted. Eventually, God chose to remove His hand of blessing and allow His people to experience the loss of His presence. They had lost their wonder and appreciation for God. Their undeserved access to and intimacy with Him lost its value. His persistent presence robbed them of their appreciation for His transcendence.

And so the Lord says,
    “These people say they are mine.
They honor me with their lips,
    but their hearts are far from me.
And their worship of me
    is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote.
Because of this, I will once again astound these hypocrites
    with amazing wonders.
The wisdom of the wise will pass away,
    and the intelligence of the intelligent will disappear.” – Isaiah 29:13-14 NLT

For centuries, the people of Israel would lose their privileged position as God’s chosen people. Their Temple would be destroyed. The sacrificial system would be eliminated. Tens of thousands of Israelites would spend their lives living in exile in foreign lands, far from their homeland and separated from their God. They say that distance makes the heart grow fonder, but that was not the case for the Israelites. Even after their return to the land of Israel, they failed to reestablish their wonder and awe for God. Their hearts remained far from Him. But the transcendent God was not done revealing Himself to His people.

But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. – Galatians 4:4-5 NLT

God sent His Son, and this staggering event would prove to be the greatest revelation of God that man has ever experienced. The apostle John reminds us of the staggering nature of Jesus’ incarnation.

No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us. – John 1:18 NLT

Jesus, the Son of God, made the invisible God visible, a fact the apostle Paul makes abundantly clear.

Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation… – Colossians 15 NLT

The unknowable, unapproachable, invisible God of the universe wants to be known. He desires to have a relationship with fallen humanity. As Paul makes clear, no one is seeking a relationship with God. The reality of indwelling sin makes the pursuit of God impossible for all men.

“No one is righteous—
    not even one.
No one is truly wise;
    no one is seeking God.
All have turned away;
    all have become useless.
No one does good,
    not a single one.” – Romans 3:10-12 NLT

But God sought us out. He sent His Son to make Himself known and knowable. The transcendent God condescended to take on human flesh and make the fulness of the Godhead visible to fallen mankind. This fact should not only astound us but cause us to rejoice in the greatness and goodness of our gracious God.

“He is far away, in one sense, but in another He is as near as your heartbeat, for the cross has bridged the gulf. Let the blood of Jesus cleanse us from all sin. He who is God the Transcendent One says, ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.’” – A. W. Tozer, The Attributes of God

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Justice of God

Ever since 2020, the word justice has become a hotly debated topic in our modern culture, even among evangelical Christians. In fact, one of the most frequently quoted verses during the last four years comes from the pen of the prophet Micah.

He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God. - Micah 6:8 ESV

It is only appropriate that Christ-followers should care for and be concerned about justice because it is of great importance to our God, whom the prophet Isaiah describes as “a God of justice.”

Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him. – Isaiah 30:18 ESV

Moses, who enjoyed an intimate and up-close relationship with God, referred to Him as a “Rock” whose “work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he” (Deuteronomy 32:14 ESV). In his personal experience, Moses discovered God to be just in everything that He does. So, as His people, we should seek to follow His example and make justice a high priority in our lives. But what exactly is justice and how should we display it in everyday life? Better yet, what does God’s justice look like and is it even possible for us to emulate this divine attribute of the Almighty?

The prophet Isaiah provides some insight into these questions.   

Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause. – Isaiah 1:17 ESV

“For I the Lord love justice; I hate robbery and wrong…” – Isaiah 61:8 ESV

The Psalms also promote the need for justice among the people of God.

For the word of the Lord holds true,
    and we can trust everything he does.
He loves whatever is just and good;
    the unfailing love of the Lord fills the earth.. – Psalm 33:4-5 NLT

Turn from evil and do good,
    and you will live in the land forever.
For the Lord loves justice,
    and he will never abandon the godly. – Psalm 37:27-28 NLT

There is joy for those who deal justly with others
    and always do what is right. – Psalm 106:3 NLT

But before we take it upon ourselves to right the world’s wrongs by performing amazing feats of justice on behalf of the disadvantaged and disenfranchised, it would make sense to discover what brand of justice God has in mind. Like any other attribute associated with God, we are not free to define justice on our own terms or to implement it in ways that are solely intended to achieve our own agenda. The Psalmist provides a sobering reminder about the divine nature of justice.

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne.
    Unfailing love and truth walk before you as attendants. – Psalm 89:14 NLT

As fallen creatures, we don’t get to decide what is right and wrong. Our sinful natures render us incapable of determining what is righteous and unrighteous. The prophet Isaiah gave a stinging assessment of man’s inherent inability to do the right thing.

We are constant sinners;
    how can people like us be saved?
We are all infected and impure with sin.
    When we display our righteous deeds,
    they are nothing but filthy rags. – Isaiah 64:5-6 NLT

So, it would seem that any attempt on our part to display justice and righteousness is severely hampered by our fallen state. As Isaiah makes painfully clear, even our most righteous efforts done with the best of intentions are little more than soiled garments in the eyes of God. Yet, He commands us to do justice and to love kindness.

The problem with modern-day concepts of justice is that they leave God out of the equation. But as Isaiah makes clear, any attempt by fallen men to distribute true justice will fall woefully short and be the byproduct of sinful, self-serving hearts. So, we must turn to the justice of God as our model and for the proper motivation for our behavior.

A. W. Tozer notes that “In the inspired Scriptures justice and righteousness are scarcely distinguished from each other” (A. W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy). It is impossible to dispense justice without righteousness. Notice what the prophet Amos says about these two inseparable concepts.

…let justice roll down like waters,
    and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. – Amos 5:24 ESV

In man’s well-intentioned effort to mete out justice, he often does so in ways that are out of step with God’s righteousness. Equity and equality are impossible to achieve if God’s righteous laws are voided or ignored. In distributing justice, God never violates His own righteous decrees. As Moses put it, “Everything he does is just and fair. He is a faithful God who does no wrong; how just and upright he is!” (Deuteronomy 32:4 NLT).

The justice of God is “that essential and infinite attribute which makes his nature and his ways the perfect embodiment of equity, and constitutes him the model and the guardian of equity throughout the universe” (ATS Bible Dictionary, 1859). In other words, any hope we have of distributing justice on earth is dependent upon a solid understanding of God’s justice toward us.

God’s justice flows from His holiness. He is without sin and completely righteous in every way, which guarantees that all His acts of justice are always right, pure, and perfectly executed in keeping with His nature. There is never any aspect of unfairness or inequity with God. He shows no favoritism or partiality (Romans 2:11). He doesn’t mete out punishment arbitrarily or disproportionally. At no time does God act unjustly or unrighteously. He cannot be charged with inequity or accused of wielding His power and authority inappropriately. His holiness ensures that His justice is wholly righteous and right in its application.

To the faithful you show yourself faithful;
    to those with integrity you show integrity.
To the pure you show yourself pure,
    but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd.
You rescue the humble,
    but you humiliate the proud. – Psalm 18:25-27 NLT

For justice to be right and fair, it requires an outside criteria or standard of measurement. According to the Scriptures, God is the sole arbiter of what is just, right, and fair. He alone determines the basis for true justice. The reason injustice exists in the world is because of the presence of sin. According to 1 John 3:4, sin is lawlessness, a direct violation of God’s righteous commands. Virtually all sins are crimes against others. The list of sins contained in Galatians chapter five provides a stern reminder that our human flesh can only produce “fruit” that is self-promoting and damaging to others. 

When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. – Galatians 5:19-21 NLT

While we may try to convince ourselves that our sins pose no threat to anyone else, this list suggests that most, if not all sins are committed against others. They are not just self-destructive, but they are a direct assault on the well-being of our fellow man. David didn’t simply commit sin with Bathsheba, he sinned against her. In a fit of jealousy, Cain took the life of his brother Abel. Driven by lust for his half-sister Tamar, Amnon orchestrated a plan to seduce and rape her.

But sin is much more than a crime against a fellow human being, it is a violation of God’s revealed will. David understood this stark reality, and after his illicit affair with Bathsheba, he confessed his guilt before God.

Against you, you only, have I sinned
    and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you may be justified in your words
    and blameless in your judgment. – Psalm 51:4 ESV

David had violated the commands of God, having committed adultery and murder. These transgressions required that justice be served and God did so in such a way that both atonement and forgiveness could be administered fairly and righteously. David’s sins were paid for with the life of the newborn son he shared with Bathsheba. We may find this solution untenable and difficult to understand, but God’s ways are always just, right, and fair. Sin has a cost. All violations of God’s will come with a price tag. Cain was cursed for his murder of Abel. Amnon was executed by his brother Absalom for the rape of Tamar. Absalom would ultimately die a gruesome and ignominious death at the hands of Joab.

Sin requires justice because God is holy and righteous. And since all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, all deserve the same fate: Death. Yet God, in His mercy and grace, came up with a plan that would allow Him to be loving without sacrificing His justice. To pay the debt owed by humanity, God chose to send His Son as a substitutionary atonement – a sinless Lamb to die on behalf of sinful men and women. Jesus took our place so that we might be spared the just and righteous wrath of God.

“A simpler and ore familiar solution for the problem of how God can be just and still justify the unjust is found in the Christian doctrine of redemption. It is that, through the work of Christ in atonement, justice is not violated but satisfied when God spares a sinner. Redemptive theology teaches that mercy does not become effective toward a man until justice has done its work. The just penalty for sin was exacted when Christ our Substitute died for us on the cross. However unpleasant this may sound to the ear of the natural man, it has ever been sweet to the ear of faith. Millions have been morally and spiritually transformed by this message, have lived lives of great moral power, and died at last peacefully trusting in it.” – A. W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Grace of God

In 1910, Julia Johnston wrote the lyrics to the hymn “Grace Great Than Our Sin” that speak of the matchless grace of God. I remember singing it as a child but the significance of the words was lost on me. It was not until later in life and long into my journey of faith that I began to understand the reality of God’s great grace and its impact on my life.

Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,
grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt,
yonder on Calvary’s mount outpoured,
there where the blood of the Lamb was spilt.

Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace,
freely bestowed on all who believe:
you that are longing to see his face,
will you this moment his grace receive?

Grace, grace, God's grace,
grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
grace, grace, God's grace,
grace that is greater than all our sin.

– Lyrics by Julia H. Johnston and music by Daniel B. Towner

This marvelous grace is one of God's most endearing and deeply appreciated attributes.  A. W. Tozer describes grace as “the good pleasure of God that inclines Him to bestow benefits upon the undeserving” (A. W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy). Without God’s grace, His love would be unavailable to us, because He is holy and, as sinners, we are worthy of His wrath, not His compassion and beneficence.

Yet, at the heart of the gospel message is the wonderful story of God’s grace, showered upon the undeserving.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. – Ephesians 2:8-9 ESV

My grace is all you need. – 2 Corinthians 12:9 NLT

For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. – Titus 2:11 NLT

But grace is not a New Testament doctrine. From the pages of the Old Testament, we read of the eternal nature of God’s grace and mercy toward His children.

“The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin…” – Exodus 34:6-7 ESV

Tony Evans describes God’s grace as “His inexhaustible supply of goodness by which He does for us what we could never do for ourselves” (Tony Evans, Theology You Can Count On). A much older, but no less accurate definition comes from the pen of Abraham Booth: “It is the eternal and absolute free favor of God, manifested in the vouchsafement [favor] of spiritual and eternal blessings to the guilty and the unworthy” (Abraham Booth, The Reign of Grace, 1793).

Grace is a gift of God that flows from His very nature. God is gracious and makes His grace available to the undeserving because of who He is, not because of anything we have done. His grace is unmerited, unearned, and completely undeserved. No one can ever say to God: “You owe me!”

A. W. Tozer puts it this way: “Divine grace is the sovereign and saving favor of God exercised in the bestowment of blessings upon those who have no merit in them and for which no compensation is demanded from them” (A. W. Tozer, The Attributes of God). The apostle Paul clearly understood the amazing nature of God’s grace.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God… – Ephesians 2:8 ESV

Just as God’s love is made available through His grace, so His love makes it possible for Him to display grace. These two marvelous attributes go hand in hand and one cannot exist without the other. It is because of love that He extends His grace. The apostle  Peter reminds us, “…we are all saved the same way, by the undeserved grace of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 15:11 NLT). The apostle Paul expands on that thought by adding that we “are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (Romans 3:24 ESV). A. W. Tozer provides us with further insight into the one-sided nature of God’s grace. It flows in one direction, from our gracious God to a world of undeserving sinners.

“…it is the favor of God shown to those who not only have no positive deserts of their own, but who are thoroughly ill-deserving and hell-deserving. It is completely unmerited and unsought, and is altogether unattracted by anything in or from or by the objects upon which it is bestowed. Grace can neither be bought, earned, nor won by the creature.” – A. W. Tozer, The Attributes of God

All of this seems to run counter to our human understanding of how things should work. We have been raised to believe that you don’t get something for nothing. To put it another way, there is no such thing as a free lunch. You only get what you deserve or what you have legitimately earned. And while modern society seems to have run amuck with the idea of entitlement, we all know that earning and effort go hand in hand.

But not with God. God owes us nothing. He is beholden to no one. The apostle Paul, quoting from the book of Isaiah, asks the rhetorical question: “…who has given a gift to him [God] that he might be repaid?” (Romans 11:35 ESV). Then he adds that the flow of God’s grace is one-directional. “For from him and through him and to him are all things” (Romans 11:36 ESV). 

It is important to understand that the goodness of God is only accessible to fallen mankind through the grace of God. Romans 3:23 reminds us that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” and Romans 6:23 provides us with the non-negotiable consequences of man’s sin: “the wages of sin is death.”

God’s justice and righteousness require that He condemn and pronounce judgment against all sin. He cannot leave sin unpunished and still remain holy and just. But in His divine wisdom, God chose to provide undeserving men and women a means by which they could be made right (justified) with Him.

God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. – Romans 5:8 ESV

God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God. – Romans 4:24-25 NLT

Tony Evans writes, “…grace means giving a person something he doesn’t deserve” (Tony Evans, Theology You Can Count On). Because of sin, all men deserve death. But in His grace, God gives men the opportunity to experience forgiveness for their sins and eternal life in place of death and eternal separation from Him. This amazing grace is available only through faith in God’s Son. Centuries before it happened, Isaiah prophesied about this marvelous expression of God’s grace.

…he [Jesus] was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. – Isaiah 53:5 NLT

As another old hymn of the faith points out, Jesus’ death was an expression of God love and grace that made possible our right standing with Him.

Jesus paid it all,
All to him I owe
Sin had left a crimson stain
He washed it white as snow – Elvina M. Hall, 1865

Without the grace of God, every man and woman who has ever lived would stand before God as “a sinner condemned, unclean.” Yet, in 1905, Charles H. Gabriel penned the words to the hymn, “My Savior’s Love,” providing us with a timeless reminder of just how amazing God’s grace really is.

I stand amazed in the presence
of Jesus, the Nazarene,
and wonder how he could love me,
a sinner, condemned, unclean.

How marvelous, how wonderful!
And my song shall ever be:
How marvelous, how wonderful
is my Savior’s love for me!

