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 2 Kings 24:20b,
"... in the end he [the Lord] thrust them [Judah] from his presence."
Here is the frightful observation of Judah's disposition with the Lord in King Zedekiah's day. Due to the rejection of the Lord by the people of Judah, they managed to find the threshold of his judgment of them. Gone is the Lord's good will toward his people. Gone is his favor. Gone is his mercy and kindness toward them. All they have left is the Lord's condemnation of them. All they have is the Lord's judgment of them. All the survivors have left is captivity in a foreign land with absolutely no prospect for help or deliverance from the Lord they themselves rejected.
They brought it all, entirely, upon themselves. The Lord had sent his prophets to them. The Lord had provided them with his Scriptures from Moses on down. The Lord had given them fair warning. The Lord had provided them a taste of what their judgment would be if they persisted in their rejection of him. Yet, they remained aloof and captivated by false religion as they rejected the Lord and all his warnings to his covenanted people.
I can't help but think of people today. The Lord has provided us his Scriptures. God has provided us his Son, Jesus Christ. He has provided for us an opportunity to have our own sins forgiven through his atonement. The Lord has provided those who bring the gospel. He has given us fair warning of his judgment. And, yet, look at all who continue to reject him.
Where will these folks who reject the Lord be on his great and gloomy day of wrath? What will become of them? "they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur" Revelation 21:8. We also read, "Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire." Revelation 20:15.
Just as Judah was warned of the coming wrath of the Lord for their rejection of him, so all mankind has been warned of the coming wrath of the Lord for our rejection of him. Just as Judah found their fortunes to be lost in an existence of captivity and misery, so all mankind will find their fortunes to be lost in that fiery lake of burning sulfur if we reject him in this life.
Judah had a door to respond to the Lord. That door was open for a long, long time. They refused the Lord. I am reminded that we have a door to embrace the Lord. That door has been open for a long time. However, just as Judah's door was slammed shut, so the Lord's offer to us will one day be slammed shut. The door is only open for a time... but there is a shelf life connected with the Lord's offer to us, just as it was with Judah.
"It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." Hebrews 10:31. "God is a consuming fire." Hebrews 12:29. All he asks of us is to embrace him in faith. May we all respond to the Lord's invitation to us while the door is still open. It will certain close one day, just as it did with Judah.
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 receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
"... in the end he [the Lord] thrust them [Judah] from his presence."
Here is the frightful observation of Judah's disposition with the Lord in King Zedekiah's day. Due to the rejection of the Lord by the people of Judah, they managed to find the threshold of his judgment of them. Gone is the Lord's good will toward his people. Gone is his favor. Gone is his mercy and kindness toward them. All they have left is the Lord's condemnation of them. All they have is the Lord's judgment of them. All the survivors have left is captivity in a foreign land with absolutely no prospect for help or deliverance from the Lord they themselves rejected.
They brought it all, entirely, upon themselves. The Lord had sent his prophets to them. The Lord had provided them with his Scriptures from Moses on down. The Lord had given them fair warning. The Lord had provided them a taste of what their judgment would be if they persisted in their rejection of him. Yet, they remained aloof and captivated by false religion as they rejected the Lord and all his warnings to his covenanted people.
I can't help but think of people today. The Lord has provided us his Scriptures. God has provided us his Son, Jesus Christ. He has provided for us an opportunity to have our own sins forgiven through his atonement. The Lord has provided those who bring the gospel. He has given us fair warning of his judgment. And, yet, look at all who continue to reject him.
Where will these folks who reject the Lord be on his great and gloomy day of wrath? What will become of them? "they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur" Revelation 21:8. We also read, "Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire." Revelation 20:15.
Just as Judah was warned of the coming wrath of the Lord for their rejection of him, so all mankind has been warned of the coming wrath of the Lord for our rejection of him. Just as Judah found their fortunes to be lost in an existence of captivity and misery, so all mankind will find their fortunes to be lost in that fiery lake of burning sulfur if we reject him in this life.
Judah had a door to respond to the Lord. That door was open for a long, long time. They refused the Lord. I am reminded that we have a door to embrace the Lord. That door has been open for a long time. However, just as Judah's door was slammed shut, so the Lord's offer to us will one day be slammed shut. The door is only open for a time... but there is a shelf life connected with the Lord's offer to us, just as it was with Judah.
"It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." Hebrews 10:31. "God is a consuming fire." Hebrews 12:29. All he asks of us is to embrace him in faith. May we all respond to the Lord's invitation to us while the door is still open. It will certain close one day, just as it did with Judah.
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 receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
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