This chapter describes the day of the Lord’s wrath upon His people.
” ‘Forge a chain! For the land is full of bloody crimes and the city is full of violence… I will put an end to the pride of the strong, and their holy places shall be profaned. When anguish comes, they will seek peace, but there shall be none…They seek a vision from the prophet, while the law perishes from the priest and counsel from the elders… According to their way I will do to them, and according to their judgments I will judge them, and they shall know that I am the Lord.’ ” (v23-27 abr)
God’s wrath is basically Him allowing us to receive the full consequences of our sin. It’s like allowing a child to jump on the bed even though you warned them not to – when they fall off, they experience the pain and suffering of their disobedience. God is lovingly letting us learn lessons the hard way, so we hopefully learn to obey Him better in the future.
The people in this passage are getting it all wrong: worshiping things that are not God; seeking counsel in the wrong places; ignoring correct counsel; doing violence to one another; judging each other unfairly; etc. So, God allows them to receive the just consequences of their sin.
Let’s do what we can to draw near to God, hear His voice, and obey Him. We will be blessed, God will bless others through us, we will suffer fewer direct consequences of our sin, and we will cause less harm to others. Drawing others toward Christ, and not pushing them away from Him sounds like a great plan – let’s ask God to help us do this.
Father God, our Wise and Kindhearted Lord, You bless us so greatly. Holy Spirit, thank you for speaking the word of the Lord into our hearts, and through us, so we may influence others for Christ. Jesus, thank you for modeling obedience and the fruit of the Spirit. Our holy Lord we praise You for working to save as many as will listen. May we honor, glorify and obey You with every word and action, for all our remaining days, amen.
~ Conqueror in Training