6/22/2023

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE READING:

“I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues—last, because with them God’s wrath is completed.” (Revelation 15.1)

“Then I heard a loud voice from the temple  saying to the seven angels, ‘Go, pour out the seven bowls of God’s wrath on the earth.’” (Revelation 16.1)

TODAY’S REFLECTION ON GOD’S WORD:

There has come a time in today’s “modern” world where I have wearied of the phrase “No justice, no peace.” These are words which stand in contradiction to the very outcome which is desired. Who is essentially calling for justice? I would venture to say “Those who do not know authentic peace.” Who is essentially calling for peace? Well, I would say in similar fashion, “Those who do not know true justice.” The words and actions which are bandied about point in a direction of rebellion by force. It is not a call for peace. It is a call to arms and a threat to enforce someone, or some community’s, definition of justice in action. In other words, “If we don’t get justice, there will be unrest and riot and worse.” And we are seeing the worst in an ever increasing degree as murders abound from one to many. Jesus urged His listeners to heed the warning signs of “wars and rumors of wars.” They were only the birth pangs of what is yet to come. They are symptoms of what had already been.

Let’s look at the first proposition, since we have already spoken about it previously. Jesus said to His disciples, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled; do not be afraid.” (John 14.27) Even pastors, preachers, teachers and well-intended biblical scholars forget the sum of that promise. I say forget because they often edit, and I am not sure why, that verse to say “My peace I give to you not as the world gives to you.” The voice is cast to a post-resurrection happening. It is in the future when “they” say it. When Jesus declares it, it is in the present tense. He says, most importantly, “I am leaving my peace with you.” In the sports world it would be the same as the coach telling the players “Leave it all on the field; hold nothing back. Victory comes to those who are willing and faithful to finish the task at hand.” Jesus anticipates the very thoughts the disciples will confront within themselves when the events that are about to transpire transpire. And in the midst of those events, we will hear (as Peter remembers when he writes his letter [1 Peter], quoting Isaiah 53.7 “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.” Jesus understood the events as they were. He accepted in understanding the will and the way of salvation as the world demanded and as God had commanded. God does not will the death of anyone, this is God’s word. But, a sacrifice became necessary to amend for the wrongs which humanity had waged against itself and God. We might say, “Humanity willed the death of Jesus.” And not just Jesus. It is “man’s inhumanity to man.” It is unjust. It is without peace. It is anti-covenental and anti-commandment; it is murder. And when people take to the streets to demand “their” justice with the threat and/or actualization of death and murder, then there is no peace and there will be only “true” justice but not at the hands of human beings.

So, having considered this reflection on peace, we have to switch gears to “justice.” What is justice? As I have said before, “Justice is not reparation. Justice is not vengeance. Justice doesn’t answer the observation of ‘that’s not fair.’” In reality, there will be authentic peace (harmony, joy, uniformity of purpose to serve creation and honor God, the lack of enmity…or as it was revealed to John in Revelation: “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21.4) when there is true justice. So, again, what is true justice? True justice is the balance between human(s) and human(s) as well as between human(s) and God. There is no one or the other. Both must exist or else there is no true justice. And justice is finding the equality of action/reaction in every given situation. The lex talonis, or “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,” was a measure used in the Old Testament to adjudicate such abuses of true justice. It, sadly left no room for mercy in the hands of human beings. God extends mercy as the expression of His justice from the first transgression in the Bible. What we learn from that is that justice as those not of God are concerned focuses on what was mentioned above: reparation, vengeance and fairness (very subjective in nature.) The Serpent, the Beast of Eden, introduced the idea of worldly death as what God meant by the sentence given for transgression. Of course, what God sees is the spiritual aspect according to mercy, forgiveness and reconciliation. No good deed goes unrewarded and blessed. No wrong deed goes unpunished or without accountability. We can see this in action with the application of “The Golden Rule.” It says, “Do to others as you would have it done to you. The measure you give is the measure you receive.” The problem with too many who see God as harsh, judgmental, vengeful (in a worldly sense) and thus unworthy of praise and obedience is that they miss the paradigm which was established by creation. Just as there is night and day, dark and light, air and water, land and sea, male and female so there is “for God” and “against God.” Without question, there has to be justice and peace to bring about the kind of life and living which promotes joy and prosperity. It cannot happen when there is no balance with humanity and with God.

So, as we hear of God’s wrath in chapters 15 and 16, we are being called into the realm of accountability for an unbiased response to being “for God” or “against God.” The efforts to use compassion, reason, mercy, grace, reconciliation, rehabilitation and sacrificial love to the most extreme degree will finally be exhausted. It does not mean that there is nothing God can do about the evil that exists. It is not more powerful than God, His love, His mercy and His desire for authentic peace and true justice for all people and all creation. The deciding factor is the requirement of free will. God will not violate our ability to choose life over death, light over dark, peace over chaos, joy over sorrow, healing over injury, etc. He encourages us to choose what maintains the balance that allows “peace and justice” to exist in their finest expression. But, if there are those who refuse to embrace that balance, then there has to finally be an ultimate accountability. Enough will be enough. God is the only One who can make that decision. Where there is “mercy,” there is peace. Where there is “wrath,” there is justice. It is not an easy pill to swallow. It is one we should all avoid swallowing or else we will find ourselves wallowing in a pig pen not even the prodigal son could have escaped from. He recognized the “peace and justice” of his father and was reconciled. We see something different in his brother. The lesson is given. May the lesson be learned before God’s wrath is ordered in order for peace to rule and reign on earth as it does in Heaven.

A PRAYER FOR TODAY:

You are our God and we shall be Your people in spirit and in truth. Continue to dwell among us. Let the revelation by Your Holy Spirit inspire us to greater service in a more refined identity. We do not live as ourselves for ourselves. Rather, we live in Christ as He lives in us. We declare it with all the elders and angels in Heaven, saying “Holy, holy, holy is He who was and is and is to come.” In Jesus’ name we live, serve and pray. AMEN.