Easter Devotional - Day 48
"Our God, no one is like you. We are all that is left of your chosen people, and you freely forgive our sin and guilt. You don't stay angry forever; you're glad to have pity and pleased to be merciful. You will trample on our sins and throw them in the sea. You will keep your word and be faithful to Jacob and to Abraham, as you promised our ancestors many years ago." Micah 7:18-20
We all need comforting words now and then. We hear so much bad news. We see the prevalence of corruption and sin even among those calling themselves the church, God's people. We see violence, destruction, and pitting the interests of one over another, families torn apart, lives destroyed by addictions, and failure to give meaningful commitment to faith in Christ Jesus. We need comfort.
We need a respite from the demands on our time, energy, and resources. We need mercy, grace, refreshment, and hope. For some reason, we don't expect such a message in the Hebrew Scriptures. We are supposed to find an angry God, here, but we find rather a God whose coin in trade is mercy, grace, and love. This is a God who uses forgiveness for a greater purpose than allowing an escape from the consequences of our sin. It is mercy, grace, and forgiveness designed to strengthen us for a new lease on life according to the will and direction of God.
Perhaps we are too much accustomed to thinking of God in the guise of an inimical state trooper. We tend to picture God lying in wait for us to do something wrong, in order to write us a ticket or send us to prison in retaliation for our misdeeds. The trooper has little interest in our lives as long as we live within the bounds of the traffic rules and laws of the state. That, however, does not do justice to the Micah's perspective on Yahweh. This God is very much interested in the rest of our lives. This is, after all, the same Yahweh who appeared to Abraham, calling him to a new land and offering the promise of a future. This is a God who enjoys blessing a people and offering grace and mercy in order to lead them in the paths of justice and righteous living.
Despite our unfaithfulness, God remains faithful. Despite our lack of mercy, God deals in mercy. Despite our unforgiving attitudes, God freely offers forgiveness. These are not attitudes of one removed from us with little concern for the daily experiences of our lives. It is rather the character of one who cares more for our reconciliation than with punishment and our isolation.
The purpose of mercy and forgiveness in justice is restoration. It looks less at one's misdeeds and more at helping one overcome failures to meet higher standards of character and being. Its purpose is to comfort—to come alongside in order to strengthen, encourage, and enable—not to destroy. This is Micah's understanding of Yahweh. There is none other like Yahweh, willing to look beyond punishment to comfort, restore, and renew.
Perhaps we could learn more from the attitude Micah saw in Yahweh—an attitude which desires to restore, comfort, strengthen, and encourage, rather than to destroy those who offend us. Interestingly, this Old Testament picture of God is a glaring indictment of our own character where we miss the mark of the ethic of Jesus Christ.
Determine where you fail to give comfort and deal in the compassion of Micah's God.
"Lord, grant me to receive your comfort that I might in turn share comfort with others in need."
—©Copyright 2009, Christopher B. Harbin
http://www.sermonsearch.com/contributors/104427/
My latest books can be found here on amazon
We all need comforting words now and then. We hear so much bad news. We see the prevalence of corruption and sin even among those calling themselves the church, God's people. We see violence, destruction, and pitting the interests of one over another, families torn apart, lives destroyed by addictions, and failure to give meaningful commitment to faith in Christ Jesus. We need comfort.
We need a respite from the demands on our time, energy, and resources. We need mercy, grace, refreshment, and hope. For some reason, we don't expect such a message in the Hebrew Scriptures. We are supposed to find an angry God, here, but we find rather a God whose coin in trade is mercy, grace, and love. This is a God who uses forgiveness for a greater purpose than allowing an escape from the consequences of our sin. It is mercy, grace, and forgiveness designed to strengthen us for a new lease on life according to the will and direction of God.
Perhaps we are too much accustomed to thinking of God in the guise of an inimical state trooper. We tend to picture God lying in wait for us to do something wrong, in order to write us a ticket or send us to prison in retaliation for our misdeeds. The trooper has little interest in our lives as long as we live within the bounds of the traffic rules and laws of the state. That, however, does not do justice to the Micah's perspective on Yahweh. This God is very much interested in the rest of our lives. This is, after all, the same Yahweh who appeared to Abraham, calling him to a new land and offering the promise of a future. This is a God who enjoys blessing a people and offering grace and mercy in order to lead them in the paths of justice and righteous living.
Despite our unfaithfulness, God remains faithful. Despite our lack of mercy, God deals in mercy. Despite our unforgiving attitudes, God freely offers forgiveness. These are not attitudes of one removed from us with little concern for the daily experiences of our lives. It is rather the character of one who cares more for our reconciliation than with punishment and our isolation.
The purpose of mercy and forgiveness in justice is restoration. It looks less at one's misdeeds and more at helping one overcome failures to meet higher standards of character and being. Its purpose is to comfort—to come alongside in order to strengthen, encourage, and enable—not to destroy. This is Micah's understanding of Yahweh. There is none other like Yahweh, willing to look beyond punishment to comfort, restore, and renew.
Perhaps we could learn more from the attitude Micah saw in Yahweh—an attitude which desires to restore, comfort, strengthen, and encourage, rather than to destroy those who offend us. Interestingly, this Old Testament picture of God is a glaring indictment of our own character where we miss the mark of the ethic of Jesus Christ.
Determine where you fail to give comfort and deal in the compassion of Micah's God.
"Lord, grant me to receive your comfort that I might in turn share comfort with others in need."
—©Copyright 2009, Christopher B. Harbin
http://www.sermonsearch.com/contributors/104427/
My latest books can be found here on amazon
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