God Knows from the Infinite to the Intimate!

Just Scriptures today!! I pray that the Lord will use His Word to speak to your heart.

The underworld is naked in God’s presence.
The place of destruction is uncovered. (Job 26:6, NLT)

Even Death and Destruction hold no secrets from the Lord.
How much more does he know the human heart! (Proverbs 15:11, NLT)

“To whom will you compare me?
Who is my equal?” asks the Holy One.
Look up into the heavens.
Who created all the stars?
He brings them out like an army, one after another, calling each by its name.
Because of his great power and incomparable strength, not a single one is missing. (Isaiah 40:25-26, NLT)

“For God watches how people live; he sees everything they do. No darkness is thick enough to hide the wicked from his eyes.” (Job 34:21-22)

The Lord looks down from heaven and sees the whole human race.
From his throne he observes all who live on the earth.
He made their hearts, so he understands everything they do.
The best-equipped army cannot save a king, nor is great strength enough to save a warrior.
Don’t count on your warhorse to give you victory - for all its strength, it cannot save you.
But the Lord watches over those who fear him, those who rely on his unfailing love.
He rescues them from death and keeps them alive in times of famine. (Psalm 33:13-19, NLT)

He counts the stars and calls them all by name.
How great is our Lord! His power is absolute!
His understanding is beyond comprehension!
The Lord supports the humble, but he brings the wicked down into the dust. (Psalm 147:4-6, NLT)

People may be right in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their heart. (Proverbs 21:2, NLT)

Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable. (Hebrews 4:13, NLT)

Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything. (1 John 3:20, NLT)

“But don’t be afraid of those who threaten you. For the time is coming when everything that is covered will be revealed, and all that is secret will be made known to all. What I tell you now in the darkness, shout abroad when daybreak comes. What I whisper in your ear, shout from the housetops for all to hear!
“Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell. What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered.
“So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.” (Matthew 10:26-31, NLT)

For what has God above chosen for us?
What is our inheritance from the Almighty on high?
Isn’t it calamity for the wicked and misfortune for those who do evil?
Doesn’t he see everything I do and every step I take? (Job 31:2-4, NLT)

I go east, but he is not there.
I go west, but I cannot find him.
I do not see him in the north, for he is hidden.
I look to the south, but he is concealed.
But he knows where I am going.
And when he tests me, I will come out as pure as gold.
(Job 23:8-10, NLT)

Fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but the Lord tests the heart. (Proverbs 17:3, NLT)

O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.
You know when I sit down or stand up.
You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
You see me when I travel and when I rest at home.
You know everything I do.
You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord.
You go before me and follow me.
You place your hand of blessing on my head.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!  (Psalm 139:1-6, NLT)

You know what I long for, Lord; you hear my every sigh. (Psalm 38:9, NLT)

I cry out to the Lord; I plead for the Lord’s mercy.
I pour out my complaints before him and tell him all my troubles.
When I am overwhelmed, you alone know the way I should turn. (Psalm 142:1-3a, NLT)

The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him.
For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust. (Psalm 103:13-14, NLT)

He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber.
Indeed, he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps.
The Lord himself watches over you!
The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade.
The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon at night. (Psalm 121:3-6, NLT)

God Knows the Heart

MAN LOOKS ON THE OUTSIDE! GOD LOOKS ON THE INSIDE!

“Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)

This happened after King Saul had rebelled against God, and God rejected him as king.

The Lord sent Samuel, the prophet, off to Jesse’s place to anoint the new king whom God had chosen from Jesse’s sons. So Jesse got all his boys together, but one, and had them line up before Samuel.

When Eliab stood before him, Samuel thought to himself, “Hey, this is a fine, young handsome man. Surely this is the NEXT king!!”

But God said, “NO!!!”

However, it ended up, that the youngest, David, was the one God had chosen. He was not in the line-up, but was out with the sheep. So after God had rejected all the other boys, they went and fetched David. Then God affirmed that he was the ONE, so Samuel anointed him, “and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward.” (v.13)

So we have to remember that things are not always as they seem. The understanding, even of the godly, is limited. But God sees through all that, and looks straight at the heart.

