Are you like God? - Ruminating in the Word of God

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 Psalm 50:21,

"These things you [the wicked] have done and I [God] kept silent;
you thought I was altogether like you.
But I will rebuke you
and accuse you to your face."

God brings an indictment against the wicked in Psalm 50. He observes
that the wicked hate his "instruction" as they cast his words behind
them, verse 17. This doesn't mean they don't traffic in the
Scriptures. In verse 16 God demands to know, "What right have you to
recite my laws or take my covenant on your lips?" In verse 22 the
wicked are seen as those who forget God. In verses 18-20 various sins
are enumerated and God's warning is given in verse 22: "Consider this,
you who forget God, or I will tear you to pieces, with none to
rescue..."

You would think with such a warning folks would tend to their
responsibilities before their Creator. The very things they do,
however, assures they won't. People who "cast" his words behind them,
hate his instruction, and forget about God will never respond to his
offer of forgiveness given in the gospel message. What is worse, they
assume God is just like them!

In a passage that gets little press, Paul makes a frightful
observation of the wicked as identified in Psalm 50, "God gave them a
spirit of stupor, eyes so that they could not see and ears so that
they could not hear, to this very day." Romans 11:8. The NIV notes
this is a quote or reference to Deuteronomy 29:4 and Isaiah 29:10. In
Isaiah 29:10 it applies to those who, "come near to me with their
mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.
Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men." Isaiah
29:13.

Sadly and horrifically, the only outlook for those who are caught in
God's condemnation for failing to embrace him in faith have only one
thing to look forward to as they leave this life: "their place will be
in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death."
Revelation 21:8.

The wonderful kindness and love of God is expressed, however, in his
offer of eternal life for any and all who will respond to his offer by
embracing him in faith. "to all who received him, to those who
believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God",
John 1:12. None have to face God's condemnation, none have to face
that fiery lake of burning sulfur. All have an opportunity to join
God's family and have a place at his table! "God our Savior... wants
all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth." 2
Timothy 2:3-4.

If we do embrace him in faith, God immediately begins to work in our
lives to bring about a mystical and spiritual transformation, "And we
know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,
who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew
he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that
he might be the firstborn among many brothers." Romans 8:28-29.

Those whose hearts are far from God assume God is like them. Those
whose hearts are given to God know better and find themselves being
transformed into the likeness of his Son.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!

Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com