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 Jeremiah 6:2,
"I will destroy Daughter Zion, so beautiful and delicate."
This destruction of a city characterized as "beautiful and delicate"
seems so wrong. Who is it that is going to bring this destruction? Is
it the devil? Is it ISIS? Palistiian terrorists? Who could possibly
want to destroy a thing of beauty? A thing so "delicate" as the city
of Jerusalem, the city that was home to God's own people?
God announced he was going to destroy his own people, and do it right
within the city found to be so beautiful and delicate by God himself!
What does this tell me about God? From the book of Jeremiah we find
the cause of God's destruction of Jerusalem was due to the sinful
rebellion of God's own who populated the city. God's judgment of his
own people, of the city of beauty and so delicate tells me that
nothing can stop God's justice from being expressed. Nothing.
Jesus Christ told Nicodemus that God so loved the world that he sent
his Son into it. Will God's love prevent him from exercising his
judgment against any and all who sin? Not in the slightest. What we
find is that our Creator expresses both love and justice. Not only
love and not only justice. And, not just a little of each but a
god-sized truckload of both. We read in Jeremiah 9:24, "'Let the one
who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know
me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and
righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,' declares the Lord."
How can God express both love and justice at the same time? As I
picture in my mind Jesus Christ, God's own Son, hanging on that
miserable cross suffering intensely, I see God's justice expressed
against all the sins of all mankind for all time. The scene is one of
thorough and complete justice as Jesus suffered for our sins. It is
also a scene of thorough and complete love as God's Son willingly
suffered his Father's wrath, his justice, that we might find
forgiveness of our sins. He hung there suffering for each and every
sin, for each and every one of us.
All sin will be paid for. Don't be fooled by the notion, "I can't
believe a God of love would..." Believe it! Look at the cross and
understand, look at Jerusalem and understand. Although all sins for
all people have been paid for, that payment will only accrue to the
accounts of those who have embraced Jesus Christ in faith. All others
will surely be cast into that lake of fire we read about in Revelation
20.
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!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send
me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are
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respond and let me know.
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
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