Here’s some more Scriptures that you might like to study. (All references are from the New King James Version.)

Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised. (Proverbs 31:30)

And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God. (Luke 16:15)

“ For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. (Isaiah 55:

Do not let your adornment be merely outward – arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel – rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. (1 Peter 3:3-4)

“Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.” (John 7:24)

Do you look at things according to the outward appearance? If anyone is convinced in himself that he is Christ’s, let him again consider this in himself, that just as he is Christ’s, even so we are Christ’s. (2 Corinthians 10:7)

… Hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive, and act, and give to everyone according to all his ways, whose heart You know (for You alone know the hearts of all the sons of men), that they may fear You all the days that they live in the land which You gave to our fathers. (1 Kings 8:39-40)

“As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the LORD searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever.” (1 Chronicles 28:9)

For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. In this you have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars. (2 Chronicles 16:9)

Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end,
But establish the just;
For the righteous God tests the hearts and minds.
My defense is of God,
Who saves the upright in heart. (Psalm 7:9-10)

O LORD, You have searched me and known me.
You know my sitting down and my rising up;
You understand my thought afar off. (Psalm 139:1-2)

Hell and Destruction are before the LORD;
So how much more the hearts of the sons of men. (Proverbs 15:11)

All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes,
But the LORD weighs the spirits. (Proverbs 16:2)

The heart is deceitful above all things,
And desperately wicked;
Who can know it?
I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind,
Even to give every man according to his ways,
According to the fruit of his doings. (Jeremiah 17:9-10)

But the LORD is with me as a mighty, awesome One.
Therefore my persecutors will stumble, and will not prevail.
They will be greatly ashamed, for they will not prosper.
Their everlasting confusion will never be forgotten.
But, O LORD of hosts, You who test the righteous,
And see the mind and heart, let me see Your vengeance on them;
For I have pleaded my cause before You. (Jeremiah 20:11-12)

And they prayed and said, “You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two You have chosen to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.” (Acts 1:24-25)

And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. (Hebrews 4:13)

Here’s some more references you might like to look up: 1 Chronicles 29:16-20; 2 Chronciles 6:28-31; Nehemiah 9:9-10; Job 12:13,16,22; 21:22; 24:22-24; 34:21-22,25; Psalm 1:6; 11:4-5; 33:13-15; 37:18; 44:20-22; 92:5; 94:7-11; Proverbs 5:21; 15:3; 24:11-12; Isa 37:28-29; 66:18.

God Knows All

Now, it’s time to go back to where I was! A few weeks ago I started in Proverbs, planning to do a series. Then I came to verse 7, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.”

Here’s what I said about it:

“Part of fearing and reverencing God is knowing and acknowledging that God, as our Creator, knows it all, and that our puny thinking and understanding is very limited.” (Click here to read the whole article, “What Does It Mean to Fear God?“.)

Then the next part is surrending to the God Who know and to His mercy. “If we don’t have His mercy, we have His wrath.” We’ve certainly seen that in the past few entries, about those who’d hardened their hearts.

Well, so far we’ve looked at:

• how God knows our hearts and it’s intentions;
• how He sees and knows the affliction of His people;
• how He knows the heart of the wicked (which took me on a detoured study about hard heartedness.)

This all brings me back to a verse I quoted earlier, and which is the next one as I follow this topic through the Bible.

“Talk no more so very proudly;
Let no arrogance come from your mouth,
For the LORD is the God of knowledge;
And by Him actions are weighed.”

This is part of a prayer that Hannah prayed when she offered her only son, Samuel, to God. And he ministered with Eli in the temple. (Read chapter 1 to find out the backgroud.) But as I read the WHOLE prayer, I was surprised to find that it sums up all I’ve been saying so far. Here it is in the New Living Translation:

“My heart rejoices in the Lord!
The Lord has made me strong.
Now I have an answer for my enemies;
I rejoice because you rescued me.
No one is holy like the Lord!
There is no one besides you;
there is no Rock like our God.

