GOD’S WORD FOR MAY 26~ ~ Hebrews 4:15 ~ ~ “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.”
Continuing with excerpts from Chapter two of John Piper’s, “The Pleasures of God”
“The Pleasure of God in all He does” ~ ~ ( Anything in parenthesis are my comments.)
Who can comprehend that the Lord hears in one moment of time the prayers of 10 million Christians around the world, and sympathizes with each one personally and individually as a caring Father, even though among those 10 million prayers some are brokenhearted and some are bursting with joy?
How can God weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice when they are both coming to Him as the same time—-constantly.
Or who can comprehend that God is angry at the sin of the world every day (Ps 7:11– “God is a just judge, and God is angry with the wicked every day.”
And yet every day, every moment, He is rejoicing with tremendous joy because somewhere in the world a sinner is repenting!
Luke 15:10, – “I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Who can comprehend that God continually burns with hot anger at the rebellion of the wicked and grieves over the unholy speech of His people (Ephesians 4:29-30– Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.)
and at the same time take pleasure in them daily (Ps 149:4 “For the Lord takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation.”) and ceaselessly makes merry over penitent prodigals who come home?
WHO OF US COULD DARE SAY WHAT COMPLEX OF EMOTIONS IS NOT POSSIBLE FOR GOD? All we have to go on here is what He has chosen to tell us in the Bible. And what He has told us is that there is a sense in which He does NOT experience pleasure in the judgment of the wicked, and there is a sense in which He DOES.
From this I conclude that the death and misery of the unrepentant is in and of itself NO DELIGHT TO GOD. When a rebellious, wicked, unbelieving person is judged, what God delights in is the EXALTATION OF TRUTH AND RIGHTEOUSNESS, AND THE VINDICATION OF HIS OWN HONOR AND GLORY.
When Moses warns Israel that the Lord will take delight in bringing ruin upon them and destroying them if they do not repent, (Deuteronomy 28:63) He means that those who have rebelled against the Lord and moved beyond repentance will NOT BE ABLE TO GLOAT THAT THEY HAVE MADE THE ALMIGHTY MISERABLE.
GOD is not defeated in the triumphs of His righteous judgment. Quite the contrary. Moses says that when they are judged they will unwittingly PROVIDE AN OCCASION FOR GOD TO REJOICE IN THE DEMONSTRATION OF HIS JUSTICE AND HIS POWER AND THE INFINITE WORTH OF HIS GLORY.
So let us stand in awe and wonder of God—eternally happy in the fellowship of the Trinity; infinitely exuberant in the wisdom of His work; free and sovereign in His self-sufficiency. “Our God is in heaven; He does all that He pleases.”
Let us humble ourselves under His mighty hand, and rejoice that His counsel will stand, and that one day all the families of the nations shall worship before Him; for dominion belongs to the Lord and He rules over the nations!