THE PERSPECTIVE IN GOD’S JUDGMENTS

Proverbs 1:24-30 Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; (25) But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: (26) I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; (27) When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. (28) Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: (29) For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: (30) They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof.

Note: I kept these verses together because they form one sentence teaching us one particular concept.

We can read this passage and picture a sadistic God who uses His great power to punish His subject. We could see him laugh hysterically after He made up His mind to not hear our plea. But is it the picture that is portrayed for us here?

To get the right picture, we need to read the text within its complete perspective. God, our loving husband, took us and lifted us up from the foul sinful wilderness of this world. With a strong hand and a heavy price, He made us His wife. We in turn, have turned our nose up at all His bounty, care and provision, and went to party with other ‘lovers’. Now that we find ourselves in big trouble, we want to call upon Him to deliver us. Should he just come and rescue us prematurely before we learn our lesson? Should we just use and take advantage of His love and goodness? Should we expect the benefits of ‘married life’, the protection of the husband, without giving him our commitment and faithfulness?

Look at Israel. He rescued her in the desert, but even after they broke His covenant, He renewed His marriage with them, paid and new price, a new dowry when he came to take the price of their (as well as ours) sins on the tree. The prophetic picture of the Bible tells us that God does pay the price of our deliverance; that His mercies are new every morning. Does that mean that we do not have to suffer for a while the bitter results of our bad choices? Certainly not, or how would He be a just God? And all the more, how would we then learn to know better?

In all God’s dealing with us, let us not forget that He is the One who put Himself at risk for us so He could deliver us from the clutches of the enemy. Let us also remember that just like Him, we learn obedience through our sufferings.