Numbers 14:30, 32 (NKJV)
“Except for Caleb…and Joshua…you shall by no means enter the land which I swore I would make you dwell in. But as for you, your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness.”
Have you read the Old Testament lately? I’ve been reading it a good bit and what strikes me is God’s demand for obedience and Israel’s continuous rebellion. He expects them to worship Him only, to follow His judgements, to live faithfully before Him. God has amazing patience with that nation. He kept His promise to preserve a remnant despite their disobedience. I think sometimes we think that means it’s okay not to do what God says. We think God is just a big teddy bear… He has a big voice but no follow through.
After reading the Old Testament, I think it is obvious that God is no pushover and He means what He says. He sent the death angel to kill all those who were not covered by the blood in Egypt. He left a whole generation of His own people in the wilderness to die because of their unbelief. The life of a child was taken because of the sin of the father. What makes us think He won’t judge us? Why do we think we’re okay? Why do we think obedience and righteous living matters for other people but not for us? Is it because we call ourselves Christians? Even God’s chosen people have had to pay some high prices for their disobedience… what arrogance to think that we can just skate by.
I guess what I’m saying is we should be very careful. We should examine ourselves and see if we really are “of the faith”. The fact that God can and will judge for transgressions is sobering. It makes me fearful for those who go through life with no regard for God. I am terrified for those who practice evil in this world because they have no idea of the judgement that is coming to them. As believers, we may not reap the penalty of eternal damnation and hell, but with God there is a payday someday… you can bank on it.
Not trying to be a downer this week… just something I’ve been thinking about that seems to go contrary to most of what I hear people saying about God. Most say God is love and He would never judge us. I think it is a mistake to think that He is so full of love that no judgement exists. I mean, we have both sides in us… why wouldn’t God have both sides in Him? My Pastor reminds us that the God in the Old Testament is the same God that is in the New Testament, and He didn’t take a prozac between the two. There is such a thing as righteous judgement. So I take the examples in scripture as a reminder that God will not be mocked, presumed upon, or pacified. He is God and He makes the rules. And although He loves us dearly – He has a righteous and holy standard that is not to be ignored. His love is real… but so is his judgement.