Tag: I will repay

53.k. Wilderness – 17.q. “For the day of their calamity is at hand”

 

Deu 32:35  Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and their doom comes swiftly.’

Psalms 94:1   O LORD, God of vengeance, O God of vengeance, shine forth!

 Nahum 1:2    The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD is avenging and wrathful; the LORD takes vengeance on his adversaries and keeps wrath for his enemies.

 Nahum 1:6     Who can stand before his indignation? Who can endure the heat of his anger? His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken into pieces by him.

 Romans 12:19    Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

 Hebrews 10:30     For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.”

 Psalms 73:17-19   until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end.  Truly you set them in slippery places; you make them fall to ruin.  How they are destroyed in a moment, swept away utterly by terrors!

 Proverbs 4:19    The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble.

 Jeremiah 13:16    Give glory to the LORD your God before he brings darkness, before your feet stumble on the twilight mountains, and while you look for light he turns it into gloom and makes it deep darkness.

 1 Peter 2:8    and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.

 2 Peter 2:3     And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

 Isaiah 30:12-13    Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel, “Because you despise this word and trust in oppression and perverseness and rely on them,  therefore this iniquity shall be to you like a breach in a high wall, bulging out and about to collapse, whose breaking comes suddenly, in an instant;

 Habakkuk 2:3    For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.

 2 Peter 3:8-10     But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.  The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.  But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.

The Lord will never disgrace the throne of his glory. It is great wisdom, and will help much to the return of sinners to God, seriously to consider their latter end, or the future state. It is here meant particularly of what God foretold by Moses, about this people in the latter days; but it may be applied generally. Oh that men would consider the happiness they will lose, and the misery they will certainly plunge into, if they go on in their trespasses! What will be in the end thereof? Jer 5:31. For the Lord will in due time bring down the enemies of the church, in displeasure against their wickedness. When sinners deem themselves most secure, they suddenly fall into destruction. (Henry)

It is my office to punish sin, and therefore as I know their sins, so I will assuredly punish them. Their feet shall slide; they who now think they stand fast and unmovable, they shall fall into utter destruction. In due time; though not so soon as some may expect it, yet in that time when it shall be most proper and seasonable, when they have filled up the measure of their sins (Brown)

We read these verses and see the coming of God’s vengeance on those who reject and deny Him and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We might even have thoughts of cheering on the coming of this event. Yet when I read these verses I can only humbly bow my head and reverently say; “Thank you, Lord Jesus”. The verses describe the exact punishment I deserved prior to God exposing my Sin and revealing His Son to me. It is not as though I was on a mindful journey seeking to find redemption and salvation through Jesus Christ. No, I was content in my sin and my life apart from God. God, in His love, mercy, and grace, exposed me to Himself through a painful event that opened my eyes to Him and the need for redemption. 

I look back at how the couple across the street invited my wife and I to come to listen to an evangelist on a Thursday night, and how the words of this man spoke deep into my soul, and with utter clarity I was given a clear understanding of the need for redemption, salvation, and forgiveness. God orchestrated it all. Not only that, but the couple across the street were well-grounded and strong believers who continually explained more and more of the bible to us. 

I grasp glimpses of understanding God’s vengeance and His grace, mercy, and love. These always bring me to the same place in my thoughts; “Thank you, Lord Jesus”!

 

42.w. “Wilderness” – 7.e. Sinai – You Shall not bow down

 

Exodus 20:5  You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

Joshua 23:7   that you may not mix with these nations remaining among you or make mention of the names of their gods or swear by them or serve them or bow down to them

 Joshua 23:16    if you transgress the covenant of the LORD your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them. Then the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you, and you shall perish quickly from off the good land that he has given to you.”

 Judges 2:19   But whenever the judge died, they turned back and were more corrupt than their fathers, going after other gods, serving them and bowing down to them. They did not drop any of their practices or their stubborn ways.

