majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him in Deuteronomy 3:26b,
"'That is enough,' the Lord said. 'Do not speak to me anymore about
this matter.'"
A careful reading of Numbers 20:1-13, reveals that it was a lack of
Moses' trust in the Lord that earned him the Lord's judgment. Moses
would not be allowed to take the Israelites into the promised land
when he struck the rock that was to provide water. The Lord told him
to speak to the rock but he struck it twice with his staff. In Numbers
20:12, the Lord says to Moses about his action, "Because you did not
trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites,
you will not bring this community into the land I give them." This is
the judgment from the Lord Moses fell under. When he tried to talk to
the Lord about it, the Lord told him to not bring it up again.
Such are the judgments of God. We know that the Lord is patient. His
patience brings about his purposes, "Do you show contempt for the
riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that
God's kindness leads you toward repentance?" Romans 2:4. We also see
that timely repentance (and the reverse) can alter God's intentions,
"If at any time I [the Lord] announce that a nation or kingdom is to
be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned
repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the
disaster I had planned. And if at another time I announce that a
nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, and if it does evil
in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I
had intended to do for it."
However, when the Lord has decreed his final judgment, it becomes a
fixed reality with no possible appeal. The judgment of Moses is an
example of just this. "Do not speak to me anymore about this matter."
The ultimate and certain judgment of God is found at the end of his
patience. As that point is reached, nothing but the certain agenda of
God's judgment will take place. How sobering and horrific is the Great
White Throne Judgment that we are told of in Revelation 20:11-15.
There will be no recourse for those who find themselves facing that
judgment:
"Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth
and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I
saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books
were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The
dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the
books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades
gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged
according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into
the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone's
name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the
lake of fire."
How great is the mercy of God that he sent his Son that we not have to
face this ultimate certain judgment. What a compelling thought to
motivate us to become the best we can at sharing our faith and to take
the time to share the gospel message with others!
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
No comments:
Post a Comment