COULD YOU ANSWER THE SAME? Then he said, It is the Lord; let him do what seems good to him.” -1 Samuel 3.18b How quick are we to speak these words? In our hardships? In our sicknesses? In our poverty? In the loss of a job or opportunity? In our humility? How about if weve spent years of time, energy, money, and sacrifice working toward something we thought was right, only to find it was not going to happen? Surely the Lord does not only ordain the difficult, the let-downs, the hardships, yet it is those that are usually more difficult for us to accept. Consider now that it is Eli the priest that spoke the words above. To what news does he respond thusly? It is the prophesy given to young Samuel by God - a surety of Gods wrath on the sin of Elis house, without possibility for reconciliation from the promised punishment. Namely, the contempt, despisement, and disgrace shown to God by his sons Hophni and Phinehas, and Elis unwilliness and lack of effort to correct them. This would result in the early deaths of his ancestors - all his household would fall by the sword, save himself who would grieve the punishment. What is more, both of his sons would perish on the same day, and his house would no longer serve as priests before the Lord. Broken and humbled, Eli acknowledges the Almightys just punishment. He knew his sons were guilty, and not only them, but he too shared in that guilt (cf. 1 Sam 2.29). Eli had already been rebuked by a man of God. Regardless of Elis sorrow now, the consequences were fixed. He did not plead with God; he did not argue. In his pithy response, Eli recognizes God as sovereign: It is the Lord - there is no other, nor any more powerful. Let him do - Eli understands that God can, and will, do what he purposes to do. Eli accepted his familys fate at the hand God, recognizing the heinousness of sinning against the Holy God of Israel. He even goes further by calling Gods sovereign decision, good. Gods wrath is not vindictive, uncontrolled, or undeserved. His wrath is not subject to a sinful nature and contains no unrighteousness. Gods wrath against sin is even good. God is perfectly holy, and as such, any sin is perfectly, profoundly hellish and damnable. Black is so much the blacker against a white backdrop. So too, sin is infinitely darker against the unblemished purity of Gods holiness. How moved to anger are we when we see a person unjustly treated - when we witness mass genocide, when civilian children are killed by war, when a helpless child is murdered or left for dead, when crime is pinned on the innocent? These are sins against already sinful humans, even if they arent their own transgressions. Still, we would demand justice. How much more then is justice deserved against each of us who sin against God. That is why the saints in heaven can cry, With a loud voice, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long will it be before you judge and avenge our blood on the inhabitants of the earth? (Rev 6.10) Only by his great mercy, does God hold back the Day of Wrath. It is by this loving act, that he keeps the gate to his kingdom (JESUS) open longer, in order that he can welcome into his loving arms, more sinners undeserving of his favor. Take hold of this eternally relevant opportunity. Trust that God the Father has loved us so much, that he would send his willing Son, Jesus, to die for the punishment of our sins, so that we might be forgiven rather than judged by our sin. What man could not do, God offered a way, out of great love for his children.
Posted on: Thu, 06 Mar 2014 10:47:45 +0000
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