But God’s grace extends beyond the point of our salvation. It shows up in the everyday affairs of life, providing God’s children with the power to live the life He has called them to live. Each day, we must rely on His undeserved grace to experience the joy, contentment, peace, and power He has promised. At no point are we to fall back on our own strength or to live as though our spiritual growth is somehow up to us. Our salvation was based on grace and the same is true of our sanctification. We cannot grow to be more like Christ through self-effort. In fact, it requires death to self. It demands that we give up any hope of transforming our lives by our own power.  We cannot earn God’s favor. We cannot score brownie points with God. But we can rest in His amazing grace and rely upon the power of His indwelling Spirit.

The author of Hebrews would have us remember that grace is a gift from God and, if we want to enjoy it, we must always go to the source of it.

So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. – Hebrews 4:16 NLT

James would add that humility is a non-negotiable prerequisite for those who desire to experience the ongoing gift of God’s grace.

God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. – James 4:6 NLT

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Mercy of God

Jesus once told His disciples a parable about a tax collector and a Pharisee who went into the Temple in Jerusalem to pray. According to Luke, “this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else” (Luke 18:9 NLT). As the story goes, the Pharisee cries out for all to hear: “I thank you, God, that I am not like other people—cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income” (Luke 18:11-12 NLT).

But the other, a Jew who profited off his fellow countryman by working as a tax collector for the Romans, “stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner’” (Luke 18:13 NLT).

This humble and penitent sinner knew he was undeserving of God’s love but he begged for mercy. Jesus even pointed out the man’s sinfulness and unworthiness.

“I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God…” – Luke 18:14 NLT

The mercy of God is one of the cherished attributes of God but we often take it for granted and fail to understand its gravity and importance in our lives. The Scriptures are full of passages describing this overlooked and misunderstood character quality of our loving God.

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
    his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness. – Lamentations 3:22-24 ESV

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Chris – Ephesians 2:4-5 ESV

But you, O Lord,
    are a God of compassion and mercy,
slow to get angry
    and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. – Psalm 86:15 NLT

The Lord replied, “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will call out my name, Yahweh, before you. For I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose. – Exodus 33:19 NLT

To adequately understand this remarkable attribute of God, one must also dive into the depths of His goodness. Notice the Exodus passage above. Moses had just made a rather bold request of God: “Show me your glorious presence” (Exodus 33:18 NLT). And in response, God said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you” (Exodus 33:19 NLT). The Hebrew word translated as “goodness” is ṭûḇ (toob) and it can refer to “that which is good, or the best of anything” (Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon). God’s goodness and mercy go hand in hand. David wrote a familiar and well-loved psalm describing God as the Great Shepherd, and in that psalm, David reveled in the inseparable and indispensable nature of God’s goodness and mercy.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. – Psalm 23:6 ESV

According to Thomas Watson, “Mercy is the result and effect of God's goodness” (Thomas Watson, Body of Divinity). Without the inherent goodness of God, mercy would be unavailable to us because mercy is the expression of His goodness. But the psalmist displayed his understanding of and appreciation for the goodness of God when he wrote, “You are good and do only good” (Psalm 119:68 NLT). God’s goodness shows up in the form of mercy.

Think back on that somewhat arrogant request Moses made of God, asking to see God’s glory. While Moses had enjoyed repeated exposure to God’s Shekinah glory on Mount Sinai, he was not satisfied: he wanted to see God face to face. He had heard God’s voice and seen the emanations of His glory in the form of smoke, lightning, and thunder. But now he wanted to get an up-close and personal glimpse of God Himself. But notice what God said to Moses:

“…you may not look directly at my face, for no one may see me and live.” The Lord continued, “Look, stand near me on this rock. As my glorious presence passes by, I will hide you in the crevice of the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and let you see me from behind. But my face will not be seen.” – Exodus 33:20-23 NLT

God was going to allow Moses the unique privilege of seeing His glory and goodness, but to do so, God would have to be merciful. The glory of God is so great that one glimpse of His face would destroy Moses. Sinful men cannot stand in the presence of a holy God and live to talk about it. So, when God appeared before Moses that day, He allowed His servant to see His glory and goodness but only by displaying His mercy at the same time.

Moses was undeserving of the privilege of seeing God’s glory. Yes, he was the servant of God, but he was also a man stained by the presence of sin. He was ignorant of the magnitude of his request and had no idea of its gravity.  In His goodness, God showed Moses mercy. In fact, God clearly stated, “I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose” (Exodus 33:19 NLT), and He explained to Moses just how He would do so.

“I will hide you in the crevice of the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by.” – Exodus 33:22 NLT

God promised to protect a sinful man from the unavoidable outcome of standing in the glorious presence of unblemished, undiminished holiness and righteousness.

The prophet Isaiah was another man who was provided the privilege of seeing God in all His glory. This faithful servant of God was given a glimpse into the throne room of God, and immediately after that experience, rather than boasting about his good fortune, Isaiah displayed an abject sense of fear.

“It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.” – Isaiah 6:5 NLT

The mercy of God is not to be taken lightly. That the all-glorious God would deem to show mercy and kindness to undeserving humanity should blow us away. It should leave us stunned. Yet, far too many of us treat God’s mercy with an attitude of flippancy and over-familiarity. We have somehow convinced ourselves that we deserve God’s mercy but nothing could be farther from the truth.

“It is not the wretchedness of the creature which causes Him to show mercy, for God is not influenced by things outside of Himself as we are. If God were influenced by the abject misery of leprous sinners, He would cleanse and save all of them. But He does not. Why? Simply because it is not His pleasure and purpose so to do. Still less is it the merits of the creatures which causes Him to bestow mercies upon them, for it is a contradiction in terms to speak of meriting ‘mercy.’” – A. W. Tozer, The Attributes of God

Mercy is not something we earn. It is not dispensed by God based on the merit or worthiness of the recipient. It is solely the divine prerogative of God to show mercy upon whomever He chooses to do so. Moses did not deserve to see God’s glory. No, he deserved to come under God’s judgment because he was a sinner, condemned, and unclean, just like all the other Israelites.

It reminds me of the lyrics from the old hymn: I Stand Amazed.

I stand amazed in the presence
Of Jesus the Nazarene
And wonder how He could love me
A sinner, condemned, unclean

The mercy of God should leave us in a state of awe and amazement. Which brings to mind the lyrics of another, even more familiar hymn.

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now am found
Was blind, but now I see

What makes God’s mercy so amazing is that He displays it despite man’s sinfulness. The apostle Paul reminds us that God displayed His love for us by sending His Son to die for us. We didn’t deserve it and had done nothing to earn it.

But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. – Romans 5:8 NLT

God didn’t have to show mercy, but He did. What makes this fact so difficult to comprehend and even harder to appreciate is that He did so in the face of mankind’s rebellion against Him. The apostle Paul describes just how bad things were when God made the decision to extend mercy.

“No one is righteous—
    not even one.
No one is truly wise;
    no one is seeking God.
All have turned away;
    all have become useless.
No one does good,
    not a single one.”
“Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave.
    Their tongues are filled with lies.”
“Snake venom drips from their lips.”
   “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”
“They rush to commit murder.
   Destruction and misery always follow them.
They don’t know where to find peace.”
   “They have no fear of God at all.”  – Romans 3:10-18 NLT

All men deserve to experience God’s righteous wrath, the outpouring of His just judgment for their rejection of Him. Paul goes on to say, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard” (Romans 3:23 NLT). But then he includes that unbelievable addendum.

“Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.” – Romans 3:24 NLT

God showed mercy, which is the withholding of a just condemnation. All have sinned. All have rejected and rebelled against God. All deserve to experience the wrath of God. But “God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ” (Ephesians 4:4-5 ESV).

Paul expanded on this amazing news when he wrote to his young protége, Titus.

…he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. – Titus 3:5 NLT

Our God is amazingly merciful. And His mercies are new every morning. But how easy it is for us to take His mercy for granted or to view His mercy as somehow deserved. But the Puritan writer, Thomas Watson, would have us remember:

“God's mercy is free. To set up merit is to destroy mercy. Nothing can deserve mercy, because we are polluted in our blood; nor force it. We may force God to punish us, but not to love us. I will love them freely.' Hos 14:4. Every link in the chain of salvation is wrought and interwoven with free grace. Election is free. He has chosen us in him, according to the good pleasure of his will.' Eph 1:1. Justification is free. Being justified freely by his grace.' Rom 3:34. Salvation is free. According to his mercy he saved us.' Titus 3:3. Say not then, I am unworthy; for mercy is free. If God should show mercy to such only as are worthy, he would show none at all.” – Thomas Watson, Body of Divinity

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Goodness of God

The goodness of God is not a topic most of us are familiar with or find easy to describe. But it is an essential aspect of God’s character that we tend to give less attention to because of His more impressive-sounding attributes like omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence. In our English vernacular, the word “good” sounds a bit underachieving – as in “good, better, best.” To describe something as merely “good” sounds like you’re disappointed or settling for less than the ideal. To describe a meal as being “good” isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement.

But when the Scriptures describe God as being good, they are not qualifying His character or comparing Him with anyone or anything else. They are declaring the incomparable kindness, grace, mercy, and goodwill He showers on mankind.

“No one is good except God alone.” – Luke 18:19 ESV

Taste and see that the Lord is good.
    Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him! – Psalm 34:8 NLT

For the Lord is good.
    His unfailing love continues forever,
    and his faithfulness continues to each generation. – Psalm 100:5 NLT

God is good and His goodness shows up in the form of unfailing love.

Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the LORD forever. – Psalm 23:6 LT

When David wrote this psalm, he chose to describe God as “good” and used the Hebrew word ṭôḇ (towb). Like many other Hebrew words, this one is rich in meaning. It can be used to refer to something as excellent or the best of the best. It was commonly used to refer to the moral excellence of a person or thing, and it was often used as an antonym for evil (ra'). God is totally and completely good, having no semblance of evil in His character. John described God this way: “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5 ESV).

So, the statement “God is good” also speaks of His moral excellence and His complete lack of evil. He is fully righteous, holy, and just in all His ways. As David put it, “The LORD is righteous in everything he does; he is filled with kindness” (Psalm 145:17 NLT). To say that God is good means that He always acts in accordance with what is right, true, and good.

God’s way is perfect.
    All the Lord’s promises prove true. – Psalm 18:30 NLT

Everything about God is good.

You are good and do only good… – Psalm 119:68 NLT

All of His actions are motivated and empowered by His goodness. Unlike man, God does not have to work at being good. At no time can God be accused of doing anything “bad” and, therefore, He requires no one to demand that He “be good.” We may not like what God does, but as fallen creatures, we have no right to question His motives or methods.

“He is originally good, good of Himself, which nothing else is; for all creatures are good only by participation and communication from God. He is essentially good; not only good, but goodness itself: the creature’s good is a super-added quality, in God it is His essence. He is infinitely good; the creature’s good is but a drop, but in God there in an infinite ocean or gathering together of good. He is eternally and immutably good, for He cannot be less good than He is; as there can be no addition made to Him, so no subtraction from Him.” – Thomas Manton, Works of Thomas Manton, Vol. VII

God’s inherent goodness is essential to who He is. Consider what it would be like to worship an all-powerful deity who lacked the attribute of goodness. In ancient times, this was exactly the situation in which many pagan nations found themselves. Their kings were powerful and vengeful. They were mighty but lacking in mercy. They were great but not good. Power, devoid of goodness, results in despotism. Sadly, these same pagan people groups found themselves worshiping false gods that carried the same attributes. Any goodness their gods showed was fickle, fleeting, and the result of human effort. But that is not the case with God. A. W. Tozer reminds us that the one true God “is no respecter of persons but makes His sun to shine on the evil as well as on the good, and sends His rain on the just and on the unjust” (A. W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy).

The goodness of God goes hand in hand with His power. It is His goodness that allows us to rest in His strength, knowing that He will never use it in a way that is unjust or unrighteous. We may not always like what He does, but the knowledge of His goodness provides us with the assurance that His actions are always right and righteous. While we may not understand His ways, we can trust that His goodness permeates all that He does. There is never a moment when God’s actions are tainted by evil. His intentions and conduct are always good, all the time.

To put it simply, evil is the absence of goodness. It is whatever God is not. When we sin, we are acting in opposition to and in rebellion against the expressed will of God. We are willingly choosing to commit wickedness rather than goodness. Which is exactly what Adam and Eve did in the garden.

When God completed each phase of His creation of the universe, He stated, “It is good.” But when He had made man and woman, He “saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31 ESV). Why? Because He “created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27 ESV). They were the apex of His creative order, designed to be summa cum laude, that which is of highest distinction and worth.

This first man and woman enjoyed the goodness of God, as evidenced by the rest of His creation. They had access to the beauty of the garden. They could satisfy their hunger by eating fruit from any of the trees He had provided (except one). And they could enjoy unbroken fellowship with the one who had made them. But then, sin entered the equation. The evil one tempted them to reject God’s goodness, convincing them that his way was better than God’s. He lied, deceiving them into believing God was holding out on them. He painted God as a cosmic killjoy, withholding from them something they desired and deserved. To convince Adam and Eve to take the bait, he contradicted the very words of God.

“You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.” – Genesis 3:4-5 NLT

Don’t miss that last line. He promised them the capacity to know both “good and evil” – towb and ra’. Up to that point, they had enjoyed only the former, the goodness of God as evidenced by His “good” creation. What Satan was promising them was knowledge of the absence of God. They were about to find out what it was like to live in opposition to and separation from God. After having eaten the forbidden fruit, “the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God” (Genesis 3:8 ESV), and it was just a matter of time before “the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. He drove out the couple, and at the east of the garden of Eden, he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life” (Genesis 3:24-25 ESV).

The goodness of God is the key to life. Sin separates man from God, eliminating access to His presence and resulting in an absence of His goodness. Just a few chapters later in the book of Genesis, we see the sad, but inevitable outcome of a life lived apart from the goodness of God.

The LORD observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. – Genesis 6:5 NLT

But we can’t blame God for the sorry state of man’s condition, and it would be wrong to assume that God’s character was somehow tarnished by humanity’s fall from grace. God’s goodness is not diminished just because man’s wickedness flourished. A. W. Pink warns us not to describe the presence of evil as a deficiency in God’s goodness.

“Nor can the benevolence of God be justly called into question because there is suffering and sorrow in the world. If man sins against the goodness of God, if he despises “the riches of His goodness and forbearance and longsuffering,” and after the hardness and impenitence of his heart treasurest up unto himself wrath against the day of wrath (Rom 2:4,5), who is to blame but himself? Would God be ‘good’ if He punished not those who ill-use His blessings, abuse His benevolence, and trample His mercies beneath their feet? It will be no reflection upon God’s goodness, but rather the brightest exemplification of it, when He shall rid the earth of those who have broken His laws, defied His authority, mocked His messengers, scorned His Son, and persecuted those for whom He died.” – A. W. Tozer, The Attributes of God

The amazing thing about God’s goodness is that He did not choose to abandon mankind altogether. His goodness, exhibited by His boundless grace and mercy, explains our continued existence. We do not deserve to be here. We have done nothing to earn His favor or to avoid His righteous anger against our sin and open rebellion against Him. Like Adam and Eve, all of us have chosen to listen to the lies of the enemy and yet, God has “overlooked people’s ignorance about these things, but now he commands everyone everywhere to repent of their sins and turn to him” (Acts 17:30 NLT).

The apostle Paul reminds us of God's goodness and men's wickedness.

