Tag: wrongdoings

Followed me fully

“ See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes.”

Psalms 99:8  O LORD our God, you answered them; you were a forgiving God to them, but an avenger of their wrongdoings

Psalms 89:33    but I will not remove from him my steadfast love or be false to my faithfulness.

Deuteronomy 9:19     For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure that the LORD bore against you, so that he was ready to destroy you. But the LORD listened to me that time also.

Jeremiah 46:28     Fear not, O Jacob my servant, declares the LORD, for I am with you. I will make a full end of all the nations to which I have driven you, but of you I will not make a full end. I will discipline you in just measure, and I will by no means leave you unpunished.”

Zephaniah 3:7     I said, ‘Surely you will fear me; you will accept correction. Then your dwelling would not be cut off according to all that I have appointed against you.’ But all the more they were eager to make all their deeds corrupt.

Exodus 32:34-35     But now go, lead the people to the place about which I have spoken to you; behold, my angel shall go before you. Nevertheless, in the day when I visit, I will visit their sin upon them.”

Numbers 14:20-34    Then the LORD said, “I have pardoned, according to your word.  But truly, as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD,  none of the men who have seen my glory and my signs that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and yet have put me to the test these ten times and have not obeyed my voice,  shall see the land that I swore to give to their fathers. And none of those who despised me shall see it.  But my servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit and has followed me fully, I will bring into the land into which he went, and his descendants shall possess it.

Romans 1:21     For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

Nevertheless, in the day when I visit, I will visit their sin upon them.”, ” I will discipline you in just measure, and I will by no means leave you unpunished”, “all that I have appointed against you.”, ” none of those who despised me shall see it.”  What comes to mind when you read these?  When I read these from scriptures above I see a people who chose to either follow fully or those who chose to be complacent or those who willfully chose to disobey.  None were above being disciplined by God.  None seeking forgiveness from God were left wanting.  None disregarding God were pardoned.  Sin has always been in  our heart.  Sin has a way of taking over if we are not actively at battle with it.  If I think there is no God, or that there is a God and He is not going to hold me accountable – sin has darkened my heart to scripture truth.  If I think I can live on the fence  living for self sometimes and neglect obedience to God  – sin has darkened my heart.  If I think I can keep ledger of my good and bad, and this will in anyway have influence on God – sin has darkened my heart.  If I trust in, cling to, rely on the promises of God through Jesus Christ – the light of the gospel has exposed my heart, mind and soul to the grace, mercy, and love of God.  “and though your sin be as scarlet it will be washed white as snow”

Psalm 99

Psalms 99:1  The LORD reigns; let the peoples tremble! He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake! The LORD is great in Zion; he is exalted over all the peoples.  Let them praise your great and awesome name! Holy is he! The King in his might loves justice. You have established equity; you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.   Exalt the LORD our God; worship at his footstool! Holy is he!  Moses and Aaron were among his priests, Samuel also was among those who called upon his name. They called to the LORD, and he answered them. In the pillar of the cloud he spoke to them; they kept his testimonies and the statute that he gave them.  O LORD our God, you answered them; you were a forgiving God to them, but an avenger of their wrongdoings.  Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at his holy mountain; for the LORD our God is holy!

Matthew Henry Commentary:

Still we are celebrating the glories of the kingdom of God among men, and are called upon to praise him, as in the foregoing psalms; but those psalms looked forward to the times of the gospel, and prophesied of the graces and comforts of those times; this psalm seems to dwell more upon the Old-Testament dispensation and the manifestation of God’s glory and grace in that. The Jews were not, in expectation of the Messiah’s kingdom and the evangelical worship, to neglect the divine regimen they were then under, and the ordinances that were then given them, but in them to see God reigning, and to worship before him according to the law of Moses. Prophecies of good things to come must not lessen our esteem of good things present.

I like how Matthew ends this commentary with the statement of good things to come and good things present.  Sometimes we get overwhelmed with the present and which, somehow, we were ushered into the presence of Jesus, leaving this world behind.  Our God reigns and we are not to forget that even in the present and what overwhelms us, we are to turns our eyes to Him alone.  He has said to lay our burdens on Him, we are to trust Him.