Today's Reading
- Genesis 8-15
- Psalms 5-8
- Isaiah 5-8
- Matthew 3-4
- Romans 4-5
Reading Time: 53 minutes
There are constant themes in the Bible, and those themes are threaded throughout the entirety of Scripture, woven into an intricate and beautiful tapestry. Sometimes we tend to focus so much on the individual threads that we fail to see what the whole picture is trying to tell us. Take today's reading, for instance.
Starting over in Genesis, I read about the flood, the tower of Babel, Ham and the curse of Canaan, a plague in Egypt, and the sacking of Sodom and Gomorrah--all pictures of God's judgment on unrighteous behavior. But I also read about the call and covenant of Abram to be God's blessing to the world.
Skipping to the Psalms--God condemns the wicked, and covenants with the righteous for salvation and eternal life.
Skipping to Isaiah--more of the same.
Skipping to Matthew--John the Baptist come preaching condemnation for the wicked, but covenant salvation to those who will believe, receive, and repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. And then Jesus comes after him preaching the exact same thing.
Skipping to Romans--and we're back to Abraham. And more about condemnation and covenant.
We don't like to talk about condemnation in the church much any more. Condemnation makes us feel back. Judgment scares us. Hell is too hot. The devil is too...something. Sin is relative. Repentance is overrated. We'd rather hear about a God of love who loves everybody and is just going to let everybody in regardless of what they believed or how they lived. As one false prophet just put it: God just wants you to be happy.
It's a lie.
People are happy in their sin. The Bible tells us that people carried on with business and life, eating and drinking and marrying and giving in marriage, right up until the day it started to rain. They were happy, and living under a sentence of death. It had been proclaimed daily by Noah for more than a century while the ark was under construction, but nobody listened. They were to busy being happy.
Fresh off the boat, Ham laughed with giddiness at the sight of his drunk and naked father.
The Tower of Babel was a monument to happiness, self-determination, freedom, and unity. It was a symbol of humanity.
Pharaoh looked forward to the happiness and pleasure Abram's wife Sarai would give him.
Sodom was exceedingly wicked, but Lot chose to move there because he thought the verdant pastures and easy living of the valley would resolve his conflicts and solve all of his problems. Boy, did he get more than he bargained for. Just Lot, vexed by the sin of his own city, but living in it all the same.
Happiness is temporary. Sin has long-lasting effects and far-reaching consequences. And hell is forever.
The good news is that heaven is forever too. You can have life--abundant life now, eternal life in the hereafter. You can have real happiness, based not upon your actions but upon the activity of God. God is calling you with a sweet and wonderful message, but the message is still Repent! For the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. God's desire is not your merely your happiness, but rather your salvation through His message. You have to believe it and act upon it, but once you do, you are in covenant relationship with God, there is no more condemnation for you, but life everlasting. And a glorious future ahead!
But God showed his great love for us
by sending Christ to die for us
while we were still sinners.
And since we have been made right in God's sight
by the blood of Christ,
he will certainly save us from God's judgment.
For since we were restored to friendship with God
by the death of his Son while we were still enemies,
we will certainly be delivered from eternal punishment by his life.
So now we can rejoice!
Romans 5:8-11, NLT
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