The goodness and severity of a God of love
We love to read about God’s love. “The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.” (Jer. 31:3). It feels good. It’s nice to know God is so nice.
Yet just a few lines before that one we read, “For thus saith the Lord; We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace. Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness? Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble.” (Jer. 30: 5-7). In other words, the Jews had been warned over and over again about their continued backsliding and involvement with false worship. The Lord had promised punishment, and now that punishment was just on the verge of happening. Nebuchadnezzar’s armies were on their way to besiege Jerusalem, to kill, and to take captives. Life in Israel would never be the same again.
And there are a multitude of other verses similar to this one all through the Bible, words of the Lord’s threatening wrath. “Why criest thou for thine affliction? Thy sorrow is incurable for the multitude of thine iniquity: because thy sins were increased, I have done these things unto thee.” (vs. 15). “For thus saith the Lord, Thy bruise is incurable, and thy wound is grievous. There is none to plead thy cause, that thou mayest be bound up: thou hast no healing medicines. All thy lovers have forgotten thee; they seek thee not; for I have wounded thee with the wound of an enemy, with the chastisement of a cruel one, for the multitude of thine iniquity; because thy sins were increased.” (vs. 12-14).
It’s this angry Person that makes so many turn away from God. Doesn’t He know this? Doesn’t He know we need to be consoled? Then why did He keep getting angry? Why does He have all His angry words printed on everlasting pages?
Because, “faithful are the wounds of a friend.” (Prov. 27:6). Because, He wounds only to heal. “For I am with thee, saith the Lord, to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet I will not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished.” (vs. 11).
“For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the Lord; because they called thee an Outcast, saying, This is Zion, whom no man seeketh after.” (vs. 17).
“Therefore all they that devour thee shall be devoured; and all thine adversaries, every one of them, shall go into captivity; and they that spoil thee shall be a spoil, and all that prey upon thee will I give for a prey.” (vs. 16).
“Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will bring again the captivity of Jacob’s tents, and have mercy on his dwellingplaces; and the city shall be builded upon her own heap, and the palace shall remain after the manner thereof.” (vs. 18).
“I will cause him to draw near, and he shall approach unto Me: for who is this that engaged his heart to approach unto Me? saith the Lord. And ye shall be My people, and I will be your God.” (vs. 21,22).
“Behold, the whirlwind of the Lord goeth forth with fury, a continuing whirlwind: it shall fall with pain upon the head of the wicked. The fierce anger of the Lord shall not return, until He hath done it, and until He have performed the intents of His heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it.” (vs. 23,24). After all our Father’s tirade is past, peace and rest reign supreme. Our spirits are at rest because we know how jealous our Father is to cleanse and save us. In His disciplines we see a new depth of His love for us. He has our full attention; our brain and heart and will are fully engaged to serve Him.
“No chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.” (Heb. 12:11).
“Thus saith the Lord, The people which were left of the sword found grace in the wilderness; even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest.” (Jer 31:2). Thus it is that only those who will be disciplined by God will come out really knowing that He loves them. Only if we submit to His punishment and refining process, only by not getting up and walking off when His training gets rough, can we know His grace. Any other method for discovering His grace is futile and imaginary. Is the church today suffering under the curse of God? Let her take all this to heart; let her return to the testimonies Christ has given His people. Tears and pain are only pride and self-will leaving the body.
Only those who remain His children under the heavy hand of His chastening will, in the end, comprehend the voice of earnest remonstrating from a God of love. Only those who hang on to Him through all His stormy blasts and who refuse to let go of their trust in Him, only they will ever hear His promise personally to their soul, “Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.”
Yet just a few lines before that one we read, “For thus saith the Lord; We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace. Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness? Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble.” (Jer. 30: 5-7). In other words, the Jews had been warned over and over again about their continued backsliding and involvement with false worship. The Lord had promised punishment, and now that punishment was just on the verge of happening. Nebuchadnezzar’s armies were on their way to besiege Jerusalem, to kill, and to take captives. Life in Israel would never be the same again.
And there are a multitude of other verses similar to this one all through the Bible, words of the Lord’s threatening wrath. “Why criest thou for thine affliction? Thy sorrow is incurable for the multitude of thine iniquity: because thy sins were increased, I have done these things unto thee.” (vs. 15). “For thus saith the Lord, Thy bruise is incurable, and thy wound is grievous. There is none to plead thy cause, that thou mayest be bound up: thou hast no healing medicines. All thy lovers have forgotten thee; they seek thee not; for I have wounded thee with the wound of an enemy, with the chastisement of a cruel one, for the multitude of thine iniquity; because thy sins were increased.” (vs. 12-14).
It’s this angry Person that makes so many turn away from God. Doesn’t He know this? Doesn’t He know we need to be consoled? Then why did He keep getting angry? Why does He have all His angry words printed on everlasting pages?
Because, “faithful are the wounds of a friend.” (Prov. 27:6). Because, He wounds only to heal. “For I am with thee, saith the Lord, to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet I will not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished.” (vs. 11).
“For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the Lord; because they called thee an Outcast, saying, This is Zion, whom no man seeketh after.” (vs. 17).
“Therefore all they that devour thee shall be devoured; and all thine adversaries, every one of them, shall go into captivity; and they that spoil thee shall be a spoil, and all that prey upon thee will I give for a prey.” (vs. 16).
“Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will bring again the captivity of Jacob’s tents, and have mercy on his dwellingplaces; and the city shall be builded upon her own heap, and the palace shall remain after the manner thereof.” (vs. 18).
“I will cause him to draw near, and he shall approach unto Me: for who is this that engaged his heart to approach unto Me? saith the Lord. And ye shall be My people, and I will be your God.” (vs. 21,22).
“Behold, the whirlwind of the Lord goeth forth with fury, a continuing whirlwind: it shall fall with pain upon the head of the wicked. The fierce anger of the Lord shall not return, until He hath done it, and until He have performed the intents of His heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it.” (vs. 23,24). After all our Father’s tirade is past, peace and rest reign supreme. Our spirits are at rest because we know how jealous our Father is to cleanse and save us. In His disciplines we see a new depth of His love for us. He has our full attention; our brain and heart and will are fully engaged to serve Him.
“No chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.” (Heb. 12:11).
“Thus saith the Lord, The people which were left of the sword found grace in the wilderness; even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest.” (Jer 31:2). Thus it is that only those who will be disciplined by God will come out really knowing that He loves them. Only if we submit to His punishment and refining process, only by not getting up and walking off when His training gets rough, can we know His grace. Any other method for discovering His grace is futile and imaginary. Is the church today suffering under the curse of God? Let her take all this to heart; let her return to the testimonies Christ has given His people. Tears and pain are only pride and self-will leaving the body.
Only those who remain His children under the heavy hand of His chastening will, in the end, comprehend the voice of earnest remonstrating from a God of love. Only those who hang on to Him through all His stormy blasts and who refuse to let go of their trust in Him, only they will ever hear His promise personally to their soul, “Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.”
posted by David | 2:35 AM
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