The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in Ecclesiastes 12:14,
"God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil."
Really? Is this really true? Do I really believe this? If it is true, how important is it to me? Do I brush this off and put it out of my mind and distract myself with other things? If Solomon is right here, if he really is inspired by God and this is exactly the affair of things then this is stunning and sobering. Every deed, whether hidden or not, God will bring into judgment! Where does that leave me?
I am reminded of what the writer of Hebrews has to say, "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account." Hebrews 4:13. Also Paul, in 1 Corinthians 4:5b, "He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts." Where does that leave me?
Fools talk of those who embrace Jesus Christ as needing a crutch for their lives, as though the faithful are weak persons, unable to cope with the trials and difficulties found in life. The reality is, Jesus Christ came to rescue us from the coming wrath of God for all sins. All sins ever committed by each and every individual who has ever lived will be taken into account and the sinner will be cast into a fiery lake of burning sulfur. "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." Revelation 21:8.
Solomon has written twelve chapters demonstrating the folly of being distracted by what is found in this life under the sun. Our deepest yearnings will never be satisfied with the things found in this life. Women, fortune and fame cannot provide it. And the stunning conclusion to the matter of what satisfies in this life is that God is going to bring everything ever done by every individual into judgment! Where does Solomon leave us? We have a desperate need to be rescued from the coming wrath, and the things of this life under the sun best not distract us from pursuing that which brings rescue as well as purposeful meaning and fulfillment in this life as well as the next.
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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