Justice and Grace
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Lamentations 3:1-9, 17-33
1. I am the man who has seen affliction under the rod of his wrath; 2. he has driven and brought me into darkness without any light; 3. surely against me he turns his hand again and again the whole day long. 4. He has made my flesh and my skin waste away, and broken my bones; 5. he has besieged and enveloped me with bitterness and tribulation; 6. he has made me dwell in darkness like the dead of long ago. 7. He has walled me about so that I cannot escape; he has put heavy chains on me; 8. though I call and cry for help, he shuts out my prayer; 9. he has blocked my ways with hewn stones, he has made my paths crooked. 17. my soul is bereft of peace, I have forgotten what happiness is; 18. so I say, "Gone is my glory, and my expectation from the Lord." 19. Remember my affliction and my bitterness, the wormwood and the gall! 20. My soul continually thinks of it and is bowed down within me. 21. But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: 22. The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; 23. they are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness. 24. "The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him." 25. The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul that seeks him. 26. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. 27. It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. 28. Let him sit alone in silence when he has laid it on him; 29. let him put his mouth in the dust -- there may yet be hope; 30. let him give his cheek to the smiter, and be filled with insults. 31. For the Lord will not cast off for ever, 32. but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love; 33. for he does not willingly afflict or grieve the sons of men.
Why is that when things are going well in our lives, we readily and heartily praise God, and when things are not going so well, we blame him for our hardships? It’s human nature, I guess. Notice, I said, “we.” That’s not an editorial we -- its a statement inclusive of yours truly! When its all good, we rejoice -- after all, we deserve all the bounty and wonders this world has to offer! We’re good Christians! We’ve never murdered anyone or robbed a bank. We pay our bills. We take our kids to church.
Oh . . . but . . . wait a minute . . .what about those sins of omission? What about the gossip I spread? What about the words spoken in anger to my spouse? What about the lies I told to someone so I would be regarded more highly by them? And how about the times I drank too much, or passed judgment on someone I didn’t even know because of how they looked? Do I really need to go on? I think I’d rather not!
My pastor, in his sermon last Sunday, presented a whole new perspective (for me!) about God’s wrath. The result of our sin is not that God rains down terror and destruction upon us -- not at all! He loves us--why would he deliberately, intentionally harm us!? Because of that love - manifested in God’s grace, we are not destroyed, without any hope for salvation! Rather, God’s wrath is demonstrated in His justice. He lets us “stew in our own juices” when we get ourselves into a sinful state. In other words, he lets us live with the consequences of our actions.
Parents do that with babies and toddlers. “Don’t touch the stove, it’s hot.” The little hand reaches out a little closer. “Don’t touch the stove, it’s hot and you’ll get burned.” Then a wail and tears begin to stream down the little face. We knew the stove had cooled off a bit and touching it wouldn’t cause permanent damage, but the little red patch of burned skin is a consequence of disobedience.
That is justice -- and that is how as children, we learn the lessons we need to live as adults in this world. That’s how our faith is strengthened and how we come to believe what is true. God tells us over and over again not to sin -- and when we do, he demonstrates his justice. And we keep sinning. And His amazing grace is what saves us from being completely destroyed. He waits for us to figure it out. And then he smiles lovingly as we run into his loving arms.
I hope today you go out into the world rejoicing in God’s restraint, love and grace in dealing with us. And that you share his grace with everyone you meet.
Mary