“None is righteous, no, not one;
   no one understands;
    no one seeks for God.
All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
    no one does good,
    not even one.”
“Their throat is an open grave;
    they use their tongues to deceive.”
“The venom of asps is under their lips.”
   “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”
“Their feet are swift to shed blood;
   in their paths are ruin and misery,
and the way of peace they have not known.”
   “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” – Romans 3:10-18 NLT

But man’s wickedness is counterbalanced by God’s goodness.

…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. – Romans 3:23-26 ESV

God’s goodness included His plan to send His Son as the payment for mankind’s sin. That is why He was able to put up with man’s rebellion for so long. He knew what was coming. His good and gracious sovereign plan had always included the sacrifice of His Son so that mankind might once again experience His goodness. And the proper response to His goodness is gratefulness.

“Gratitude is the return justly required from the objects of His beneficence.” – A. W. Pink, The Attributes of God

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Absolution Without Atonement Is Always Inadequate

1 Now Joab the son of Zeruiah knew that the king’s heart went out to Absalom. 2 And Joab sent to Tekoa and brought from there a wise woman and said to her, “Pretend to be a mourner and put on mourning garments. Do not anoint yourself with oil, but behave like a woman who has been mourning many days for the dead. 3 Go to the king and speak thus to him.” So Joab put the words in her mouth.

4 When the woman of Tekoa came to the king, she fell on her face to the ground and paid homage and said, “Save me, O king.” 5 And the king said to her, “What is your trouble?” She answered, “Alas, I am a widow; my husband is dead. 6 And your servant had two sons, and they quarreled with one another in the field. There was no one to separate them, and one struck the other and killed him. 7 And now the whole clan has risen against your servant, and they say, ‘Give up the man who struck his brother, that we may put him to death for the life of his brother whom he killed.’ And so they would destroy the heir also. Thus they would quench my coal that is left and leave to my husband neither name nor remnant on the face of the earth.”

8 Then the king said to the woman, “Go to your house, and I will give orders concerning you.” 9 And the woman of Tekoa said to the king, “On me be the guilt, my lord the king, and on my father’s house; let the king and his throne be guiltless.” 10 The king said, “If anyone says anything to you, bring him to me, and he shall never touch you again.” 11 Then she said, “Please let the king invoke the Lord your God, that the avenger of blood kill no more, and my son be not destroyed.” He said, “As the Lord lives, not one hair of your son shall fall to the ground.”

12 Then the woman said, “Please let your servant speak a word to my lord the king.” He said, “Speak.” 13 And the woman said, “Why then have you planned such a thing against the people of God? For in giving this decision the king convicts himself, inasmuch as the king does not bring his banished one home again. 14 We must all die; we are like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. But God will not take away life, and he devises means so that the banished one will not remain an outcast. 15 Now I have come to say this to my lord the king because the people have made me afraid, and your servant thought, ‘I will speak to the king; it may be that the king will perform the request of his servant. 16 For the king will hear and deliver his servant from the hand of the man who would destroy me and my son together from the heritage of God.’ 17 And your servant thought, ‘The word of my lord the king will set me at rest,’ for my lord the king is like the angel of God to discern good and evil. The Lord your God be with you!” – 2 Samuel 14:1-17 ESV

More than three years have passed since Absalom arranged and carried out the murder of his half-brother, Amnon, for raping his sister, Tamar. Absalom fled, knowing he was guilty and deserving of death. He lived in exile in the land of Geshur the entire time and, while David thought about Absalom every day, he took no action regarding his son’s behavior. Technically, as king, David could have absolved his son of guilt and invited him to come home. But that decision would have required David to violate the law of God. There was little doubt concerning Absalom’s guilt and yet David did nothing to render a just and righteous indictment for the crime committed. For three years he failed to mete out justice for what his son had done.

This whole sordid affair had been lived out in the public eye. Everyone in the kingdom of Israel would have been familiar with the intimate and infamous details of the crimes committed by the royal family. It would have been common knowledge that one of the king’s sons had raped his half-sister and was then murdered by her brother. News of Absalom’s escape and exile would have been gossip fodder and, as the years, passed, people would have questioned why David did nothing to resolve the conflict in his own home. There were likely some who were angered by David’s decision to let his son get away with murder. They would have viewed this as a travesty of justice and a blatant display of favoritism. Others would have questioned David’s lack of mercy and his reluctance to use his power as king to pardon his own son.

The rumor mills must have been busy with all kinds of gossip and speculation. Questions swirled about David’s moods and his constant longings for his missing son Absalom. It was in this context that Joab, the king’s friend and military commander, decided to take action. He determined that it would be in the best interest of the kingdom for David to allow Absalom to return. It’s not made clear why Joab felt compelled to do what he did. There are no indications that any of his efforts had the blessing of God. Nowhere in the passage does it reveal him either seeking or receiving a word from God. So, Joab’s plan appears to have been his own idea and the fruit it eventually produced would seem to bear evidence that it was not within God’s will.

When Joab saw how much David longed for Absalom, he concocted a plan to convince David to forgive and forget. Perhaps remembering how Nathan the prophet had used a story to trick David into confessing his sin with Bathsheba, Joab came up with a similar strategy. He hired the services of a “wise woman” to assist him in implementing his plan. The Hebrew word translated as “wise” is ḥāḵām, and it has a range of possible meanings. In the Hebrew Bible, it is most commonly translated as “wise,” but it can also mean, “crafty, cunning, and wily.” Whatever her attributes, this woman’s reputation convinced Joab that she was the perfect person to help carry out his plot.

Joab concocted an elaborate and completely fabricated story for the woman to share with David. It involved the murder of her son by his own brother. In this fallacious tale, the “poor widow” was being pressured by her clansmen to do the right thing and put her second son to death for having murdered his brother. To further enhance the sad story, Joab had her add another twist in the plot that was designed to tug on David’s heartstrings. She described herself to David as a widow with no other sons to protect or provide for her. The living son was her last hope; if he was put to death, she would be helpless and hopeless.

Her fabricated story, while somewhat similar to that of Absalom and Amnon, had some glaring differences. Absalom’s murder of Amnon had not been in the heat of an argument and the result of uncontrolled passion. In other words, his was not a case of unpremeditated murder; he had planned it for over two years. His murder of Amnon had been calculated and carefully orchestrated. Secondly, the execution of Absalom for the murder of his brother would not have left David destitute and alone. He had plenty of other children and a son who would serve as his heir. David was a wealthy and powerful king, not a poor defenseless widow.

This entire scheme appears to be motivated by Joab’s desire to help Absalom return his father’s good graces. Perhaps he believed Absalom was the rightful heir to his father’s throne and his continued absence would make any transition of power impossible. Technically, Absalom was not the heir to the throne. Amnon would have been, but he had been killed. Next in line would have been Chileab, David’s second-born son (2 Samuel 3:3). And little did Joab know that God had already decided to make Solomon the next king of Israel. But Joab, whatever his motivation, did what he thought was best. He believed that by getting David to allow Absalom to return, things would get back to normal in the kingdom.

But when reading this story it is essential to remember that God had already given His will concerning matters of this nature. The Book of Numbers contains His divine provision for those who commit unpremeditated murder. God established six cities of refuge, designed as places where the guilty could go for safety until their case could be judged appropriately. But God made it clear that acts of premeditated murder were not covered under this plan.

But if someone strikes and kills another person with a piece of iron, it is murder, and the murderer must be executed. Or if someone with a stone in his hand strikes and kills another person, it is murder, and the murderer must be put to death. Or if someone strikes and kills another person with a wooden object, it is murder, and the murderer must be put to death. The victim’s nearest relative is responsible for putting the murderer to death. When they meet, the avenger must put the murderer to death. So if someone hates another person and pushes him or throws a dangerous object at him and he dies, it is murder. Or if someone hates another person and hits him with a fist and he dies, it is murder. In such cases, the avenger must put the murderer to death when they meet. – Numbers 35:16-21 NLT

Absalom deserved death, but Joab was determined to convince the king to grant him a pardon. His reasoning was simple, David needed to put the needs of the kingdom first. The woman’s story was intended to persuade David to do “the right thing.” In the “script” that Joab wrote for the woman, he even suggests that David’s absolution of Absalom would be within God’s will.

“Certainly we must die, and are like water spilled on the ground that cannot be gathered up again. But God does not take away life; instead he devises ways for the banished to be restored.” – 2 Samuel 14:14 NET

These words are a not-so-subtle appeal to God’s mercy and love; they emphasize His forgiveness. But they paint a one-dimensional view of God, conveniently leaving out His justice and holiness. God can’t ignore sin. His divine character will not allow Him to turn a blind eye to the sins of men or issue pardons without appropriate penalties. To do so would be an injustice and a violation of God’s righteousness. Sin must be punished and while Joab’s efforts were well-intentioned, he was encouraging David to supplant the will of God with his own.

As those living on this side of the cross, we know that God eventually provided a means for all sins to be forgiven. But that amazing reality did not come without cost. The apostle Paul reminds us that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23 ESV). Not only that, all humanity stands condemned before God and worthy of death, “for everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard” (Romans 3:23 NLT). But Paul gives us the good news that pardon is available to all.

Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. – Romans 3:24 NLT

The absolution of our guilt and the pardon of our sins did not come without a price; it cost God the life of His own Son. Payment had to be made. The penalty for sin had to be paid by someone and God chose to do it through the life of His sinless Son. The author of Hebrews reminds us, “For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22 NLT).

Joab wanted everything back to the way it was, and he was willing to overlook the sins of Absalom to make it happen. This whole scene was the brainchild of Joab and was intended to get David to overlook the guilt of his son and allow him to return home. Yet this plan circumvented God’s demand for justice. Absolution is not the same thing as redemption. Forgiveness without atonement is impossible. Allowing Absalom to return without demanding that he pay for his crime would not solve the problem; it would only make matters worse.  

Yet David, seemingly susceptible to a good story, gave into the woman’s tale and her plea that he allow Absalom to be restored. David’s decision, like so many others he made, would come back to haunt him. He didn’t seek God’s will in the matter but, instead, he allowed his emotions to get the better of him. It seems that the woman, armed with the words of Joab, knew exactly how to get to David’s heart. He longed for Absalom and was just looking for an excuse to bring him home. He didn’t want to mete out justice, which is why he had allowed Absalom to live in the land of his maternal grandfather for three years. Now, David seemed to have a viable excuse for doing what he had wanted to do all along – absolve Absalom of guilt. But while David could forgive and forget, God could not overlook what Absalom had done. Contrary to the wise woman’s words, God does take away life. He had taken the life of David’s newborn son because of his sin with Bathsheba. God had taken the life of Achan and his entire family for bringing sin into the camp (Joshua 7). God had a consistent and fully justified track record of dealing with sin in a just and righteous manner because He is a just and holy God. He is righteous and always does what is right.

David could choose to overlook Absalom’s sin, but God could not and would not. And David would soon learn the painful lesson that while his pardon of Absalom would guarantee his son’s return, it could not redeem and restore his son’s heart.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

A Man After God’s Own Heart

15 So David reigned over all Israel. And David administered justice and equity to all his people. 16 Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the army, and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder, 17 and Zadok the son of Ahitub and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar were priests, and Seraiah was secretary, 18 and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites, and David’s sons were priests.

1 And David said, “Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” 2 Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, and they called him to David. And the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” And he said, “I am your servant.” 3 And the king said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God to him?” Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in his feet.” 4 The king said to him, “Where is he?” And Ziba said to the king, “He is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar.” 5 Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar. 6 And Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and paid homage. And David said, “Mephibosheth!” And he answered, “Behold, I am your servant.” 7 And David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul your father, and you shall eat at my table always.” 8 And he paid homage and said, “What is your servant, that you should show regard for a dead dog such as I?”

9 Then the king called Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, “All that belonged to Saul and to all his house I have given to your master’s grandson. 10 And you and your sons and your servants shall till the land for him and shall bring in the produce, that your master’s grandson may have bread to eat. But Mephibosheth your master’s grandson shall always eat at my table.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. 11 Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king commands his servant, so will your servant do.” So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table, like one of the king’s sons. 12 And Mephibosheth had a young son, whose name was Mica. And all who lived in Ziba’s house became Mephibosheth’s servants. 13 So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he ate always at the king's table. Now he was lame in both his feet. – 2 Samuel 8:15-9:13 ESV

I have chosen to link these two passages together because they provide a telling illustration of David’s approach to his power. At the close of chapter eight, we are told, “David reigned over all Israel. And David administered justice and equity to all his people” (2 Samuel 8:15 ESV). He was a good king and a fair one who took his job seriously and ruled responsibly. He surrounded himself with trustworthy men who would act as his official cabinet. Joab was his military commander and Jehoshaphat served as his chief of staff. Zadok and Ahimelech were his spiritual advisors, Seraiah performed the duties of royal secretary, and Benaiah was a representative. Each of these men was given a specific role in David’s administration and trusted with the responsibility of helping him lead the kingdom of Israel.

But the closing line of chapter 8 contains a statement that should catch the reader’s attention. It states that David appointed his sons as priests. The number and the names of David’s sons are not provided but their assignment as priests would have been unexpected and in violation of God’s law. As members of the tribe of Benjamin, they would have been disqualified to serve as priests because that privilege was reserved solely for the tribe of Levi.

For the LORD your God chose the tribe of Levi out of all your tribes to minister in the LORD’s name forever. – Deuteronomy 18:5 NLT

In the closing verses of chapter 8, it states that David appointed Zadok and Ahimelech as priests, and the Hebrew word used for “priest” is kōhēn. This is the same word used to describe the role of David’s sons. 

…and David's sons were priests (kōhēn). – 2 Samuel 8:18 ESV

If David had really appointed his sons as priests, he would have been making a serious mistake; one which the Lord would have viewed as an egregious affront to His law. But since there is no indication elsewhere in Scripture that David’s sons ever functioned as priests, many believe that an alternative meaning of the Hebrew word kohen must apply. Two times in Scripture, that word is used to describe a chief ruler or prince. The New American Standard Bible translates verse 18 as “David’s sons were chief ministers.” It would seem that, as sons of the king, these young men were designated as princes of the realm, and it is likely that they had no official roles in David’s administration. 

The New Living Translation refers to as “priestly leaders,” a designation that reflects an intermediary position. While not official priests. they served as intermediaries between the priesthood and David’s administration.

The main point of the closing paragraph of chapter 8 is that David did not try to rule alone. He surrounded himself with wise and gifted men who could assist him in administrating the nation of Israel. Most of these men had proven themselves loyal to David over the years, and he was willing to take their advice because he trusted their character. He knew them well.

But there was more to David than a strong organizational mind; he was also a loyal leader who did not abuse his power or allow the significance of his role to go to his head. In a sense, David was still a young shepherd boy at heart. He may have become the king of all Israel, but his character remained virtually unchanged, and chapter 9 provides insight into David’s heart.

After solidifying his rule over all of Israel, he remembered a covenant he had made with Jonathan, Saul’s and his best friend. When David decided it was time to leave Saul’s employment for good, he and Jonathan met for the last time to say their goodbyes. At that emotional farewell, the two men made a covenant with one another. Jonathan pledged to David, saying, “may the Lord be with you as He has been with my father. If I am still alive, will you not show me the lovingkindness of the Lord, that I may not die? You shall not cut off your lovingkindness from my house forever, not even when the Lord cuts off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.” (1 Samuel 20:13-15 NLT).