 2 Kings 17:35    The LORD made a covenant with them and commanded them, “You shall not fear other gods or bow yourselves to them or serve them or sacrifice to them,

 Numbers 14:18    ‘The LORD is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but he will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, to the third and the fourth generation.’

 Job 21:19    You say, ‘God stores up their iniquity for their children.’ Let him pay it out to them, that they may know it.

 Isaiah 65:6-7    Behold, it is written before me: “I will not keep silent, but I will repay; I will indeed repay into their lap  both your iniquities and your fathers’ iniquities together, says the LORD; because they made offerings on the mountains and insulted me on the hills, I will measure into their lap payment for their former deeds.”

 Jeremiah 2:9   “Therefore I still contend with you, declares the LORD, and with your children’s children I will contend.

 Jeremiah 32:18     You show steadfast love to thousands, but you repay the guilt of fathers to their children after them, O great and mighty God, whose name is the LORD of hosts,

 Romans 8:7     For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.

 James 4:4    You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

 John 15:23-24    Whoever hates me hates my Father also.  If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father.

Thou shall not bow down thyself to them,…. Perform any worship to them, show any reverence of them by any gesture of the body; one being mentioned, bowing the body, and put for all others, as prostration of it to the earth, bending the knee, kissing the hand, lifting up of hands or eyes to them, or by any outward action expressing a religious esteem of them, as if there was divinity in them: nor serve them; in a religious manner, internally or externally, by offering sacrifice and burning incense to them; by praying to, or praising of them; by expressing love to them, faith and trust in them, hope and expectation of good things from them, and the like. The reason of this second command, relating to the making and worshipping of images, next follows:

for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God; jealous of his own honour and glory, and will not give it to another; even to graven images, nor suffer it to be given to them without resenting it; and jealousy is fierce and cruel, and breaks forth into great wrath, and issues in dreadful scenes oftentimes among men. (Gill)

If God is first in our lives there should be no room for other things to which we serve, honor, and give reverence. No room should be given to make something more reverent than God. We should not allow something to take place of God or the honor and glory due Him alone. We may not make images of gold, silver, or wood and place them in our homes and take time to worship the form or bow down to it, but in essence, we do allow things to become an idol of sorts. Take a look at where your TV is placed and how much time it is given. It may not be an idol, but certainly, it is given more time and reverence than God. How would your lives be different if there was no TV being watched, no internet to surf, and no iPhone available?  I would like to think there would be more time for God’s Word, more time for reverence to Him, more time to communicate face to face, and much less being told what to think, how to act, and what to say by the narratives being spewed out day by day, minute by minute. Do we not discern that these narratives proclaim what is contrary to God and things of God? Do we not understand that what we take in will have an effect on our hearts and minds? 

What would our lives be like if we studied God’s Word in equal amounts of time that we spend on social media, yet alone watching TV?  How much time would we have to meditate on God’s Word and the things of God? Would we live differently, think differently, and speak differently?  

Obviously, we all know the answer to this, but are we/you willing to intentionally choose to live life differently than how the world indicates you should?  Try it for a week – no TV, social media time reading, or posts on computers or phones or iPads, in the home or away from home.  Try using this time for reading, communicating, and discerning things of God. I think there may be a big change in your thought pattern, speech, and actions.  

Do not bow down to what this world has to offer. Give God the reverence, honor, and glory through how you spend your time.

34.s. “The Lord will judge all people.”

 

 Matthew 27:24  So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.” And all the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!” Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified.

 Jeremiah 2:35    you say, ‘I am innocent; surely his anger has turned from me.’ Behold, I will bring you to judgment for saying, ‘I have not sinned.’

 2 Corinthians 5:21    For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

 Hebrews 10:29-30    How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace?  For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.”

