January 27, 2025

GOD’S WORD FOR TODAY:

“See, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. For My own sake, My very own sake, I will act; for how can I let Myself be defamed? I will not yield My glory to another.” (Isaiah 48.10-11)

“You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in the heavens above, on the earth below, or in the waters beneath. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, I AM a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on their children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing loving devotion to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.” (Exodus 20.3-6)

REFLECTION ON GOD’S WORD:

As I mentioned in the previous reflection on the verses preceding those presented above, many people have misunderstood the “wrath” of God. They see it as self-serving, vindictive, manipulative and just downright mean. They base their opinion, for the most part I believe, on the fact that the god they desire to serve is the type of god who serves them. That god entitles them to pleasure, excess and excuses for behavior so that there is no moral code to convict them save for bardian theology of “to thine own self be true.” Because the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David and Jesus of Nazareth which they have a familiarity with because of the Judeo-Christian testimony and proposition of “being a light to the world and the salt of the earth” which serves the purpose for which they were created to honor God and establish a community of faith, hope and love does not placate and supply their wants, needs and desires, God must not be a “nice” God. Wrath, from that point of view, is not seen as justice but vindictiveness. Nothing could be further from the truth. The nature and character of God is love: love not as the world understands love but love as serves the welfare of a people for generations to come. That love bears the legacy of hope for redemption, reconciliation and restoration. God is invested in His creation which is born out of love for the sake of love. The expectation is that we ought to share in that same love ourselves: for our good and personal welfare; for the good of others regardless of being friend, neighbor, colleague, stranger or foe for their welfare and that of the community-at-large; and for the sake of God’s goodness.

So, then, the hardships we face whether they are self-inflicted, acts of nature or of self-interested individuals and nations or by the simple fact we live in a broken world where the ravages of sin wreak havoc on the body, mind and soul, are a matter of testing our resolve. The testing may be intentional, as putting us to the test to see if we have flaws. The testing may come by virtue of being alive and we then must embrace “God can work all things together for good.” We most certainly can blame God and raised a leery eyebrow as did the “friends” of Job. We can most certainly trust in God and while we question the many “whys” which exist and are conjured up in our own imagination, we still trust in God that His will shall be done. This was the decision which Job had made from the start. This is what ended up being tested by the “quality control expert;” his name is Satan. We have to understand that Satan has limits as well. He is not an independent being. He is and will always be under the sovereign authority of God. So, when the word comes to Isaiah concerning Israel, her people and her leadership, God is very clear. He says, “See, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.” Do we accept the testing with trials and tribulations a “refining process”? God speaks of refining silver ore by testing it with heat. What God desires is to redeem the pure metal that is locked within the ore. The same is true for us with a distinguishable difference. We are not put in the refiner’s fire or the smelter’s furnace. We might be, as were Shadrach, Meshach and Abedneggo. But, that was an extraordinary situation for which those young men had been prepared without knowing it. Instead, like most everyone else in the world, humans are tested by “afflictions.” No less painful, distressing, life-changing and filled with a fire of passion, bitterness and the like, these afflictions we are familiar with in our own lives. These afflictions speak to us of an aspect of “death and dying” which is living in the throes of something dying internally and externally. God does not “test us with fire” because God has no desire to destroy His people in this season of our lives. Humanity may and have used fire for such treacherous purposes. May God have mercy and justice on them as we know He has and will.

Mighty ones, let this be enough in the moment to remind us that God, regardless of human circumstances, remains in control and works for our good. That good, mind you, is the will of God in those who have been called according to His purposes for their lives. We must embrace those purposes, even when we are unsure of what they are. We know the greatest purposes of our lives are to “love God and one another” and to “cultivate life in this world on this earth so that God is known and followed.” This is the calling and purpose of our discipleship. Israel gave up on that calling and purpose. They had to be reminded of it lest they suffer a fate worse than death in the world. We must be reminded, so it seems, even now. Let us be “good” students and mighty ones of God.

TODAY’S PRAYER IN RESPONSE TO GOD’S WORD:

Father, in these days we are finding the need to believe even more than ever before. We all have known trouble, some in greater ways than others, but You are offering us the assurance that we will not be consumed by it forever. Regardless of the “time” we are in and the “time” we have been given, we ask for Your Holy Spirit which Jesus asked You to share with us, to lead and guide and direct us in the paths we should go. Teach us what we still need to learn. Empower us to put that learning into action. Bless our actions not as a works righteousness which we know is folly but righteous works which declare Your glory and further witness the truth that can set all who believe free from death. So may we live by the name of Jesus our Christ. AMEN.