As they parted ways, Jonathan said one last thing to David:

“Go in peace, because we have sworn both of us in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘The Lord shall be between me and you, and between my offspring and your offspring, forever.’” – 1 Samuel 20:42 ESV

Now, years later, Jonathan was dead and David was king, and he remembered his covenant with Jonathan. This led David to inquire about the status of Saul’s descendants. In a desire to keep his covenant commitment to Jonathan, David wanted to know if anyone remained alive in the house of Saul.

If David had been like any other king of that era, he would have been asking that question for an entirely different reason; so that he could eliminate any possible claimants to the throne. Killing any male heirs of the former king was a common practice that greatly diminished the possibility of a coup attempt. But David wasn’t seeking to murder any heirs with legitimate claims to Saul’s throne; he was attempting to keep his commitment to Jonathan.

To David’s apparent surprise, he was informed that Jonathan had a son named Mephibosheth, who had been crippled in a household accident at the age of five, and by this time was probably a young man. Ever since Jonathan’s death, Mephibosheth had been under the care of a man named Ziba. Having been informed of Mephibosheth’s existence, David that he be brought to the palace. One can only imagine how this royal decree struck the young grandson of Saul? He was probably petrified. In fact, the text states that, upon entering the palace, he fell on his face before David. It is unlikely that Mephibosheth expected a warm reception from the king. From his perspective, he had been arrested and hauled before his grandfather’s sworn enemy. But sensing Mephibosheth’s fear, David attempted to calm him.

“Don’t be afraid!” David said. “I intend to show kindness to you because of my promise to your father, Jonathan. I will give you all the property that once belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will eat here with me at the king’s table!”  – 2 Samuel 9:7 NLT

These words must have come as a shock to Mephibosheth. He probably knew well the stories of his grandfather’s treatment of David, so he would not have been expecting a warm welcome. Yet, rather than heaping scorn and revenge on the helpless, disabled grandson of his former foe, David extended grace and mercy.  He welcomed him with open arms and invited him to live in his home and eat at his table. David took complete responsibility for Mephibosheth’s care – all out of respect and honor for his friend Jonathan. Mephibosheth was so taken aback by all of this, that all he could do was bow before David and exclaim, “Who is your servant, that you should show such kindness to a dead dog like me?” (2 Samuel 9:8 NLT).

Mephibosheth became like a son to David, living in the king’s palace and sharing meals at the family table. He was treated with dignity, honor, and respect. David even returned to Mephibosheth all the land and property that had belonged to his grandfather Saul. The incredible kindness shown by David was not something he was required to do; he did it out of love for Jonathan. He had made a covenant and he was going to keep it. He refused to let his newfound power and fame go to his head. David could have easily justified or rationalized away the keeping of his covenant to Jonathan but he was a man of his word – even if it cost him. Some of David’s recently appointed cabinet members likely viewed his treatment of Mephibosheth with disdain and voiced their concerns. But David was determined to do the right thing, even if others might have viewed it as illogical and unnecessary. As a result, Mephibosheth became the undeserving beneficiary of David’s mercy, grace, and kindness.

Those of us who have placed our faith in the saving work of Jesus Christ have also been shown mercy and grace – from the King of kings and Lord of lords. In our weak and undeserving state, crippled by sin and condemned to death, we were invited to feast at the King’s table and made His sons and daughters. Paul tells us in Romans that we are God’s children and heirs (Romans 8:15-17). In his letter to Titus, Paul gives us a reminder of just how much like Mephibosheth we really are.

When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of his grace he made us right in his sight and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life. – Titus 3:4-5 NLT

David was a man of his word and a man after God’s own heart. That is why he was willing to keep his covenant commitment to Jonathan and showed mercy to Mephibosheth. And God is faithful to keep His promises to us. We are His sons and daughters and one day we will inherit His kingdom. We will feast at His table and live in His presence; not because we deserve it, but because of His grace, mercy, and love.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Misunderstand God’s Ways Leads to Misjudging His Character

1 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel, and get from them staffs, one for each fathers’ house, from all their chiefs according to their fathers’ houses, twelve staffs. Write each man’s name on his staff, 3 and write Aaron’s name on the staff of Levi. For there shall be one staff for the head of each fathers’ house. 4 Then you shall deposit them in the tent of meeting before the testimony, where I meet with you. 5 And the staff of the man whom I choose shall sprout. Thus I will make to cease from me the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against you.” 6 Moses spoke to the people of Israel. And all their chiefs gave him staffs, one for each chief, according to their fathers’ houses, twelve staffs. And the staff of Aaron was among their staffs. 7 And Moses deposited the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the testimony.

8 On the next day Moses went into the tent of the testimony, and behold, the staff of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth buds and produced blossoms, and it bore ripe almonds. 9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs from before the Lord to all the people of Israel. And they looked, and each man took his staff. 10 And the Lord said to Moses, “Put back the staff of Aaron before the testimony, to be kept as a sign for the rebels, that you may make an end of their grumblings against me, lest they die.” 11 Thus did Moses; as the Lord commanded him, so he did.

12 And the people of Israel said to Moses, “Behold, we perish, we are undone, we are all undone. 13 Everyone who comes near, who comes near to the tabernacle of the Lord, shall die. Are we all to perish?” – Numbers 17:1-13 ESV

The Israelites had proven themselves to be all-star professional whiners who could grumble with the best of them. Repeatedly, since the day they left Egypt, they had found reasons to complain – about everything from the food God provided to the leadership He had placed over them. Most recently, it had been God’s decision to have only the Levites serve as priests in the Tabernacle that had left them disgruntled and ready to voice their displeasure. God had given the tribe of Levi the sole responsibility of serving in the place of the first-born males of every tribe. The Levites had been divinely chosen to serve as substitutes.

But the people had decided they didn’t like this plan. Under the leadership of Korah and a few other leaders, the people had risen up against Moses and Aaron, demanding their version of equality and inclusion, but their demands were met with the discipline of God. He destroyed all those who instigated the rebellion against Moses and Aaron and then brought a plague against those who blamed Moses and Aaron for the deaths of their friends. Only the quick action of Aaron, who offered an atoning sacrifice for the people, spared even more from death that day.

In light of all the complaining, God came up with a plan to settle the matter once and for all. He knew the people were far from done, and it was just a matter of time before something else stirred them up and caused them to question His will and grumble against His chosen leaders. So, God instructed Moses to have each tribe select a branch from an almond tree and inscribe on it the name of the prince or head of their tribe. These 12 rods were then to be placed in the Tabernacle before the Lord.

The people agreed to God’s proposal and each tribe submitted their staff to Moses. He placed each of them in the Holy of Holies before the Ark of the Covenant. The next day, Moses went in and discovered that the rod bearing Aaron’s name had budded, blossomed, and borne fruit. Miraculously, Aaron’s rod had gone through an entire growing season overnight. Devoid of water and the benefits of the tree from which it had been taken, this one rod evidenced a supernatural capacity for fruitfulness. This amazing visual display was intended to convince the Israelites that God had selected Aaron and his sons to serve Him as priests – case closed. There was no more reason for the people to question or complain because God had settled the dispute once and for all.

Or maybe not. Immediately after this event, the people cranked up their complaining once again. This time it was about their physical well-being. They said, “We are as good as dead. Everyone who even comes close to the Tabernacle of the LORD dies. We are all doomed!” (Numbers 17:12-13 NLT). Instead of praising God for what He had done with the almond rod, they focused their attention on their own well-being. They were so busy pitying themselves, that they had no time to think about God’s miraculous demonstration of power and His clear endorsement of Aaron and his sons.

God’s divine display had been intended to settle the leadership dispute. He had unquestionably reaffirmed His selection of the Aaronic priesthood. He even commanded that the rod be placed alongside the Ark of the Covenant as a permanent reminder of Aaron’s selection. God had spoken and the matter was settled. His will was not up for debate and He expected His commands to be obeyed at all times.

But the people saw His actions as a statement of judgment and feared further retribution from God. They had just witnessed the earth open up and swallow the families of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. Then they stood back and watched as the fire of the Lord consumed the 250 leaders who had joined in the rebellion. Finally, they had seen 14,700 of their fellow Israelites die from the plague that God had sent upon them.

So, they viewed the budding of Aaron’s rod as a further indictment of their guilt and reacted with fear.

“Look, we are doomed! We are dead! We are ruined! Everyone who even comes close to the Tabernacle of the Lord dies. Are we all doomed to die?” – Numbers 17:12-13 NLT

Rather than glorying in the greatness of God, they cowered in fear. Instead of repenting for their rebellion against Him, they accused Him of being a vengeful, bloodthirsty deity. They displayed no remorse. They exhibited no signs of sorrow for their sins. They simply expressed their fear of God’s judgment and wrath. After all the time they had spent in His presence, enjoying His power and provision, they still had no idea who He was and how they were to respond to Him. Centuries later, the psalmist would record God’s assessment of this generation of Israelites.

“For forty years I loathed that generation
    and said, ‘They are a people who go astray in their heart,
    and they have not known my ways.’” – Psalm 95:10 ESV

The author of The Letter to the Hebrews quoted this very passage when writing to his audience of Jewish converts to Christianity, and he followed it up with this admonition:

Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. – Hebrews 3:12-13 ESV

Even this New Testament congregation of Jewish believers was struggling with disbelief and doubt. Having placed their faith in Jesus as their Messiah, they were beginning to have second thoughts because their lot in life had not improved. Living outside the land of Israel and surrounded by pagan Gentiles, these Jewish Christians were in the minority and even despised by their fellow Hebrews. Their decision to follow Christ had left them ostracized by their own people and questioning the validity of the gospel message they had so eagerly embraced. Their difficult circumstances caused them to question the validity of Jesus’ Messiahship and tempted them to return to Judaism and the Mosaic Law.

But isn’t that what we do? We can get so consumed by dissatisfaction over our lot in life that we fail to see the miracles of God taking place all around us. We whine and moan, and spend all our time grumbling to God that we become blind to His goodness and greatness. Yet God patiently endures our rejection of Him and continues to shower us with His grace and unmerited favor.

The author of Hebrews encouraged his readers to remain committed to Christ, their Messiah.

For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. – Hebrews 3:14 ESV

Rather than return to life under the Law, he wanted them to keep their eyes on the One who had set them free trying to earn their way into God’s good graces. Jesus had come to provide them with access to God’s presence through the effort of His saving work, not their own. Jesus had died for their sins so that they might enjoy full forgiveness and a restored relationship with God. This incredible gift of grace, made available by God through the death and resurrection of Jesus, was to become the focus of their lives. They no longer needed to fear God and there was no need to look to the Law as a way of earning His favor. Everything they needed had been provided by Jesus.

…let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. – Hebrews 12:1-2 ESV

The Israelites had sinned against God but had also been graciously spared. But rather than rejoice in His mercy, they feared His retribution. They had rejected His will and now, they failed to understand His ways. Because they had sinned, they expected judgment. Yet the budding of Aaron’s rod was less an indictment of their sin than it was a confirmation of God’s will. He wanted them to trust Him. His ways were righteous, just, and worthy of their obedience.

They had turned their backs on God but He had not abandoned them. The guilty had suffered the just and righteous penalty for their sins. But the vast majority of the Israelites had graciously been granted the mercy of God. Yet, they couldn’t fathom what God was doing. Rather than rejoice in His forgiveness, they expressed their fear of pending judgment. Despite all God had done, they remained ignorant of His ways and distrustful of His goodness.

The truth is, as God’s people, we still turn our back on Him, but He never abandons us. He disciplines us, but He never stops loving us. He is faithful, even when we are unfaithful. He provides us with leadership, direction, sustenance, and everything we need to survive in this hostile and sin-prone world. Yet we continually misunderstand His ways and misjudge His character. Worse yet, we end up fearing Him rather than basking in the love He pours out on us. Like the Israelites, we live as if God is out to get us, not to bless us. We view Him as a cosmic killjoy, not a loving Father who wants to meet our every need in Christ.

Sin is ultimately self-centered; it always has been. It ends up being all about me, and when I constantly focus on myself, I tend to lose sight of Him. If I’m not careful, that myopic, me-centered perspective will lead me to mischaracterize God and miss out on the joy of His blessings, just like the Israelites did.

“We are bound to die! We perish, we all perish! Anyone who even comes close to the tabernacle of the Lord will die! Are we all to die?” – Numbers 17:12-13 NLT

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

God Takes All Sin Seriously

22 “But if you sin unintentionally, and do not observe all these commandments that the Lord has spoken to Moses, 23 all that the Lord has commanded you by Moses, from the day that the Lord gave commandment, and onward throughout your generations, 24 then if it was done unintentionally without the knowledge of the congregation, all the congregation shall offer one bull from the herd for a burnt offering, a pleasing aroma to the Lord, with its grain offering and its drink offering, according to the rule, and one male goat for a sin offering. 25 And the priest shall make atonement for all the congregation of the people of Israel, and they shall be forgiven, because it was a mistake, and they have brought their offering, a food offering to the Lord, and their sin offering before the Lord for their mistake. 26 And all the congregation of the people of Israel shall be forgiven, and the stranger who sojourns among them, because the whole population was involved in the mistake.

27 “If one person sins unintentionally, he shall offer a female goat a year old for a sin offering. 28 And the priest shall make atonement before the Lord for the person who makes a mistake, when he sins unintentionally, to make atonement for him, and he shall be forgiven. 29 You shall have one law for him who does anything unintentionally, for him who is native among the people of Israel and for the stranger who sojourns among them. 30 But the person who does anything with a high hand, whether he is native or a sojourner, reviles the Lord, and that person shall be cut off from among his people. 31 Because he has despised the word of the Lord and has broken his commandment, that person shall be utterly cut off; his iniquity shall be on him.” 

32 While the people of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering sticks on the Sabbath day. 33 And those who found him gathering sticks brought him to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation. 34 They put him in custody, because it had not been made clear what should be done to him. 35 And the Lord said to Moses, “The man shall be put to death; all the congregation shall stone him with stones outside the camp.” 36 And all the congregation brought him outside the camp and stoned him to death with stones, as the Lord commanded Moses. – Numbers 15:22-36 ESV

The people of Israel were guilty of having committed the sin of rebellion. They had purposefully rejected His command to enter the land of Canaan because they doubted His ability to give them victory over its current occupants. According to the assessment of the ten spies, the pagan nations that populated the promised land were too powerful and the odds of failure were insurmountable. There was no way a rag-tag militia comprised of former slaves, shepherds, and farmers was going to defeat the well-armed and highly-trained armies of the Canaanites, Amalekites, Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites. So, they decided to disobey God’s will, dismiss His appointed leaders, and return to Egypt.

But rather than raining down judgment and wiping them off the face of the earth, God sentenced that generation of Israelites to a lifetime of meaningless wandering in the wilderness – until the last of them died off. They would pay for their sin by receiving a permanent ban on entering the land of promise and would never enjoy the promise of God’s rest.

Their sin had been deliberate and premeditated; they had intentionally rejected God’s will and would have to suffer the consequences. But in verses 22-26, God graciously made provision for unintentional sin. He knew there would be occasions when His children sinned “by mistake.” In other words, they would accidentally or unintentionally violate His commands without knowing they had done so, and He made provision for those inevitable occasions.

God provided Moses with a hypothetical “what-if” scenario designed to eliminate the guilt that came from inadvertently violating His commands. He made a provision for man’s built-in propensity for committing sin, and this special dispensation was to be long-standing and applicable to every successive generation.

