Godly virtue, mercy and judgment

New Guest: Like this one, most posts are devotional; those related to CAR BIZ can be found by searching the blog archives for that title. You might start with 'Welcome,' the first post, dated November 12, 2008, where I introduce myself and the blog. As you read, I encourage you to record any reflections or comments you may have, for the entries here serve best as the first remarks in a conversation.

Blessings and best wishes,
Dr. Will

Thursday and Friday, June 17 and 18, 2010
Devotions: Ps 34, 85, 86, 88, 91, 92; Num 12:1-16; 13:1-3, 21-30; Rom 2:12-3:8; Mt 18:10-35

I will bless YHWH at all times; let the afflicted take heart, and let us magnify our God together. Whenever I have sought Him, God has delivered me from all my fears. Look to Him and be at peace; YHWH hears and sees; He cares, and He is mighty to save. God’s angel encamps around those who fear Him, and He delivers them. Happy are all who take refuge in our God. Those who seek Him will lack nothing of worth. Depart from evil; do good; seek peace and pursue it actively. God watches over the righteous, but turns against evildoers. He stays near the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. None who take refuge in YHWH will be condemned. Lord, You have forgiven the sins of Your people; restore us again, Savior God; show us Your steadfast love. Let me hear what God will say; He speaks peace to His people, and His salvation is near for those who fear Him—thus, glory may abide in our land! Let our faith and His righteousness meet, as God guides our way. Lord, gladden my soul; for You are good and forgiving, altogether loving and trustworthy. Hear my supplication, Lord, and answer me in the days of trouble. Teach me Your ways, YHWH, that I may walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name. I thank You, YHWH my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify Your name forever. Show me a sign of Your favor, to put my enemies to shame and to encourage those who want to believe in You. Let my prayer come before You, and give me strength, lest I sink into the Pit. I have no escape, but I have You to trust, Lord! I will not despair in days of darkness, nor presume in days of plenty. Those who abide in Your shadow can rest. You deliver us from all enemies, from all diseases; You are my refuge! No evil will come upon me, and I will see the fall of the wicked. God’s angels protect me; You will rescue and honor me. You lengthen my life and show me Your salvation! How good it is to give thanks to YHWH and sing Your praises, Most High! You have made me glad by Your deeds. All Your enemies perish, but the righteous flourish in the courts of our God. We still bring forth fruit in old age; You keep us full of sap, green and growing, to show that YHWH is upright. Lord, You are my Rock and there is no unrighteousness in You.

Miriam and Aaron took offense when Moses married a Cushite woman, and YHWH heard their grumbles. God summoned the three before Him at the tent of meeting. He reprimanded Miriam and Aaron: ‘I treat Moses differently than other prophets; he is entrusted with all My house, and I speak with Him directly and plainly; Moses alone beholds the form of YHWH! How dare you speak against My servant Moses?’ When God departed, Miriam was left leprous; Aaron begged Moses for forgiveness and help. Moses cried out to God for mercy; YHWH replied, ‘If her mortal father had spat in her face, she’d be unclean for seven days. Let her be shut up outside the camp for seven days, and then she can return.’ The people did not set forth again until Miriam was brought into the camp again. YHWH directed Moses to send spies into Canaan, one from each tribe in Israel. Moses chose and deployed the twelve, and they traversed the land—Negev, hill country, and several cities. They encountered descendants of Anak at Hebron. In the Valley of Eshcol, they cut a single cluster of grapes to show the community – and it took two men and a pole to carry the cluster! The spies reconnoitered for forty days, and returned to report to Moses and the people. The group reported that the land was amazing and fruitful, but that the people were fearsome and strong, and the cities were strong and fortified, ‘and besides, we saw the descendants of Anak there.’ Amalekites inhabited the Negev, Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites in the hill country, and Canaanites along the coast and in the Jordan valley. Caleb said, ‘Let us go up and take the land; we can do this!’ Except for Joshua, however, the other spies maintained that they could not conquer the land, because the inhabitants appeared to them to be stronger than Israel: ‘This land devours inhabitants; all the people we saw are of immense stature—we even saw Nephilim [Giants]—they made us feel like grasshoppers, as we seemed to them.’

Paul continued his discussion of God’s fairness: All who sin apart from the law will perish without the law, and all who sinned under the law will be judged by the law. They are justified who obey the law, not just who hear it. When Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature what the law requires, they are a law unto themselves. Their actions prove that what the law requires is written on their hearts—it’s genetic, instinctive for them. Their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or excuse them when God judges by the Messiah Jesus. But if you call yourself a Jew and rely upon the law, boasting of your special relation with God, and if you know His will and approve what is excellent because you have been taught the law, and if you’re sure you can guide the ignorant—a guide the blind, a light to those in darkness, a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of children, having knowledge and truth embodied in the law—if you teach others, will you not also teach yourself? You preach against adultery—do you commit it? You abhor idols—but do you rob temples? You boast in the law—but do you not dishonor God by breaking His law? As scripture says, ‘God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.’ Ritual circumcision is valuable only if you fully obey the law; but no one does, and when you break the law, your circumcision works against you. If a man who is uncircumcised keeps the precepts of the law, won’t God regard him as circumcised? Those who are uncircumcised in body but keep the law will condemn you who have the written code and physical circumcision, but who are law-breakers. Outward circumcision, outward Jewishness is not significant. He is a Jew who is one inwardly; real circumcision is a matter of the heart, spiritual and not literal. His praise is not from men but from God. So is there any advantage to being Jewish or circumcised? Yes, much in every way! Jews are entrusted with the very oracles of God. If some are unfaithful, that does not negate God’s faithfulness. Let God be true, even if every mortal is a liar, that believers may be justified and prevail in the judgment. If God’s justice is highlighted by our human wickedness, that only serves to exalt His glory. But it doesn’t help us humans. Both Jews and Gentiles are under the power of sin and needs God’s mercy.

Jesus taught His disciples: See that you show no disrespect to these little children. In heaven, their angels always gaze on My Father’s face. Consider: if a man has one hundred sheep and one goes astray, doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine and go in search of the one that has strayed? And if he finds it, he rejoices over that one more than over the ninety-nine who never went astray. It is My Father’s will that none of these little ones should perish. If your brother sins against you, confront him in private first, and if he listens, you have regained your brother. If he won’t hear you, take two or three others with you, so that witnesses can corroborate you. If he still refuses to listen, take the issue before the whole church congregation; and if he still refuses to repent, treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector. Whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will have been loosed in heaven. If two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in My name, there I Am in their midst. Peter asked Jesus how often he should forgive a brother who sinned against him. Jesus told him, ‘Not seven times, but seventy times seven! Consider: the kingdom of heaven can be compared to a king who wanted to settle accounts with him servants. One was brought before him owing ten thousand talents—an immense, impossible debt. Since the man could not pay, the king ordered that the man be sold, with all his family and possessions, to pay on his debt. The servant fell on his knees and implored the master’s mercy, and out of pity, the lord simply released him and forgave his debt. But as that same servant was leaving his lord’s presence, he encountered a fellow servant who owed him a hundred denarii. He seized the other servant by the throat and demanded payment. The fellow servant fell down and begged for mercy and time, but he first servant refused and had his debtor thrown into prison until he should pay the debt. When their fellow servants saw all this, they reported to their lord all that had taken place. The lord summoned the first servant and confronted him: ‘Wicked servant! I forgave all that debt because you asked me—shouldn’t you then have had mercy on your fellow servant as I had on you?’ In anger, the master delivered the man to the jailers till he should pay all his impossible debt. That’s just what My heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.’