“Oh, the daring of Pilate thus in the sight of God to commit murder and disclaim it. There is a strange mingling of cowardliness and courage about many men; they are afraid of a man, but not afraid of the eternal God who can destroy both body and soul in hell.” (Spurgeon)

Vain hope pulls many into believing their heart is pure and their conscience is clear of wrong doing. In this hope many find ways to justify their words and actions that neither honor and glorify Jesus Christ or are in line with godly living. Being negligent in God’s Word does not free a person to say my heart is pure and conscience clear for lack of knowing. By the very fact they intentionally choose to neglect God’s Word or have any desire to hear Him speak into their lives, is as if they are saying you are not worthy of my interest, my time, my all. Like Pilate, they wash their hands of any responsibility for their lack of desire to live for the honor and glory of Jesus Christ. No excuse can be made on judgement day for neglecting Jesus Christ and living for Him. What will a person say? I was busy. I went to church. I lived peaceably. I was kind. I was generous. I was not as bad as other people. It was just to hard to understand. 

On judgement day every thought, word, and action the heart and mind of a person has taken, in an instant, they will become aware that it all was exposed before the eyes of God before it even happened. What will a person say at this time of Judgement? They will know without any doubts that they have disregarded, rejected, and denied God, the Word of God, and Jesus Christ. There will be no excuses residing in their mouths for they shall see clearly the Son of God they have cast away as not worthy of their thoughts or time. 

Trying to justify ourselves before God is to put ourselves and things we do ahead of Jesus Christ. Our hope is in what we have done or are doing. Our justification is in Christ alone. Period. He is the author and finisher our redemption, salvation, forgiveness, and hope of eternal life.

Do not think you can wash your hands of neglect, complacency, denial, rejection, or whatever else is contrary to living for the single purpose of honoring and glorifying Jesus Christ in all we think, say, and do. 

18.e. “How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God,”

John 12:44  And Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. And whoever sees me sees him who sent me. I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day. For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me.”

 1 John 4:14   And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.

 Luke 9:26     For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.

 Hebrews 2:3    how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard,

 Hebrews 10:29-31    How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace?  For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.”  It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

 Hebrews 12:25    See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven.

“for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world” – In the first advent, coming of Jesus, Jesus came as redeemer, savior, sacrificial lamb.  He came to bring light to the world – God with us.  He came to proclaim the day of salvation, redemption, forgiveness, eternal life.  He came to give hope and display God’s grace, mercy, and love.  He came to shine light into and onto the darkness – the void and separation from God created because of sin.  He came to redeem each person from this void and separation.  This void has bright lights as it were.  This void and separation have bright lights and worldly lures that entice the soul to reject the Light of Jesus Christ. The light of this world shines bright on self and offers to each person what the world has to offer.  It tries to entice, lure, blind us from the Love of God.  Sad to say, when the choice is given, we choose to run toward this-worldly light and we grab hold of its blinding power. Pride, lust, greed, hate, anger, fear, anxiousness, self-reliance, self-worth, self-first, and self-satisfaction are all manifestations of those who are captivated by this worldly light.  It offers temporary tangible things of this world with the promise that it will satisfy your soul but in the end, it leaves the soul hungry and thirsty for more.  This light is a lie.  This lie leads people away from the Light of Jesus Christ.  

The true Light from God is displayed in Jesus Christ. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” Belief in the Light of Jesus Christ is more than a head nod or acknowledgment of who Jesus Christ is and what He has done.  It is a life-changing new birth.  When the Light and Gospel of Jesus shines into the soul and exposes sin, darkness, void, and separation from God, an understanding of the consequences of sin – eternal hell, torment – is revealed by this Light.  But, at this same time there is an understanding of the grace, mercy, and love of God through Jesus Christ’s sacrifice and an urgent call to your soul to confess, repent, trust, obey and believe in Jesus Christ for the redemption of your soul.  This trust and faith is a new birth for each person who believes.  All things are new.  Old ways of thinking and living are cast aside because their worth has become meaningless in the Light of Jesus Christ and the hope of eternal life.  