“And suppose your descendants in the future fail to do everything the Lord has commanded through Moses. If the mistake was made unintentionally, and the community was unaware of it, the whole community must present a young bull for a burnt offering as a pleasing aroma to the Lord.” – Numbers 15:23-24 NLT

The kind of sacrifices referred to in these verses were meant to cover sins of commission as well as omission. Whether the guilty party simply forgot to keep a command (omission) or unknowingly violated a command (commission), as long as they had done so by mistake, they could receive forgiveness. But it was to be a community-wide affair. Once they discovered the presence of sin in the camp, the entire nation was to take a part in making atonement for the offense.

“…the whole community must present a young bull for a burnt offering as a pleasing aroma to the Lord. It must be offered along with its prescribed grain offering and liquid offering and with one male goat for a sin offering.” – Numbers 15:24 NLT

Sin is sin, and its impact is universal. No one sins alone. The nature of sin is that it is highly contagious and infectious. It can spread like yeast in a lump of dough or like cancer cells in the human body, and it doesn’t matter whether the sin was committed intentionally or not. Any violation of God’s law requires confession and restitution. The sin must be atoned for and that atonement required a sacrifice.

God knew that anyone was capable of committing unintentional sin, including the high priest.

“If the high priest sins, bringing guilt upon the entire community, he must give a sin offering for the sin he has committed.” – Leviticus 4:3 NLT

The price for his atonement was an unblemished young bull, and if the entire community happened to commit corporate sin without realizing it, they were also required to sacrifice a young bull. If one of the nation’s leaders committed an unintentional sin, he was required to offer an unblemished goat as payment. In all three cases, the blood of the sacrificed animal was to be placed on the horns of the altar within the Tabernacle. The Leviticus passage above makes it clear that even sins committed by mistake would render the individual, leader, or community guilty before God. Unless atonement was made, that guilt would lead to condemnation.

Yet, when the sin was exposed, the guilt was admitted, and the proper sacrifice was made, both the individual and the community could expect to receive the forgiveness of God.

“With it the priest will purify the whole community of Israel, making them right with the Lord, and they will be forgiven.” – Numbers 15:25 NLT

But what about those who knowingly and deliberately violated one of God’s commands? What hope did they have of receiving God’s forgiveness?

“But those who brazenly violate the Lord’s will, whether native-born Israelites or foreigners, have blasphemed the Lord, and they must be cut off from the community.” – Numbers 15:30 NLT

The language suggests that this individual has boldly and unapologetically chosen to disobey the revealed will of God; there is no sense of remorse or regret. No confession is forthcoming and no repentance is displayed. Even when the sin is exposed, this individual persists in justifying and continuing his rebellious ways – with impunity - and the consequences are drastic: “They must be cut off from the community.”

This is not suggesting their dismissal from the camp or some kind of public ostracization. No, this is a call for their execution. The guilty party is to be cut off from the community by putting them to death. The kind of sins God has in mind are those that are committed against Him. This would include the worship of false gods, the fabricating of idols, taking His name in vain, or failing to honor the Sabbath. These violations would incur God’s wrath and demand the death of the perpetrator.

The book of Leviticus indicates that willful sins committed against another individual were to be treated differently. While all violations of God’s laws are ultimately sins against Him, He made special provisions for sins committed against a neighbor.

“Suppose one of you sins against your associate and is unfaithful to the Lord. Suppose you cheat in a deal involving a security deposit, or you steal or commit fraud, or you find lost property and lie about it, or you lie while swearing to tell the truth, or you commit any other such sin. If you have sinned in any of these ways, you are guilty.” – Leviticus 6:2-4 NLT

Repentance and restitution were required. Amends must be made. But not only that, a guilt offering was demanded to restore the sinner’s relationship with God.

“As a guilt offering to the Lord, you must bring to the priest your own ram with no defects, or you may buy one of equal value. Through this process, the priest will purify you before the Lord, making you right with him, and you will be forgiven for any of these sins you have committed.” – Leviticus 6:6-7 NLT

And, as if to give a concrete example of a non-repentant and brazenly defiant sin against God, Moses includes the story of a Sabbath-breaker. The man was discovered collecting firewood on the Sabbath, in direct violation of the fourth commandment. Evidently, he knew exactly what he was doing and was defiant in doing so. The penalty for his blatant display of disobedience against God was death.

Then the Lord said to Moses, “The man must be put to death! The whole community must stone him outside the camp.” So the whole community took the man outside the camp and stoned him to death, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. – Numbers 15:35-36 NLT

The difference in this situation is that the man sinned “with a high hand” (Numbers 15:30 ESV). In an act of willful disobedience, he knowingly and presumptuously violated God’s law regarding work on the Sabbath. He placed himself above God’s law; determining that his will took precedence over God’s word.

“The sin is described literally as acting “with a high hand”—בְּיָד רָמָה (byad ramah). The expression means that someone would do something with deliberate defiance, with an arrogance in spite of what the Lord said. It is as if the sinner was about to attack God, or at least lifting his hand against God. The implication of the expression is that it was done in full knowledge of the Law (especially since this contrasts throughout with the sins of ignorance). Blatant defiance of the word of the Lord is dealt with differently.” – NET Bible Study Notes

God knew that His people were going to sin. It was an inevitable and unavoidable fact, and they had proven it repeatedly. Everyone would sin at some point; the important distinction was whether that sin was intentional or not. Secondly, it was important to differentiate between horizontal and vertical sin. A sin committed against a brother could be atoned for and forgiven. But any willful and unrepentant violation of one of the first four commandments would bring down God’s wrath. God took deliberate and “high-handed” sins committed against Himself quite seriously because they were considered acts of rebellion that would lead the people to reject Him. That is why the ten spies had been put to death.

It was inevitable that the Israelites would sin; so God gave them the sacrificial system to provide a means of atonement and forgiveness. Those sins were redeemable through God’s grace but brazen sins committed against God were unforgivable and deserving of His righteous indignation and full justice.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

A Loss of Appetite for God’s Ways

1 And the people complained in the hearing of the Lord about their misfortunes, and when the Lord heard it, his anger was kindled, and the fire of the Lord burned among them and consumed some outlying parts of the camp. 2 Then the people cried out to Moses, and Moses prayed to the Lord, and the fire died down. 3 So the name of that place was called Taberah, because the fire of the Lord burned among them.

4 Now the rabble that was among them had a strong craving. And the people of Israel also wept again and said, “Oh that we had meat to eat! 5 We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. 6 But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.”

7 Now the manna was like coriander seed, and its appearance like that of bdellium. 8 The people went about and gathered it and ground it in handmills or beat it in mortars and boiled it in pots and made cakes of it. And the taste of it was like the taste of cakes baked with oil. 9 When the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell with it.

10 Moses heard the people weeping throughout their clans, everyone at the door of his tent. And the anger of the Lord blazed hotly, and Moses was displeased. 11 Moses said to the Lord, “Why have you dealt ill with your servant? And why have I not found favor in your sight, that you lay the burden of all this people on me? 12 Did I conceive all this people? Did I give them birth, that you should say to me, ‘Carry them in your bosom, as a nurse carries a nursing child,’ to the land that you swore to give their fathers? 13 Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they weep before me and say, ‘Give us meat, that we may eat.’ 14 I am not able to carry all this people alone; the burden is too heavy for me. 15 If you will treat me like this, kill me at once, if I find favor in your sight, that I may not see my wretchedness.” – Numbers 11:1-15 ESV

The people of Israel were on the move. After nearly a year encamped at the base of Mount Sinai, they had watched as the cloud of God’s presence departed from above the Tabernacle, indicating His desire for them to break camp and continue their journey to the land of Canaan. They followed His instructions and methodically made their way to the wilderness of Paran where the cloud had come to rest.

But it wasn’t long before the obedient children of God became disgruntled and obstinate. Their willingness to follow God’s leading came to an abrupt end as soon as they encountered any kind of discomfort or dissatisfaction, and this was not the first time they had expressed their displeasure with God. A year earlier, when they were leaving Egypt after their release from captivity, they found themselves in an unexpected and highly uncomfortable predicament. After Pharaoh had finally agreed to release them, they followed Moses into the wilderness and arrived on the shore of the Red Sea.

When Pharaoh finally let the people go, God did not lead them along the main road that runs through Philistine territory, even though that was the shortest route to the Promised Land. God said, “If the people are faced with a battle, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” So God led them in a roundabout way through the wilderness toward the Red Sea. Thus the Israelites left Egypt like an army ready for battle. – Exodus 13:17-18 NLT

God had led them to that very spot. It had been His will that they arrive on the banks of the sea just as Pharaoh and his army were bearing down on them. It seems that Pharaoh had experienced a change of heart and decided to force the Israelites back into slavery. So, when the people found themselves with their backs to the sea and the army of Egypt bearing down on them, they responded to Moses in anger.

“Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren’t there enough graves for us in Egypt? What have you done to us? Why did you make us leave Egypt? Didn’t we tell you this would happen while we were still in Egypt? We said, ‘Leave us alone! Let us be slaves to the Egyptians. It’s better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness!’” – Exodus 14:11-12 NLT

Yet, despite their complaining, God miraculously delivered them. He had Moses part the waters of the Red Sea and they crossed over on dry ground, and the cloud of God’s presence kept the Egyptians at bay until the very last Israelite had made it to the eastern shore of the sea. Then, as Pharaoh’s army attempted to pursue them, “the waters returned and covered all the chariots and charioteers—the entire army of Pharaoh. Of all the Egyptians who had chased the Israelites into the sea, not a single one survived” (Exodus 14:28 NLT).

Their miraculous crossing and the destruction of the Egyptians made an impact on the Israelites.

When the people of Israel saw the mighty power that the Lord had unleashed against the Egyptians, they were filled with awe before him. They put their faith in the Lord and in his servant Moses. – Exodus 14:31 NLT

Now, more than a year later, it appears that their faith had run out. Once again, they struggled with discontentment concerning God’s will for them. They were not happy with their circumstances and so they began to complain to Moses once again.

Soon the people began to complain about their hardship, and the Lord heard everything they said. – Numbers 11:1 NLT

Their year-long hiatus at Mount Sinai had made them lazy and unprepared for the difficulties of traveling through the wilderness. So, the journey to Paran left them disgruntled and dissatisfied with God’s plan for them. They were unhappy and more than willing to voice their displeasure. But again, this was not the first time the Israelites had become disenchanted with God’s will for them.

Three days after their miraculous crossing of the Red Sea, they found themselves in the desert of Shur, a barren place where water was scarce. When they finally discovered an oasis, its water was contaminated and undrinkable. This disappointing outcome led the people to direct their anger at Moses.

Then the people complained and turned against Moses. “What are we going to drink?” they demanded. – Exodus 15:24 NLT

But God directed Moses to a particular piece of wood that, when thrown in the spring, “made the water good to drink” (Exodus 15:25 NLT). Having temporarily satiated the thirst of His dissatisfied people, God then led them to another oasis “where they found twelve springs and seventy palm trees” (Exodus 15:27 NLT). He provided for all their needs. He even “set before them the following decree as a standard to test their faithfulness to him” (Exodus 15:25 NLT).

“If you will listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his sight, obeying his commands and keeping all his decrees, then I will not make you suffer any of the diseases I sent on the Egyptians; for I am the Lord who heals you.” – Exodus 15:26 NLT

All God required of His people was that they remain faithful and obedient. In return, He promised to provide for and protect them; they would never go without. That doesn’t mean they would never experience difficulties along the way. But by trusting God, they would get to see His providential hand providing for their every need.

Yet, a year later, they exhibited the same stubborn tendency to grouse and complain at the slightest inconvenience, and God heard everything they said. As a result, “his anger was kindled, and the fire of the Lord burned among them and consumed some outlying parts of the camp” (Numbers 11:1 ESV). It’s unclear whether anyone actually died in this conflagration or whether it was only meant to get their attention. Whatever this “fire” was, it had its intended effect, producing fear in the hearts of the Israelites.

…the people screamed to Moses for help, and when he prayed to the Lord, the fire stopped. – Numbers 11:2 NLT

But while the fire died down, their complaining continued, and it wasn’t long before another round of grievances made their way to the ears of God. It seems that the foreigners who had chosen to accompany the Israelites when they left Egypt had grown disenchanted with the manna that God had provided for them. One month after the Israelites departed Egypt, the people expressed their displeasure to Moses and Aaron over the lack of food.

“If only the Lord had killed us back in Egypt,” they moaned. “There we sat around pots filled with meat and ate all the bread we wanted. But now you have brought us into this wilderness to starve us all to death.” – Exodus 16:3 NLT

But God heard their complaints and responded with grace and mercy. Rather than sending fire as a punishment for their ungratefulness, He determined to shower them with manna.

“I have heard the Israelites’ complaints. Now tell them, ‘In the evening you will have meat to eat, and in the morning you will have all the bread you want. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.’” – Exodus 16:12 NLT

God fed them. He miraculously met their physical needs with spiritual food. No one knew exactly what manna was but it provided them with the strength and stamina to continue their journey to the land of Canaan. And God would provide it every day for over 40 years.

So the people of Israel ate manna for forty years until they arrived at the land where they would settle. They ate manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan. – Exodus 16:35 NLT

Yet, just a year after having left Egypt, the people were complaining about the monotonous menu of manna.

“Oh, for some meat!” they exclaimed. “We remember the fish we used to eat for free in Egypt. And we had all the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic we wanted. But now our appetites are gone. All we ever see is this manna!” – Numbers 11:4-6 NLT

They returned God’s grace and mercy with ungratefulness and dissatisfaction. They didn’t like God’s culinary skills. They wanted a more varied and appetizing selection of menu options. In their faulty imaginations, they recalled enjoying a much more diverse and appealing range of food choices back in Egypt. They conveniently forgot the part about slavery and making bricks without straw. They left out the persecution and pain they had experienced during their years of captivity. Driven by their physical appetites, they conjured up memories of their halcyon days in Egypt – which were nothing more than figments of their imaginations.

And, once again, their complaints reached the ears of Moses and God.

Moses heard all the families standing in the doorways of their tents whining, and the Lord became extremely angry. – Numbers 11:10 NLT

But this time, it’s Moses who displays his anger with the people and expresses his frustration with God.

“Why are you treating me, your servant, so harshly? Have mercy on me! What did I do to deserve the burden of all these people? Did I give birth to them? Did I bring them into the world? Why did you tell me to carry them in my arms like a mother carries a nursing baby? How can I carry them to the land you swore to give their ancestors? Where am I supposed to get meat for all these people? They keep whining to me, saying, ‘Give us meat to eat!’ I can’t carry all these people by myself! The load is far too heavy! If this is how you intend to treat me, just go ahead and kill me. Do me a favor and spare me this misery!” – Numbers 11:11-15 NLT

Moses was not a happy camper. For more than a year he had been attempting to lead a people who were inflexible and incorrigible. Nothing seemed to make them happy, and he was at his wit’s end. He had grown tired of their constant complaining and expressed his frustration to God. The burden of caring for these people had taken its toll and he boldly conveyed his displeasure to God. In fact, Moses seems to blame God for the whole state of affairs. He shakes his fist in Yahweh’s face and, essentially, accuses Him of abandonment. According to Moses, God had placed all the burden of leading the nation of Israel on his back, and he was overwhelmed by it all. He was tapped out and ready to throw in the towel.

