Faith Baptist Church
4258 Botetourt Road
Fincastle, Virginia 24090
(540) 473-2325
Understanding God's Love in Justice
Ps.107 presents to us God’s answer to the ills of individuals, societies and nations.
In this passage we see a reoccurring cycle which visits individuals, families, and nations. In this cycle we see:
1. The blessings of God, vs.1, 2, 3, 6, 7, and 9
2. The thankfulness of the people, vs.1, 8, 15, 21, 30, 31, and 32
3. The forgetfulness of the people as sin sets in, vs. 11, and 17
4. The discipline of God upon the people, vs.12, 17, 33, and 34
5. The repentance of the people toward God, v. 6, 13, 19, and 28
How does the downward spiral in individuals and nations begin?
There is the initial disregard for the daily blessings of God. Selfishness always fills the void where thankfulness is absent, and when men turn inward God is always pushed away.
So when the whirlwind of trouble comes and suffering mounts up through either personal or national suffering, then God is called on to help. A little repentance takes place; a little humility is forthcoming and an increase in joy and peace is experienced. A revival of sorts lifts the spirits of people. Soon the individual or the nation is back on their feet. Good times return for a relatively short period of time, but then as before (perhaps in the next generation) thankfulness once again goes out the window and selfishness sets in. Humility soon gives place to pride and then crime and greediness and evil mounts up and suffering rears its ugly head. This cycle continues throughout human history because mankind is by nature; sinful.
The biblical solution to all suffering, both individual and national, begins with repentance toward God, Ps.107:6, 13, 19, and 28.
In a world that worships the flesh; the almighty dollar, and the ego that world is slow to acknowledge its self-centeredness. That world is quick to judge those who call their self-centeredness, sin. They are quick to dismiss either God’s hand in the world, or God’s existence at all. They love the things of the world and the love of the Father is not in them, I Jn.2:15-17. Believers can get caught up in this love affair with the world as well. When sin and evil get out of hand then God must step in.
Whether mankind likes it or not he has no power to stop the judgments of God if God deems those judgments necessary. I am bringing out these concepts because the Bible is clear as to why we see so much disaster in the world; God is judging the world.
God does not judge sin after we are dead and gone. God judges believers works to see what rewards we qualify for as we spend eternal life with the Lord, and he judges unbelievers for their unbelief in the finished work of Christ on the cross and he judges them on the human good they substituted in place of Jesus Christ sacrifice as they are sent to Hell. Since their sins are paid for their unbelief and human good condemns them.
The Bible is clear that God judges sin now. All sins were all judged and paid for by the sacrifice of Christ Jesus on the cross of Calvary, but this does not dismiss our individual and national culpability to the acts of those sins. Yes there is an eternal price to pay for the wages incurred by the old sin nature, Rom.6:23, but there is also a present price to pay as well. Ps.9:15, 17 “The nations are sunk down in the pit that they have made; in the net which they have hid is their own foot taken.” “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.” God does not let the world police (monitor) itself but so much. Sometimes God has to intervene and visit the world with catastrophe and suffering to get people to turn back to him. Sometimes we get confused in our efforts to give comfort and aid to those living in distressed areas of the world when it is a good possibility that it is the Lord God who is using that suffering to bring about repentance on those peoples part. The longer we interfere the longer the suffering may go on.
Ps.107:33-34 says it is the Lord who brings drought. Ps.107:11 tells us why the Lord brings the drought and starvation; “Because they rebelled against the words of God, and they despise the counsel of the Most High.” God has the power over the wind currents to either bring rain or to bring drought to a land.
He told Noah in Gen.6:17 that “I even I do bring a flood of water upon the earth to destroy all flesh...” Gen.8:1 God made a wind to pass over the earth and the water subsided.” The world doesn’t like to think of God being this powerful and controlling does it?
Ex.10:13, 19 declares that it was the Lord who brought an east wind to bring forth the locust plague on Egypt, and then after Pharaoh realized he had sinned against Moses’ God, then God brought forth a west wind to drive the locusts out of the land and cast them out into the sea. Please let me remind you that this occurred around 1443 B.C and yes that was a long time ago, but God is immutable(without change) and so is his word. God is no older today that he was back then because God is ageless and timeless and he does not change. Also God’s standards of right and wrong have not changed either. God’s moral values do not shift with changing cultures. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. We would like to think a loving God would not do such a thing as judge people or nations, but love has its place in the works of God. Sometimes the only loving thing God can do is judge people enough to keep them from wiping themselves out all together.
Phil.1:9 “And this I pray that your love (agape- virtue love) may abound yet more and more in (epignosis) spiritual knowledge, and in all judgment.”
When God’s love is rejected men become evil and mean from the highest of society to the lowest of the low. Sin works at all levels of humanity. And when it is rampant it brings sorrow, suffering and death. Until a people repent and return to the Lord, (not some religious icon or some higher power); until they repent they will continue to be rebuked through suffering. Suffering is often the only means God has of opening the eyes of people, Ps.119:67, 71. Good-will and education and political reform is not repentance, they are only cosmetic Band-Aids men put on societies to temporarily relieve the sin condition that festers under the surface.
God Judges The Unbeliever in Time
Ps.2:1-5 read...
Ps.9:5-8;15-20 read...
Ps.53:1-3 “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity; there is none that doeth good. God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God. Every one of them is gone back; they are altogether become filthy. There is none that doeth good, no, not one.”
Ps.55:19 “God shall hear, and afflict them, even he who abideth of old. Selah, because they do not change, therefore they fear not God.”