A serious theological blunder - 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 heart and mind in Micah 1:6-7,

"Therefore I will make Samaria a heap of rubble, a place for planting vineyards. I will pour her stones into the valley and lay bare her foundations. All her idols will be broken to pieces; all her temple gifts will be burned with fire; I will destroy all her images. Since she gathered her gifts from the wages of prostitutes, as the wages of prostitutes they will again be used."

The Lord announced his judgment of the northern kingdom of Israel. His indictment against Israel is her idolatry, her abandonment of the Lord. The Lord will use the Assyrians to destroy the nation. Military action, conquest, destruction, genocide. There will be a slaughter of the people and devastation to all that Israel had built.

This is God and this is who he is, what he does, what he is like. So many folks, who don't read their Bibles, have no idea what God is like or what God is about. In a huge blunder of assumed theology, they perceive God as some kind of cosmic disciplinarian. Those who "do good" in this life go to heaven and those who don't go to hell. When man acts really bad, he might come down to take care of business. In a Hallmark holiday card fashion of the misunderstood "peace on earth" announcement from the heavenly host at Jesus' birth, folks feel that God condemns war as evil... and, yet, here he is, making it happen.

What do these folks make of this? How do they reconcile their notion of God with what we are told God really does? Israel is going to be slaughtered by Assyria at the hand of God. This prophecy was literally fulfilled in 722 BC.

A few thoughts come to my mind. First of all, God is not some kind of cosmic disciplinarian. God is our Creator and will be our Judge at the end of the age. Having said that, he is not carrying out some kind of divine social experiment to see if man will behave or if he can get man to behave in this life. The reality is that we are all infected with a sinful nature and we all sin. We all face his judgment. 

Out of God's unfathomable love, he sent his Son to die a miserable death to pay the penalty for our sins. What God is looking for are those who are looking for him. What he is looking for are those who will embrace him in faith. All who do so will not only be spared of his judgment, but will also be given eternal life, a place in his family and a share in the inheritance of all those who are his.

Far from some kind of divine social experiment to see who might behave or if he can get us to behave, he is building his family, his kingdom. This is what this life is all about - God is building his kingdom. All who receive him in faith join his family. His effort is what we may call his program of redemption. He sent his Son to pay the price for our sins, and then he invites us. All who respond to his invitation by faith join his family and go to heaven after this life. All who reject him will have their place in a fiery lake of burning sulfur, Revelation 21:8.

When the affairs of this world impinge negatively on his program of redemption, the Lord steps into his creation to bring about changes that provide the opportunity for it to continue, to proceed. This is what took place when Israel was judged by God when he sent the Assyrians against them. His covenant people had placed themselves beyond the opportunity for redemption to move ahead, and so the Lord came and brought about some changes. This is what we see in the flood during Noah's day, and so much else we read of in our Bibles.

War is not the problem. God uses war. It is rejection of God that becomes a problem. And, when a nation places itself in the position of being an imposition to the gospel, look for some serious and fearful changes to come by the hand of God.

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!

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Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com