The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in Psalm 97:1-6,
"The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice. Clouds and thick darkness surround him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. Fire goes before him and consumes his foes on every side. His lightning lights up the world; the earth sees and trembles. The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth. The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all the peoples see his glory."
"The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice. Clouds and thick darkness surround him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. Fire goes before him and consumes his foes on every side. His lightning lights up the world; the earth sees and trembles. The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth. The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all the peoples see his glory."
In these verses the psalmist paints a picture of the Lord for us that reflects an important aspect of his nature: the Lord is righteous and just! This is the Lord's fearsome side. The Lord has his own nature and he will judge all within his creation that does not reflect his nature. For example, the Lord does not lie, he is always truthful. All who lie will be cast into the lake of fire. In Revelation 21:8 we read, "The cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death."
As the just and righteous judge, "fire goes before him and consumes his foes on every side." We read of clouds and thick darkness that surround him. "Mountains melt like wax before him." As the world witnesses his lightning lighting up the world, it sees and trembles. The writer of Hebrews tells us, "We know him who said, 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay,' and again, 'The Lord will judge his people.' It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." Hebrews 10:30-31.
This is a picture of a fearsome God who will hold everyone accountable for every word, every thought and every action. How astonishing this same divine judge would send his Son to pay the death penalty for my sin! Because of his love of us we have access to God's mercy and forgiveness! For me, the recognition of the Lord's righteousness and justice create a masterful background for his love and mercy to be painted on!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
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