majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him in Hosea 2:19,
"I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness
and justice, in love and compassion."
As the Lord tells of a future day when he will reestablish Israel as
his "betrothed" he says he will do it in or with the two chief aspects
of his own character and nature. He will betroth Israel in or with
righteousness and justice as well as love and compassion.
These two aspects of God's character and nature are on display
throughout the Scriptures. In the Lord's highlighted revelation of
himself to Moses in Exodus 34:6-7, he says of himself, "The Lord, the
Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in
love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving
wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty
unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of
the fathers to the third and fourth generation." Here he points to his
love and compassion as well as his judgment of the sinful,
demonstrating his righteousness and judgment. Here is what is to me
the great riddle of interplay of these two great aspects of the Lord
that finds its answer in the cross of Jesus Christ.
In Jeremiah 9:24 the Lord says, "Let him who boasts boast about this:
that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord, who exercises
kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,"
Here again the Lord stresses the dual nature of his character. He
exercises kindness as well as justice and righteousness.
As I think of both of these aspects of the Lord's nature, I am
reminded I should never view either at the expense of the other. The
manifold glory of the Lord finds its expression in the splendor of
both his love and his justice. Both his kindness as well as the
unflinching tenacity of his righteousness.
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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