Staying in God’s word will keep the lights of this world recognizable and enable each believer to reject and expose them for what they are, lies and distractions from living to give honor, glory, obedience, and praise to Jesus Christ.

14.b. “Behold, the Judge is standing at the door.”

Malachi 3:5  “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts.

Psalms 50:3-6   Our God comes; he does not keep silence; before him is a devouring fire, around him a mighty tempest.  He calls to the heavens above and to the earth, that he may judge his people:  “Gather to me my faithful ones, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!”  The heavens declare his righteousness, for God himself is judge!

James 5:8-9    You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.  Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.

Hebrews 10:30-31   For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.”  It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Proverbs 22:22-23    Do not rob the poor, because he is poor, or crush the afflicted at the gate,  for the LORD will plead their cause and rob of life those who rob them.

Proverbs 23:10-11     Do not move an ancient landmark or enter the fields of the fatherless,  for their Redeemer is strong; he will plead their cause against you.

I have never counted or looked into how many times there are warnings given to us about all of the sins that plague the world in sinful hearts.  These warnings are given to us so that we are very mindful of sinful nature temptations and worldly temptations.  These manifest sins themselves in ways that are both seen and unseen heard and unheard said and unsaid.  The temptation could be to disregard someone in need.  Be very careful on this one.  The warnings are very clear on this.  The temptation could be to think something prideful, lustful, hateful, demeaning, dishonest, etc…… and even though a word did not come out of your mouth or action from your body the thought, if not capture, recognized, and discarded, will be held in account against the day of our Lord’s coming.

Dr. David Jeremiah said it like this; “What about our spiritual life? Our world certainly seems to grow more spiritually toxic all the time, and it is impossible to avoid encountering snares and temptations. So how do we keep our spiritual “body” pure? The psalmist had a solution: Store up God’s Word in our heart so that we might not sin against Him and apply the wisdom and direction His Word offers into our life (Psalm 119:9, 11). Think about it: If we obey (apply) God’s Word, we won’t choose to sin. And if we memorize (store up) God’s Word, it will be within a thought’s reach when we are faced with temptation. The more we live “in” God’s Word, the purer our life will be in the midst of a toxic world”.

John Blanchard said this; “God requires an inward purity as well as an outward performance.” 

Sword of Judgement

“For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

 

Psalms 7:12
If a man does not repent, God will whet his sword; he has bent and readied his bow;  he has prepared for him his deadly weapons, making his arrows fiery shafts.

Isaiah 55:6-7
“Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Jeremiah 31:18
I have heard Ephraim grieving, ‘You have disciplined me, and I was disciplined, like an untrained calf; bring me back that I may be restored, for you are the LORD my God. For after I had turned away, I relented, and after I was instructed, I struck my thigh; I was ashamed, and I was confounded, because I bore the disgrace of my youth.’

Ezekiel 18:30
“Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, declares the Lord GOD. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin.

Ezekiel 33:11
Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?

Matthew 3:10
Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

Acts 3:19
Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out,

Deuteronomy 32:41
if I sharpen my flashing sword and my hand takes hold on judgment, I will take vengeance on my adversaries and will repay those who hate me.

Isaiah 34:5
For my sword has drunk its fill in the heavens; behold, it descends for judgment upon Edom, upon the people I have devoted to destruction.

Ezekiel 21:23   But to them it will seem like a false divination. They have sworn solemn oaths, but he brings their guilt to remembrance, that they may be taken.

We don’t seem to talk about God’s wrath and judgement awaiting those who do not repent.  We live in a time of grace and mercy and this seems to keep us content and maybe even a bit complacent.  Shouldn’t we talk about both His love/grace/mercy and His wrath/judgement?  How will people know of the need to repent and turn away from their life apart from honoring God?  Each of us given this grace has a responsibility to tell others of God.  Ask God to lead you in paths/people to proclaim the need for salvation and His redemptive work through Christ.