“Now when all the captains of the forces which were in the fields, even they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam governor in the land, and had committed unto him men, and women, and children, and of the poor of the land of them that were not carried away captive to Babylon” (vs7).
God will save the poor. We can be sinners, rebellious saints, frustrated, and proud, and He will save us, if we come to Him. But, if we rebel, argue with God, and declare Him unjust in afflicting us, seeking help other than faith in Christ, we’ll be damned forever.
The way is DIFFICULT for sure, impossible with men, but God does all that it takes to save the HELPLESS. This doesn’t require anything but faith: do you and I believe what God has promised (eternal life), God is able to do without your help and strength? If so, then you and I shall be saved by God who saves sinners, helps the feeble, and does good to people who should be damned.
Jeremiah despised God’s counsel and yet obtained more mercy and grace: we are similar. We squander mercy, murmur when life is hard, and complain, even calling God a liar, when He is perfect and just. Jeremiah said, “Why is my pain perpetual, and my wound incurable, which refuses to be healed? Will you be altogether unto me as a liar, and as waters that fail“ (Jer 15:18)? … What pity and patience God shows in restoring us. He told Jeremiah, “I will make you unto this people a fenced brazen wall: and they shall fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you: for I am with you to save you and to deliver you, says the Lord” (Jer 15:19-20). This pity and FAIRNESS/justice in God draws us to Himself, as we see that He is right: He hasn’t asked more than He gives, the reward is so worth the time of pain down here, and the SALVATION is from hell eternal - “And [Nebudchadnezzar, God’s instrument of pain] burnt the house of the Lord, and the king‘s house, and all the houses of Jerusalem, and every GREAT man‘s house burnt he with fire“ (2 Kings 24:9).
Don’t be discouraged that you’re afflicted; know the afflicted are those whom He saves, even as only the poor remained in the land when terror came. God’s word says, “Blessed is the man whom you chasten, O Lord, and teaches him out of your law, that you may give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pit be dug for the wicked” (Ps 94:12-13), and again, “The righteous shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance: he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked” (Ps 58:10-11), and again, “the four and twenty elders”, God’s elect, “and the four beasts”, those who lead them in worship, the preachers of Christ, “fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia”, as the smoke of the wicked eternally ascends from hell (Rev 19:3-4).
We have GREAT reward coming, so it is WORTH following God here. He is MERCIFUL, gracious, generous, pitiful, compassionate, and good. He does only right, and He will save ALL that call upon Him, not by works of righteousness that we’ve done (merit), but by love and compassion that He gives.
No comments:
Post a Comment