The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my mind and heart in Romans 11:22,
"Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God..."
I am reminded that if I ever developed a two dimensional perspective of God, then I have created God in my own image. Our God is anything but two dimensional! Statements like, "I don't see God this way, he is that way", or "I believe in the God of the New Testament, a God of love", may betray an incomplete and limited view in a perspective of God.
Certainly God is love. John tell us that directly. "God is love." He tells us that twice in his first letter, 4:8 and 16. Just as certainly, God is our God of judgment. "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world...' Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels...'" Matthew 25:34 and 41. Love and judgment.
I also find many other aspects of God's character on display in the Scriptures. I see them in his sense of humor, as when he mocks the Israelites as they worship idols, where God notes the idols have to be nailed down to keep them from falling off the mantle. I also see an aspect of God's broken heart when his people stray from him, like a loving husband is broken-hearted over a wayward wife as he tells Hosea to pursue his wife, "Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the Lord loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes." Hosea 3:1.
God reveals many aspects of what he is like in the pages of Scripture and they are all fascinating to me to explore and discover. But consistently, God wants us to know that there are two aspects of his nature we need to be very clear on: his love, mercy and kindness on the one hand, and his judgment on the other.
When he revealed himself to Moses, he told him, "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." Exodus 34:6-7. Both mercy and judgment. Also we see in Jeremiah 9:24, "'...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,' declares the Lord." Both kindness and justice.
A word to those who take concern for their welfare: "Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God..."
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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