In Wrath, Remember Mercy

“The Bible contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers. Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable. Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe and practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you. It is the traveler’s map, the pilgrim’s staff, the pilot’s compass, the soldier’s sword, and the Christian’s charter. Here Paradise is restored, Heaven opened, and the gates of hell disclosed. Christ is its grand subject, our good the design, and the glory of God its end. It should fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet. “Read it slowly, frequently, and prayerfully. It is a mine of wealth, a paradise of glory, and a river of pleasure. It is given to you in life, will be opened at the judgment, and be remembered forever. It involves the highest responsibility, will reward the greatest labor, and will condemn all who trifle with its sacred contexts.” --Gideons International pocket Bible

If you're like me, you've spent a great deal of your life reading the Bible and skipping through a certain section in the middle, known as the prophets. It wasn't until college that I really began to understand that God intended each part of His word to be relevant and resonant with His people across the centuries. The 17 men of God, called prophets, who cried out to the unrepentant Israel and Judah before the time came for them to be destroyed by conquering empires wrote words that are relevant to the church today. Why? Because the issue of man's sin and total depravity before God has never changed. Because God has never stopped pursuing His people and asking them to repent and turn back to Him. Because there are many words they spoke that have yet to be fulfilled.

Two weeks ago in class, we had the great privilege of hearing from Blake Holmes, a member of Watermark Church's staff, about the prophets of the Old Testament. This was definitely my favorite class topic so far because it's the one I've known least about. Blake gave us some great principles for interpreting the prophets, which I'll share at the end, and then went through an overview of each of the 17 prophets- who they wrote to, when they wrote, their main message, and where we see their prophecy quoted or fulfilled in the New Testament. It was nothing short of fascinating. My favorite part was that each time we finished a prophet, we paused to discuss how we would apply the message of the prophet to our situation today. For instance, Hosea is about God's unrelenting love for the nation of Israel despite their unfaithfulness, which is similar to that of a prostitute, or an unfaithful wife. So the question he asked was, who does this book minister to today? It ministers to anyone who feels they've messed up or gone so far away that they cannot be redeemed by God, like they're the exception to God's grace. We, like the people of Israel, all have 'prodigal' situations, where we're far from God, he pursues us, and we're redeemed and forgiven by him.

We see the purpose of the prophets in 2 Chronicles 2:18-19 “And they abandoned the house of the Lord, the God of their fathers, and served the Asherim and the idols. And wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this guilt of theirs.Yet he sent prophets among them to bring them back to the Lord. These testified against them, but they would not pay attention.” So the prophets were not just men of fire and brimstone, telling everyone they were condemned to hell- they were meant to bring people back to the Lord. The ministry of God's prophets was a frustrating one. We see very few examples of the people repenting, even when the Lord's word is made so clear to them? Why? They had abandoned God to worship other things and were consumed with sinful pride. I think their situation is very reflective of ours today. And though Christians in the West may not have an empire coming to conquer them (depending on which latest conspiracy theorist you ask), there is One who will come to judge the living and the dead and He will destroy evil once and for all. That includes the destruction of those who do not follow Him.

We have the privilege of having the whole word of God, the full counsel of His will revealed to us in a way that the prophets never did. Will we respond to God calling out to us, or will we cast out the prophets as an irrelevant part of God's word? We see across the prophetical books that in God's wrath He always remembers mercy. This is a hugely important thing about the character of God- His wrath and judgment are sure, but the moment we cry out to Him, He saves, and that salvation is irrevocable.