Moses was suffering the same condition as the people he claimed to be leading. He had taken his eyes off of the Lord. He no longer recognized the sovereign hand of God over his life and conveniently forgot how the Almighty had provided for all his needs. As a result, he wrongly assumed responsibility for the well-being of God’s people. Moses had forgotten that he was nothing more than a conduit of God’s blessing and not its source. He was responsible for leading them but God was their sole provider and protector.

When God had given the people the manna to eat, He had told them it would be a sign of His power and provision.

“Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.” – Exodus 16:12 NLT

Yet, Moses and the people had lost sight of that fact. Comfort and convenience had taken precedence over their faith in God’s sovereignty and providence. Now that the people had the Tabernacle and the guarantee of God’s presence, it was as if they assumed following God would be a trouble-free experience. But at the first sign of discomfort, they complained. And Moses was brazen enough to demand that God fix the problem or kill him on the spot.

“If this is how you intend to treat me, just go ahead and kill me. Do me a favor and spare me this misery!” – Numbers 11:15 NLT

They all had a lot to learn about God’s providential care and, despite their ongoing displays of ingratitude and unbelief, God would continue to show them mercy and grace. He would even respond to Moses’ bold ultimatum with love and not anger, providing His servant with a plan for lightening the burden of leadership.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Light-Giving, Life-Restoring Love of God

10 And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends. And the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. 11 Then came to him all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before, and ate bread with him in his house. And they showed him sympathy and comforted him for all the evil that the Lord had brought upon him. And each of them gave him a piece of money and a ring of gold.

12 And the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning. And he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys. 13 He had also seven sons and three daughters. 14 And he called the name of the first daughter Jemimah, and the name of the second Keziah, and the name of the third Keren-happuch. 15 And in all the land there were no women so beautiful as Job's daughters. And their father gave them an inheritance among their brothers. 16 And after this Job lived 140 years, and saw his sons, and his sons' sons, four generations. 17 And Job died, an old man, and full of days. – Job 42:10-17 ESV

Rather than seeking vengeance against his accusers, Job graciously interceded for them and God forgave them. He did for these men what they should have done for him. Yet, in 42 chapters of recorded history, not once did Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar, or Elihu lift up a single prayer on Job’s behalf. Their words were directed at him, but never for him in intercession to God. Whatever sin they believed Job to have committed, they could have called on God to provide forgiveness and restoration, but they refused to do so. And now, when given the opportunity to get even, Job revealed his true character and prayed for his tormentors.

Without knowing it, Job was keeping the command that Jesus would give centuries later.

“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?” – Matthew 5:44-46 ESV

Luke records a slightly different version of this same command.

“Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.” – Luke 6:27-30 ESV

And Jesus went on to provide a strong source of incentive for demonstrating this gracious and unexpected kind of love.

“But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.” – Luke 6:35-36 ESV

Because of his willingness to love his enemies, Job ended up experiencing the truth behind Jesus’ words. He became the recipient of God’s mercy and magnitude. The text states, “the Lord restored his fortunes. In fact, the Lord gave him twice as much as before!” (Job 42:10 NLT), and it was all because Job demonstrated undeserved love and grace to those who had caused him much pain and suffering. Job did so, not because he was expecting a great reward but because he had survived his encounter with God and had lived to tell about it.

Job knew that he had experienced the mercy and kindness of God. His demand for an audience with God had been out of line and his assertions that God was somehow unjust had been undeserved and worthy of God’s wrath. But instead of judgment, Job had received nothing more than a stern reprimand. Now, much to his surprise, he would receive a double blessing from God.

So the Lord blessed Job in the second half of his life even more than in the beginning. For now he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 teams of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys. He also gave Job seven more sons and three more daughters. – Job 42:12-13 NLT

This list is meant to take the reader back to the opening chapter in Job’s story.

He had seven sons and three daughters. He owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 teams of oxen, and 500 female donkeys. He also had many servants. He was, in fact, the richest person in that entire area. – Job 1:2-3 NLT

God effectively doubled Job’s material wealth and graciously replaced the ten children he had lost. The Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, states that Job was 70 when his suffering began, and that he lived another 140 years after his fortunes were restored by God. This doubling of his life span would have been another sign of God’s gracious reward.

And this man who had lost everything, including his reputation and former status as a well-respected leader in the community of Uz, was welcomed back with open arms by all those who had abandoned him in his darkest hour.

…all his brothers, sisters, and former friends came and feasted with him in his home. And they consoled him and comforted him because of all the trials the Lord had brought against him. And each of them brought him a gift of money and a gold ring. – Job 42:11 NLT

Notice that his friends “consoled him and comforted him” after his fortunes were restored and he graciously hosted them in his own home. Job was the one who took the initiative. There is no indication that they reached out to Job or offered to provide him a costly feast in their own homes. But Job held no grudges and refused to be bitter about their former treatment of him. He opened up his heart and home and showered them with undeserved love, and this gracious act prompted them to respond with money and gifts intended to forestall any act of revenge and assuage their own guilt. They knew Job had every right to be angry and the resources to seek retribution.

But Job was content to live out his life with an attitude of gratitude to God. He lived an additional 140 years, enjoying the pleasure of watching four generations of his offspring grow up right before his eyes. He would have attended weddings and celebrated births. He would have reveled in the daily blessings of God and vividly recalled those dark days when his life had been turned upside down by unexpected and inexplicable events. And there is no indication that Job ever received an explanation for what had happened.

It’s interesting to note that the text seems to place the responsibility for Job’s losses on God. It clearly describes Job’s sufferings as “the trials the Lord had brought against him” (Job 42:11 NLT). But this phrase is in the context of Job’s friends offering him consolation and comfort. It may be that they still held the mistaken view that Job’s suffering had been the judgment of God for sins he had committed. Yet, the opening chapters reveal that it was Satan who was behind the disasters that devastated Job’s life. Yes, God was aware and provided Satan with permission to implement his diabolical plan to test Job’s faithfulness, but God was not the author of Job’s misery and pain. In fact, God is displayed as the restrainer and restorer throughout the story. He is the one who put a limit on Satan’s aspirations. The enemy could test Job’s allegiance to God but he was prevented from taking Job’s life. Everything that Satan took from Job was eventually restored – twofold. God plays the part of redeemer and restorer. He came to Job’s defense, not because he somehow deserved it but simply because God is gracious and loving and cares for His own.

King David provides a timely reminder for all those who express belief in God and place their faith in His unwavering love and mercy.

The Lord is like a father to his children,
    tender and compassionate to those who fear him.
For he knows how weak we are;
    he remembers we are only dust.
Our days on earth are like grass;
    like wildflowers, we bloom and die.
The wind blows, and we are gone—
    as though we had never been here.
But the love of the Lord remains forever
    with those who fear him.
His salvation extends to the children’s children
    of those who are faithful to his covenant,
    of those who obey his commandments!

19 The Lord has made the heavens his throne;
    from there he rules over everything. – Psalm 103:13-19 NLT

Job would live an additional 140 years and throughout all that time, he would experience the the unconditional and unmerited love of God. Not only that, he would grow in his understanding of God’s sovereignty and providential care. Had Job not experienced his season of pain and loss, it is likely his grasp of God’s sovereignty and gratitude for God’s love would never have deepened as it did. His appreciation for God’s love, mercy, grace, power, and provision had been deepened by the darkness as well as the light.

The apostle Paul provides an apt summary for the events of Job’s life and he does so out of his own experience. He knew what it was like to suffer for the sake of his faith. He understood the pain that comes with living in a fallen world, and while he prayed for God to remove the source of his pain, he clearly heard God say, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9 NLT). Which led Paul to say:

“So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” – 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 NLT

Job’s darkness had been dispelled by the light of God’s righteousness and his life had been restored by the undeserved outpouring of God’s love. He had come to know that “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” (James 1:17 ESV).

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Diminishing God’s Glory by Disregarding His Love

22 “Behold, God is exalted in his power;
    who is a teacher like him?
23 Who has prescribed for him his way,
    or who can say, ‘You have done wrong’?

24 “Remember to extol his work,
    of which men have sung.
25 All mankind has looked on it;
    man beholds it from afar.
26 Behold, God is great, and we know him not;
    the number of his years is unsearchable.
27 For he draws up the drops of water;
    they distill his mist in rain,
28 which the skies pour down
    and drop on mankind abundantly.
29 Can anyone understand the spreading of the clouds,
    the thunderings of his pavilion?
30 Behold, he scatters his lightning about him
    and covers the roots of the sea.
31 For by these he judges peoples;
    he gives food in abundance.
32 He covers his hands with the lightning
    and commands it to strike the mark.
33 Its crashing declares his presence;
    the cattle also declare that he rises.

1 “At this also my heart trembles
    and leaps out of its place.
2 Keep listening to the thunder of his voice
    and the rumbling that comes from his mouth.
3 Under the whole heaven he lets it go,
    and his lightning to the corners of the earth.
4 After it his voice roars;
    he thunders with his majestic voice,
    and he does not restrain the lightnings when his voice is heard.
5 God thunders wondrously with his voice;
    he does great things that we cannot comprehend.” – Job 36:22-37:5 ESV

Elihu now shifts the focus of his argument away from Job and onto God. He has not given up on leveling his indictment against Job, but has simply taken a new tactic. By emphasizing the transcendence of God, Elihu hopes to shame Job into submission. What right does this groveling and grumbling man have to expect an audience before the God of the universe? Elihu wants Job to understand that his incessant demands for justice from God are a waste of time and breath.

“Look, God is all-powerful.
    Who is a teacher like him?
No one can tell him what to do,
    or say to him, ‘You have done wrong.’” – Job 36:22-23 NLT

Elihu’s theology promoted a God who was above reproach and beyond man’s capacity to understand. How dare a mere mortal like Job shake his fist in the face of the Almighty and demand restitution and restoration. God owed Job nothing, and all of Job’s petty and self-pitying pleas were having no impact on the One who had bigger fish to fry. Instead of bombarding God with a barrage of questions and calls for an inquest, Job would be better off praising His glory and greatness.

“Instead, glorify his mighty works,
    singing songs of praise.
Everyone has seen these things,
    though only from a distance.” – Job 36:24-25 NLT

Not bad advice but, once again, it lacks nuance and is being used to shame Job into silence. In essence, Elihu is telling Job to stop complaining and start praising. The truth is, there may be a time when that kind of counsel is called for, but in Job’s case it seems a bit out of place and insensitive. It wasn’t wrong for Elihu to remind Job of God’s glory and to encourage an attitude of praise, but his motivation seems a bit off. Was Elihu interested in the glory of God or in using that topic to shame Job into a confession of guilt? 

Everything he says is correct and in line with the Scripture’s description of God’s nature and character. He manages to paint an accurate likeness of God but everyone of his brush strokes seems to emphasize God’s majesty and transcendence. His portrait of God displays a distant and incomprehensible deity who remains aloof and detached from man. Look closely at Elihu’s use of language.

“Look, God is greater than we can understand.
    His years cannot be counted.
He draws up the water vapor
    and then distills it into rain.
The rain pours down from the clouds,
    and everyone benefits.” – Job 36:26-28 NLT

Yes, God is mysterious and far beyond man’s capacity to understand. His ways are unfathomable and incomprehensible. This great God of the universe is busy managing the details of His vast kingdom and orchestrating everything from the weather to the annual harvests that meet the needs of all men. Elihu’s God is patterned after the pagan deities who were believed to rule over various aspects of nature and who used their domains to exact blessing and judgment on the human race. Notice how Elihu describes God as using nature to either benefit or punish mankind.

“Who can understand the spreading of the clouds
    and the thunder that rolls forth from heaven?
See how he spreads the lightning around him
    and how it lights up the depths of the sea.
By these mighty acts he nourishes the people,
    giving them food in abundance.
He fills his hands with lightning bolts
    and hurls each at its target.” – Job 36:29-32 NLT

Elihu then draws the conclusion: “The thunder announces his presence; the storm announces his indignant anger” (Job 36:33 NLT). It is no coincidence that Job some of the losses that Job had suffered were due to “acts of nature.”

Job would have remembered that fateful day when one of his servants arrived with the following news:

“The fire of God has fallen from heaven and burned up your sheep and all the shepherds. I am the only one who escaped to tell you.” – Job 1:16 NLT

And before Job could process this devastating information, another servant showed up with even worse news.

“Your sons and daughters were feasting in their oldest brother’s home. Suddenly, a powerful wind swept in from the wilderness and hit the house on all sides. The house collapsed, and all your children are dead. I am the only one who escaped to tell you.” – Job 1:18-19 NLT

The “fire of God” and “a powerful wind” were responsible for Job’s losses and now Elihu declares, “the storm announces his indignant anger” (Job 36:33 NLT). What was Job supposed to deduce from this message? What point was Elihu attempting to make?

Elihu answers those questions when he counsels Job to “Listen carefully to the thunder of God’s voice as it rolls from his mouth” (Job 37:2 NLT). Elihu is letting Job know that God is not yet done pouring out His judgment. According to Elihu the ongoing presence of pain and suffering in Job’s life was proof of his guilt and evidence of God’s judgment.

Elihu even manages to portray himself as the godly saint who recognizes God’s greatness and responds accordingly.

“My heart pounds as I think of this.
    It trembles within me.” – Job 37:1 NLT

He trembles in awe at the power of God but he is not afraid of judgment because, unlike Job, he had done nothing wrong. It is Job who needs to worry. That is why Elihu counsels him to offer praise and glory the all-powerful God so that the storm of His wrath might subside.

“God’s voice is glorious in the thunder.
    We can’t even imagine the greatness of his power.” – Job 37:5 NLT

This seems to be a subtle suggestion that, unless Job confesses his guilt, things are going to increase in intensity. The judgment of God will not relent until Job repents. Elihu is attempting scare Job straight. He is using the inescapable and unfathomable power of God to threaten Job into submission and force a confession.

But nowhere do we hear Elihu speak of God’s mercy and grace. He never mentions the love of God and he never encourages Job to seek hope in the patience and forgiveness of God. Yet, God described Himself in those terms when speaking to Moses in the wilderness.

“Yahweh! The Lord!
    The God of compassion and mercy!
I am slow to anger
    and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.
I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations.
    I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin.” – Exodus 34:6-7 NLT

It was King David who said of God, “O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask for your help” (Psalm 86:5 NLT). He went on to describe God in terms that provide a much-needed balance to Elihu’s one-dimensional view. His words echo the self-disclosure of God Himself.

But you, O Lord,
    are a God of compassion and mercy,
slow to get angry
    and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. – Psalm 86:15 NLT

The prophet, Jonah, who had been commanded by God to “go to the great city of Nineveh” (Jonah 1:2 NLT), was reluctant to take up his commission because he didn’t want to see the Ninevites spared from God’s judgment. God had made Jonah’s commission quite clear: “Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are” (Jonah 1:2 NLT).

When Jonah finally obeyed God’s command and made his way to Nineveh, his worst fears were realized when the citizens of that wicked city repented. Disappointed that the enemies of God’s people had been spared and not destroyed, Jonah declared his dissatisfaction.

“Didn’t I say before I left home that you would do this, Lord? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. You are eager to turn back from destroying people. – Jonah 4:2 NLT

The whole reason Jonah tried to avoid his God-ordained mission was because he knew that Yahweh was merciful and compassionate. He understood that God was loving and quick to forgive. It was his knowledge of God that prompted him to try and disobey God because he didn’t want to see the Ninevites spared.

In a way, Elihu seems to be doing the very same thing. He avoids any mention of God’s love, mercy, and grace. He refuses to portray God as patient and compassionate. In his determination to convict and condemn Job, Elihu ends up diminishing the glory of God. He invites Job to praise a version of God that is incomplete and, therefore, inaccurate.

Elihu could have used a few pointers from the prophet, Joel. Rather than trying to scare Job into submission by emphasizing the judgment of God, Elihu should have pointed his suffering friend to the love, mercy, and grace of God.

That is why the Lord says,
    “Turn to me now, while there is time.
Give me your hearts.
    Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning.
Don’t tear your clothing in your grief,
    but tear your hearts instead.”
Return to the Lord your God,
    for he is merciful and compassionate,
slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
    He is eager to relent and not punish. – Joel 2:12-13 NLT

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Need for Trust in the Midst of Trials

1 And Elihu answered and said:

2 “Do you think this to be just?
    Do you say, ‘It is my right before God,’
3 that you ask, ‘What advantage have I?
    How am I better off than if I had sinned?’
4 I will answer you
    and your friends with you.
5 Look at the heavens, and see;
    and behold the clouds, which are higher than you.
6 If you have sinned, what do you accomplish against him?
    And if your transgressions are multiplied, what do you do to him?
7 If you are righteous, what do you give to him?
    Or what does he receive from your hand?
8 Your wickedness concerns a man like yourself,
    and your righteousness a son of man.

9 “Because of the multitude of oppressions people cry out;
    they call for help because of the arm of the mighty.
10 But none says, ‘Where is God my Maker,
    who gives songs in the night,
11 who teaches us more than the beasts of the earth
    and makes us wiser than the birds of the heavens?’
12 There they cry out, but he does not answer,
    because of the pride of evil men.
13 Surely God does not hear an empty cry,
    nor does the Almighty regard it.
14 How much less when you say that you do not see him,
    that the case is before him, and you are waiting for him!
15 And now, because his anger does not punish,
    and he does not take much note of transgression,
16 Job opens his mouth in empty talk;
    he multiplies words without knowledge.” – Job 35:1-16 ESV

Once again, the overly verbose Elihu starts off the latest section of his speech by lifting the statements of Job out of their context and using them as a launching pad for his latest diatribe. He addresses Job’s persistent demand to get a hearing before God so that He might prove himself innocent. Elihu describes that demand as nothing more than a display of boastful pride. As far as Elihu is concerned, Job has no rights before God.

This led him to pick up on another statement made by Job but he does so with a fair amount of paraphrasing. He accuses Job of claiming that living a righteous life is of no advantage if the righteous suffer along with the wicked.

But what Job actually said was quite different. He simply asked, “For what hope do the godless have when God cuts them off and takes away their life? Will God listen to their cry when trouble comes upon them?” (Job 27:8-9 NLT). All he was trying to say was that the only hope the righteous have is if their God hears their cries and releases them from their pain and suffering. If He were to refuse to do so, so they would be no better off than the wicked.

Yet Elihu wants to paint Job as a prideful, self-proclaimed Puritan who claims to have lived a perfect and sin-free life. Elihu isn’t buying Job’s innocent-victim act but he plays along with the idea. For Elihu, it didn’t really matter whether Job was righteous or wicked because God was not affected by either.

“If you sin, how does that affect God?
    Even if you sin again and again,
    what effect will it have on him?
If you are good, is this some great gift to him?
    What could you possibly give him?” – Job 35:6-7 NLT

Elihu’s concept of God was that of a distant and disengaged deity who was far removed from the daily actions of mere humans. His argument seems to be that even if Job was fully righteous, God owed him nothing. All of Job’s supposed good deeds were nothing more than filthy rags in the eyes of God (Isaiah 64:6). From Elihu’s vantage point, sin had no influence on God; it only affected the sinner and all those around him. In the same way, the righteous deeds of men were only of value to other men. They were the sole beneficiaries. In Elihu’s theology, God remained unaffected by human sin or righteousness.

“There is no place in Elihu’s theology for doing God’s will out of love for him. Man affects only his fellow man by being good or bad (v.9). And though God may punish or reward man as Judge, there is no place for him in the role of a Father who can be hurt or pleased by man.” – Elmer B. Smick, "Job," in 1 Kings-Job, vol. 4 of The Expositor's Bible Commentary

Elihu seems to concede that Job had done a few righteous things in his lifetime, but Elihu didn’t believe those “good deeds” had earned Job any credit with God. It seems obvious that these two men had two diametrically distinct views of God. For Elihu, God was aloof and disinterested in man’s earthly activities. But Job believed that God was intimately involved in the lives of mankind, and the Scriptures support his conclusion.

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
    and whoever captures souls is wise.
If the righteous is repaid on earth,
    how much more the wicked and the sinner!  Proverbs 30:30-31 ESV

Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise,
    but the companion of fools will suffer harm.
Disaster pursues sinners,
    but the righteous are rewarded with good. – Proverbs 13:20-21 ESV

Say to those with fearful hearts,
    “Be strong, and do not fear,
for your God is coming to destroy your enemies.
    He is coming to save you.” – Isaiah 35:4 NLT

It was David who said of God, “The Lord rewards every man for his righteousness and his faithfulness” (1 Samuel 26:23 ESV). He spoke these words to King Saul, after having rejected the opportunity to take Saul’s life. David had spent years running from the king, who had placed a bounty on David’s head. On one occasion, after a long day of pursuing David, Saul and 3,000 of his men set up camp in the wilderness of Ziph. In the middle of the night, David and a companion snuck into camp and found Saul fast asleep. Abishai, who had volunteered to join David on his clandestine mission, saw this as a God-ordained opportunity to take care of the Saul problem once and for all.

“God has surely handed your enemy over to you this time!” Abishai whispered to David. “Let me pin him to the ground with one thrust of the spear; I won’t need to strike twice!” – 1 Samuel 26:8 NLT

But David rejected Abishai’s advice, refusing to take matters into his own hands.

“Don’t kill him. For who can remain innocent after attacking the Lord’s anointed one? Surely the Lord will strike Saul down someday, or he will die of old age or in battle. The Lord forbid that I should kill the one he has anointed! But take his spear and that jug of water beside his head, and then let’s get out of here!” – 1 Samuel 26:9-11 NLT

With Saul’s spear and water jug in his hands, David stealthily exited the camp and climbed to the top of a nearby hill, where he called out to Saul and revealed just how close the king had come to death at his hands. David informed Saul that the only reason he was still alive was that Daviid was willing to let God reward and repay according to His own will.

“The Lord gives his own reward for doing good and for being loyal, and I refused to kill you even when the Lord placed you in my power, for you are the Lord’s anointed one. Now may the Lord value my life, even as I have valued yours today. May he rescue me from all my troubles.” – 1 Samuel 26:23-24 NLT

This perspective stands in direct opposition to that of Elihu. He asserts that when the oppressed “cry out, God does not answer because of their pride” (Job 35:12 NLT). The reason they get no answer from God is because they are sinful. According to Elihu’s theology, their oppression is their own fault.

But in the very next breath, Elihu seems to contradict himself. He states, “…it is wrong to say God doesn’t listen, to say the Almighty isn’t concerned” (Job 35:13 NLT). He actually accuses Job of denying God’s presence. But that is not what Job has been saying. He has only expressed his view that God didn’t seem to be listening or intervening in his situation. He has repeatedly called out to God, asking for an audience before His Creator and Judge so that he might state his case. But from Job’s perspective, it felt like God was not listening or nowhere to be found.

Job was simply stating things as he saw them. He was describing the way he viewed his life from his limited earth-bound perspective. He knew God was there, but his circumstances painted a very different picture. Elihu views Job’s honesty as the words of a fool because he doesn’t understand the depths of Job’s pain. Elihu can’t get past Job’s words long enough to see what going on in his heart. This leads him to say, “you are talking nonsense, Job. You have spoken like a fool” (Job 35:16 NLT)

But in reality, Job was speaking like a suffering saint. He was expressing his pain and confusion just as David did. The David who was confident that God rewards the righteous is the same David who wrote the following gut-wrenching words:

O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever?
    How long will you look the other way?
How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul,
    with sorrow in my heart every day?
    How long will my enemy have the upper hand? – Psalm 13:1-2 NLT

And he was the same David that followed up these words of anxiety and anguish with the following statement of faith and hope:

But I trust in your unfailing love.
    I will rejoice because you have rescued me.
I will sing to the Lord
    because he is good to me.  – Psalm 13:5-6 NLT

Both David and Job were venting their frustration. The only difference is that Job had not yet reached the point of expressing his hope in the faithfulness of God. He was not yet ready to rejoice in the midst of his trials. At this point in his life, there was no song on his lips or unwavering confidence in his heart that God was going to make things right. He had hopes but they were weak and wavering. He was desperate for deliverance  but was not quite convinced of its imminence.

But Job could have used a little help from his friends. Instead, all he got was a heavy dose of condemnation and correction. In Elihu’s attempt to defend God, he was destroying Job’s faith in God. His truncated theology had produced a diminished view of God that was actually diminishing Job’s faith in God.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Life Isn’t Fair, But God Is Just

1 “Why are not times of judgment kept by the Almighty,
    and why do those who know him never see his days?
2 Some move landmarks;
    they seize flocks and pasture them.
3 They drive away the donkey of the fatherless;
    they take the widow's ox for a pledge.
4 They thrust the poor off the road;
    the poor of the earth all hide themselves.
5 Behold, like wild donkeys in the desert
    the poor go out to their toil, seeking game;
    the wasteland yields food for their children.
6 They gather their fodder in the field,
    and they glean the vineyard of the wicked man.
7 They lie all night naked, without clothing,
    and have no covering in the cold.
8 They are wet with the rain of the mountains
    and cling to the rock for lack of shelter.
9 (There are those who snatch the fatherless child from the breast,
    and they take a pledge against the poor.)
10 They go about naked, without clothing;
    hungry, they carry the sheaves;
11 among the olive rows of the wicked they make oil;
    they tread the winepresses, but suffer thirst.
12 From out of the city the dying groan,
    and the soul of the wounded cries for help;
    yet God charges no one with wrong.

13 “There are those who rebel against the light,
    who are not acquainted with its ways,
    and do not stay in its paths.
14 The murderer rises before it is light,
    that he may kill the poor and needy,
    and in the night he is like a thief.
15 The eye of the adulterer also waits for the twilight,
    saying, ‘No eye will see me’;
    and he veils his face.
16 In the dark they dig through houses;
    by day they shut themselves up;
    they do not know the light.
17 For deep darkness is morning to all of them;
    for they are friends with the terrors of deep darkness.

18 “You say, ‘Swift are they on the face of the waters;
    their portion is cursed in the land;
    no treader turns toward their vineyards.
19 Drought and heat snatch away the snow waters;
    so does Sheol those who have sinned.
20 The womb forgets them;
    the worm finds them sweet;
they are no longer remembered,
    so wickedness is broken like a tree.’

21 “They wrong the barren, childless woman,
    and do no good to the widow.
22 Yet God prolongs the life of the mighty by his power;
    they rise up when they despair of life.
23 He gives them security, and they are supported,
    and his eyes are upon their ways.
24 They are exalted a little while, and then are gone;
    they are brought low and gathered up like all others;
    they are cut off like the heads of grain.
25 If it is not so, who will prove me a liar
    and show that there is nothing in what I say?” – Job 24:1-25 ESV

The world we live in is anything but fair. Every day, people suffer injustices of all kinds. Children are born into families in which they find themselves unloved and abused. The powerful take advantage of the weak and defenseless. Corrupt governments deny the rights of their citizens. Individuals harm one another. People who have worked all their lives and saved to provide themselves a decent retirement income, lose it all at the hands of unethical corporate executives and greedy lenders. The same was true in Job's day.

Despite his friends' assertions that the wicked always face justice at the hand of God, Job argues that this isn't necessarily so. Plenty of people in Job's day seemed to walk away without a scratch in spite of their unethical and immoral behavior.

"There are people out there getting by with murder--stealing and lying and cheating. They rip off the poor and exploit the unfortunate, push the helpless into the ditch, bully the weak so that they fear for their lives. The poor, like stray dogs and cats, scavenge for food in back alleys. They sort through the garbage of the rich, eke out survival on handouts. Homeless, they shiver through cold nights on the street; they've no place to lay their heads." – Job 24:2-7 MSG

Job is simply stating the facts as he sees them. This is reality. It is the nature of life lived in a fallen world, and it was true in Job's day just as it is in ours. Job asks the obvious question:

"Why doesn’t the Almighty open the court and bring judgment? Why must the godly wait for him in vain?" – Job 24:1 NLT

As we watch events taking place in our world, we tend to ask the same basic question. Why doesn't God step in and do something? When we read news stories of abuse, neglect, corruption, murder, hatred, and bigotry, we can’t help but wonder where God is and why He isn't doing something about it all. The truth is that the wicked don't always suffer. Sometimes they actually get away with their actions and profit from their behavior. The innocent suffer while the wicked prosper. It happens all the time. We don't like it, and we can't explain it. And the fact is, God isn’t obligated to provide us with an explanation.

But Job finds comfort in knowing that in the end, God will deal with all those who practice ungodliness.

"But God drags away the mighty by his power; though they become established, they have no assurance of life. He may let them rest in a feeling of security, but his eyes are on their ways. For a little while they are exalted, and then they are gone; they are brought low and gathered up like all others; they are cut off like ears of corn." – Job 24:22-24 NIV

God is always watching. His eyes are fixed on the ways of the wicked and He doesn’t miss a thing. He is not asleep or indifferent. He is not apathetic or disinterested. Job knows that God will act – in His own good time. In the meantime, the righteous will continue to suffer while the wicked seem to prosper. Job isn’t necessarily being pessimistic; he’s simply being realistic. Life isn’t a black-and-white affair. The good don’t always win and the righteous aren’t immune from suffering. Much to our chagrin, the bad guys don’t always get what they deserve. Evil people sometimes prosper and too often than not, the weak and helpless come out on the short end of the stick.

It is a painful reality that Christians face persecution and even death at the hands of malicious governments. Innocent women and children are sold into slavery or used to feed the insatiable desires of the world's burgeoning sex trade. It's unfair. It's immoral. It's offensive and reprehensible. But it does not mean that God is out of control or disinterested. He is fully aware of what is going on and, one day, He will act. We can rest assured.

"But GOD hasn't moved to the mountains; his holy address hasn't changed. He's in charge, as always, his eyes taking everything in, his eyelids unblinking, examining Adam's unruly brood inside and out, not missing a thing. He tests the good and the bad alike; if anyone cheats, God's outraged. Fail the test and you're out, out in a hail of firestones, drinking from a canteen filled with hot desert wind. GOD's business is putting things right; he loves getting the lines straight, setting us straight. Once we're standing tall, we can look him straight in the eye." – Psalm 11:4-7 MSG

Job’s whole point is that things are not always what they seem. He is trying to get his three friends to understand that their assessment of his situation was inaccurate and unfair. They were judging him falsely because they didn’t have all the facts. They were drawing their conclusions based on circumstantial evidence that gave a false impression of guilt. But God knew the facts of the case, and Job was convinced that He would rule favorably in the end.

“God, in his power, drags away the rich.
    They may rise high, but they have no assurance of life.
They may be allowed to live in security,
    but God is always watching them.
And though they are great now,
    in a moment they will be gone like all others,
    cut off like heads of grain.
Can anyone claim otherwise?
    Who can prove me wrong?” – Job 24:22-25 NLT

Job was content to leave his judgment up to God. But he wasn’t going to allow his friends to ruin his reputation by dragging his name through the mud and questioning his integrity. He was not guilty as charged. Job was perplexed and confused but he was willing to wait on God to make things right. For the moment, things seemed out of sorts and difficult to comprehend. But even in the upside-down world in which Job found himself, he knew he could count on God.

God sees all. He is just. And one day He will make all things right. May He give us patience to wait for His perfect timing. And as we wait, we must pray for strength so that we might be salt and light in the dark world in which we live. May we bring refreshment and hope to the suffering and the lost. Life is not far, but our God is just and righteous. And one day, He will balance the scales and set all things in order.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

My Redeemer Lives

1 Then Job answered and said:

2 “How long will you torment me
    and break me in pieces with words?
3 These ten times you have cast reproach upon me;
    are you not ashamed to wrong me?
4 And even if it be true that I have erred,
    my error remains with myself.
5 If indeed you magnify yourselves against me
    and make my disgrace an argument against me,
6 know then that God has put me in the wrong
    and closed his net about me.
7 Behold, I cry out, ‘Violence!’ but I am not answered;
    I call for help, but there is no justice.
8 He has walled up my way, so that I cannot pass,
    and he has set darkness upon my paths.
9 He has stripped from me my glory
    and taken the crown from my head.
10 He breaks me down on every side, and I am gone,
    and my hope has he pulled up like a tree.
11 He has kindled his wrath against me
    and counts me as his adversary.
12 His troops come on together;
    they have cast up their siege ramp against me
    and encamp around my tent.

13 “He has put my brothers far from me,
    and those who knew me are wholly estranged from me.
14 My relatives have failed me,
    my close friends have forgotten me.
15 The guests in my house and my maidservants count me as a stranger;
    I have become a foreigner in their eyes.
16 I call to my servant, but he gives me no answer;
    I must plead with him with my mouth for mercy.
17 My breath is strange to my wife,
    and I am a stench to the children of my own mother.
18 Even young children despise me;
    when I rise they talk against me.
19 All my intimate friends abhor me,
    and those whom I loved have turned against me.
20 My bones stick to my skin and to my flesh,
    and I have escaped by the skin of my teeth.
21 Have mercy on me, have mercy on me, O you my friends,
    for the hand of God has touched me!
22 Why do you, like God, pursue me?
    Why are you not satisfied with my flesh?

23 “Oh that my words were written!
    Oh that they were inscribed in a book!
24 Oh that with an iron pen and lead
    they were engraved in the rock forever!
25 For I know that my Redeemer lives,
    and at the last he will stand upon the earth.
26 And after my skin has been thus destroyed,
    yet in my flesh I shall see God,
27 whom I shall see for myself,
    and my eyes shall behold, and not another.
    My heart faints within me!
28 If you say, ‘How we will pursue him!’
    and, ‘The root of the matter is found in him,’
29 be afraid of the sword,
    for wrath brings the punishment of the sword,
    that you may know there is a judgment.” – Job 19:1-29 ESV

Job’s response to Bildad echoes his earlier speeches and continues to reflect his unwillingness to concede defeat or confess his innocence. He is worn out and begs his friends to show him some mercy to balance out their relentless attacks.

“How long will you torture me?
    How long will you try to crush me with your words?
You have already insulted me ten times.
    You should be ashamed of treating me so badly.” – Job 19:2-3 NLT

Their better-than-thou approach to counseling has left Job feeling beaten down rather than lifted up. Their constant displays of moral superiority and self-righteous certainty have done more damage than good.

“Even if I have sinned,
    that is my concern, not yours.
You think you’re better than I am,
    using my humiliation as evidence of my sin.” – Job 19:4-5 NLT

And Job reminds them once again that his real adversary is God. He is the one behind all his pain and misery.

“God has blocked my way so I cannot move.
    He has plunged my path into darkness.
He has stripped me of my honor
    and removed the crown from my head.
He has demolished me on every side, and I am finished.” – Job 19:8-10 NLT

In the midst of all his pain, abandoned by family and friends, Job begs Bildad, Zophar, and Eliphaz to show him a bit of compassion.

“Have mercy on me, my friends, have mercy,
    for the hand of God has struck me.
Must you also persecute me, like God does?
    Haven’t you chewed me up enough?” – Job 19:21-22 NLT

Then suddenly, as if a light switch was turned on in a darkened room, Job makes this incredibly optimistic statement.

“But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives,
    and he will stand upon the earth at last.
And after my body has decayed,
    yet in my body I will see God!” – Job 19:25-26 NLT

Job is suffering inexplicably and unexpectedly. He is being relentlessly attacked and accused by his friends for his apparent wickedness. Yet, he is somehow able to cry out, "I know that my Redeemer lives!"

What is he saying? At the least, he is expressing belief in a God who will one day vindicate him and prove him to be innocent. He holds out hope that his sufferings are not the result of sin and are not some form of divine punishment for wrongs done. Job knows that he will be redeemed in the end. He may die, but he will stand before the Lord with a new body and be innocent of any wrongdoing.

The word Job uses for "Redeemer" is  גָּאַל (ga’al, “to redeem, protect, vindicate”). Listen to what the Net Bible study notes have to say about this rich word:

"The word is well-known in the OT because of its identification as the kinsman-redeemer (see the Book of Ruth). This is the near kinsman who will pay off one’s debts, defend the family, avenge a killing, marry the widow of the deceased. The word 'redeemer' evokes the wrong connotation for people familiar with the NT alone; a translation of 'Vindicator' would capture the idea more. The concept might include the description of the mediator already introduced in Job 16:19, but surely here Job is thinking of God as his vindicator. The interesting point to be stressed here is that Job has said clearly that he sees no vindication in this life, that he is going to die. But he knows he will be vindicated, and even though he will die, his vindicator lives. The dilemma remains though: his distress lay in God’s hiding his face from him, and his vindication lay only in beholding God in peace."

In the face of the unrelenting onslaught of his friends' accusations, Job is anxious for someone to vindicate him (to clear, as from an accusation, imputation, suspicion, or the like: to vindicate someone's honor). He longs to have someone stand up for him and he knows that the only one who can and will do so is God Himself.

His friends seem unwilling to show him mercy, so Job is left with God alone as his future source of hope and restoration. He has resigned himself with his pending death but he believes that he will stand before God one day with a new body and a clean record.

“I will see him for myself.
    Yes, I will see him with my own eyes.
    I am overwhelmed at the thought!” – Job 19:27 NLT

Job was able to face death because he placed his hope in the reality of eternity. In his desperate situation, his only recourse was to trust in a God who would one day redeem him and restore him. As bad as his life was, Job could face it only because of his belief in God and his hope in an eternal destiny.

So what about us? How do we face the trials and tests of life? Where do we focus our attention? Yes, Job was fully aware of his suffering. He was not living some Pollyanna dream where he refused to face reality. He was in pain. He was hurting. But he kept going back to the only thing he could trust – God.

There was a lot he didn't understand about God and his own circumstances, but he did know that God was just, righteous, and merciful. He also held on to his fragile belief that there was more to life than the here and now. He had to keep believing that there was a future life ahead of him and it was there that his vindication would be complete. His honor would be restored. Even his body would be renewed. It was that belief that kept Job going in the face of extreme difficulty. And we have the same hope.

We have a Redeemer who will one day vindicate us. He will welcome us into His presence as righteous and completely sinless. We will have restored bodies and hearts that are free from sin. And in the last part of Job's statement, I think we get a glimpse of the future reality of Christ's triumphant return to earth as the conquering Messiah. "But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and that he will stand upon the earth at last" (Job 19:25 NLT).

There is a day coming when Jesus Christ will return to earth, not to suffer and die, but to rule, restore, and reign. That is our hope. That is our future. That is why we can cry out along with Job, "I know my Redeemer lives!"

He will set all things right. He will vindicate and avenge His own. And we will be revealed to be what we have always claimed to be: God's children.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

A One-Dimensional View of God

1 “My spirit is broken; my days are extinct;
    the graveyard is ready for me.
2 Surely there are mockers about me,
    and my eye dwells on their provocation.

3 “Lay down a pledge for me with you;
    who is there who will put up security for me?
4 Since you have closed their hearts to understanding,
    therefore you will not let them triumph.
5 He who informs against his friends to get a share of their property—
    the eyes of his children will fail.

6 “He has made me a byword of the peoples,
    and I am one before whom men spit.
7 My eye has grown dim from vexation,
    and all my members are like a shadow.
8 The upright are appalled at this,
    and the innocent stirs himself up against the godless.
9 Yet the righteous holds to his way,
    and he who has clean hands grows stronger and stronger.
10 But you, come on again, all of you,
    and I shall not find a wise man among you.
11 My days are past; my plans are broken off,
    the desires of my heart.
12 They make night into day:
    ‘The light,’ they say, ‘is near to the darkness.’
13 If I hope for Sheol as my house,
    if I make my bed in darkness,
14 if I say to the pit, ‘You are my father,’
    and to the worm, ‘My mother,’ or ‘My sister,’
15 where then is my hope?
    Who will see my hope?
16 Will it go down to the bars of Sheol?
    Shall we descend together into the dust?” – Job 17:1-16 ESV

In this section of Job’s speech, he inadvertently shifts from talking to God directly to addressing Him in the third person. It is as if he is addressing two different audiences at once. One moment, he seems to be speaking directly to God:

“You must defend my innocence, O God,
    since no one else will stand up for me.” – Job 17:3 NLT

In the next breath, he addresses an unseen audience to whom he vents his frustration about Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar.

“God has made a mockery of me among the people;
    they spit in my face.” – Job 17:6 NLT

Then he suddenly directs his attention back to his three accusers.

“As for all of you, come back with a better argument,
    though I still won’t find a wise man among you.” – Job 17:10 NLT

It’s almost as if Job sees himself on trial in a courtroom. He is standing before God, who serves as the judge, his three friends make up the prosecution, and his neighbors act as a jury of his peers. Job finds himself on the witness stand, responding to the accusations of his guilt, and attempting to sway the judge and jury of his innocence.

In his hopeless and impoverished state, Job pleads with God to put up the money for his bond.

“Lay down a pledge for me with you;
    who is there who will put up security for me?” – Job 17:3 ESV

In the legal system of that day, each litigant was required to post a bond that would help cover the expense of the trial. At the end of the trial, the losing party would forfeit whatever collateral they had pledged. But Job was destitute and had lost all his worldly possessions, so he had no cash or collateral on hand. Job’s unusual request for a pledge from “the judge” was his way of letting God know that he felt like he was on trial. There was no literal courtroom with a jury and a judge sitting on a dais. But from Job’s perspective, his entire life had turned into a courtroom drama with himself as the defendant and God acting as his judge.

What complicated matters for Job was that the judge was also the cause of all his troubles. Since Job believed in the sovereignty of God, he could reach no other conclusion than that the Almighty was the moving force behind all that had happened in his life. At no time does Job blame Satan or anyone else for his problems. He inherently knows that God is the ruler over all the universe and nothing happens without His consent or causation.

So, in this “trial” of his life, Job finds himself in a rather awkward position, having to defend himself against his “assailant” who also serves as his judge. And, in a way, Job must also rely on God to act as his defense attorney because he has no one else to whom he can turn or trust. This rather unconventional trial causes Job to make statements that seem contradictory and confusing.

While he expresses anger with the unwarranted attacks of his friends, Job holds God responsible.

“You have closed their minds to understanding,
    but do not let them triumph.
They betray their friends for their own advantage…” – Job 17:5 NLT

Yet, he wants the judge to punish his friends for their actions.

“… so let their children faint with hunger.” – Job 17:5 b NLT

Job couldn’t help but hold God accountable. After all, he believed His all-powerful God to be in control of all things at all times. So, he reasoned that his difficulties could have no explanation other than God. And his undeserved and inexplicable troubles were having a negative impact on those around him.

“God has made a mockery of me among the people;
    they spit in my face.
My eyes are swollen with weeping,
    and I am but a shadow of my former self.
The virtuous are horrified when they see me.
    The innocent rise up against the ungodly.” – Job 17:6-8 NLT

Those who once looked up to Job as an icon of integrity and virtue now cross to the other side of the street when they see him. They avoid him like the plague. Those who once revered Job for his righteousness are now horrified by his apparent wickedness and join the mob that assails him as ungodly. He has become a social pariah and an outcast in his own community. He has no family, home, or friends. He is alone and desperate for someone to come to his aid and defense, so he calls on his God.

“My days are over.
    My hopes have disappeared.
    My heart’s desires are broken.” – Job 17:11 NLT

These are the cries of a broken man. He is not using hyperbole or overexaggerated rhetoric to intensify his suffering. He is not shedding crocodile tears or putting on a performance to gain the sympathy of the judge and jury. Job is at the end of his emotional tether, crying out for someone to step in and deliver him from the never-ending nightmare that has become his life.

What frustrates Job is how his friends use their words to twist reality. Their clever speeches paint a false picture of what is really going on.

“These men say that night is day;
    they claim that the darkness is light.” – Job 17:12 NLT

Their statements contradict the truth. In a sense, Job accuses them of lying in order to state their case against him. Their words, cleverly spoken, are nothing but fabrications and half-truths that portray Job as a wicked man who fully deserves all that is happening. But Job knows that they are wrong. Yet, the only hope he has left is death. The only way he sees this nightmare ending is with the termination of his life.

“If I hope for Sheol as my house,
    if I make my bed in darkness,
if I say to the pit, ‘You are my father,’
    and to the worm, ‘My mother,’ or ‘My sister,’
where then is my hope?” – Job 17:13-15 ESV

But in his heart, he knows that death will not bring deliverance. The loss of his life will not restore his reputation, bring back his dead children, or renew the joy he once had. With no clear idea of what lay beyond the grave, Job could not imagine death as the preferred solution to his problem. That is what led him to take his case to God.

He is pleading with God to come up with another plan. He asks the judge to pronounce a verdict that will vindicate him and restore him – in this life. Job doesn’t want to die, but if the future holds more suffering, he sees it as his only way out. However, he believed that God had the power and authority to step in and change the course of his life. If God had caused it all, He could also bring it to an end.

But Job had a one-dimensional view of God. He had somehow reached the conclusion that a good God gives nothing but good gifts to his good children. If Job was convinced of his own righteousness, then he believed himself to be deserving of God’s goodness. In a sense, he had turned God into a cosmic slot machine, a kind of divine genie in the sky who doles out good things to His good children. But this seems to contradict what Job stated back in chapter two.

“Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?”  Job 2:10 ESV

Yet, time has a way of altering our perspective. The longer Job had to dwell on and in his misery, the more uncertain he became about his earlier statement. He had been willing to accept the evil as long as it was immediately followed up by a proportionate amount of good. But when more trouble came his way and the floodgates of God’s goodness didn’t open up as expected, Job began to have second thoughts. He began to question the goodness of God. Things hadn’t turned out as he anticipated and his one-dimensional view of God was leaving him conflicted and confused. Where were his rewards? When was God going to show up and pour out all His blessings again? But Job had much to learn about God and his own unworthiness.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.