“Stop acting so proud and haughty!
Don’t speak with such arrogance!
For the Lord is a God who knows what you have done;
he will judge your actions.
The bow of the mighty is now broken,
and those who stumbled are now strong.
Those who were well fed are now starving,
and those who were starving are now full.
The childless woman now has seven children,
and the woman with many children wastes away.
The Lord gives both death and life;
he brings some down to the grave but raises others up.
The Lord makes some poor and others rich;
he brings some down and lifts others up.
He lifts the poor from the dust
and the needy from the garbage dump.
He sets them among princes,
placing them in seats of honor.
For all the earth is the Lord’s,
and he has set the world in order.

“He will protect his faithful ones,
but the wicked will disappear in darkness.
No one will succeed by strength alone.
Those who fight against the Lord will be shattered.
He thunders against them from heaven;
the Lord judges throughout the earth.
He gives power to his king;
he increases the strength of his anointed one.”
(1 Samuel 2:1-10)

Hannah had at last come out of her humiliation, and God had raised her up to be the mother of a mighty prophet in Israel.

And regarding the wicked, we’ve seen that pride and arrogance, and the lack of reverence and fear of God, seem to go hand in hand. So may I conclude that pride is the root cause of rebellion against God? Also pride is the majoy thing that stops us receiving God’s blessings and His best.

But, praise the Lord, that even in our pride, God is still gracious and merciful, but in a different way. He will leave us to our own resouces so that pride can do its work in us. He will allow it to bring us to the end of ourselves and to our knees, where we cry out, “HELP!!!” Didn’t we see that so often with Israel?

He allows circumstances to bring us to down to a point, where He breaks our stubbornness. To a point where we are in a position where He CAN bless us.

Here’s some more Scriptures:

“Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.” (Proverbs 16:18, NLT)

“You [are like] unfaithful wives [having illicit love affairs with the world and breaking your marriage vow to God]! Do you not know that being the world’s friend is being God’s enemy? So whoever chooses to be a friend of the world takes his stand as an enemy of God.
“Or do you suppose that the Scripture is speaking to no purpose that says, ‘The Spirit Whom He has caused to dwell in us yearns over us and He yearns for the Spirit [to be welcome] with a jealous love?’
“But He gives us more and more grace (power of the Holy Spirit, to meet this evil tendency and all others fully). That is why He says, God sets Himself against the proud and haughty, but gives grace [continually] to the lowly (those who are humble enough to receive it).
“So be subject to God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him], and he will flee from you.
“Come close to God and He will come close to you. [Recognize that you are] sinners, get your soiled hands clean; [realize that you have been disloyal] wavering individuals with divided interests, and purify your hearts [of your spiritual adultery].
“[As you draw near to God] be deeply penitent and grieve, even weep [over your disloyalty]. Let your laughter be turned to grief and your mirth to dejection and heartfelt shame [for your sins].
“Humble yourselves [feeling very insignificant] in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you [He will lift you up and make your lives significant]. (James 4:4-10, Amp.)

“For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: In returning [to Me] and resting [in Me] you shall be saved; in quietness and in [trusting] confidence shall be your strength. But you would not, and you said, ‘No! We will speed [our own course] on horses!’
“Therefore you will speed [in flight from your enemies]! You said, We will ride upon swift steeds [doing our own way]! Therefore will they who pursue you be swift, [so swift that] one thousand of you will flee at the threat of one of them; at the threat of five you will flee till you are left like a beacon or a flagpole on the top of a mountain, and like a signal on a hill.
“And therefore the Lord [earnestly] waits [expecting, looking, and longing] to be gracious to you; and therefore He lifts Himself up, that He may have mercy on you and show loving-kindness to you. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are all those who [earnestly] wait for Him, who expect and look and long for Him [for His victory, His favor, His love, His peace, His joy, and His matchless, unbroken companionship]!” (Isaiah 30:15-18, Amp.)

“It is good for me that I have been afflicted,
That I may learn Your statutes.
The law of Your mouth is better to me
Than thousands of coins of gold and silver.”
(Psalm 119:71-72)

“I know, O LORD, that Your judgments are right,
And that in faithfulness You have afflicted me.” (v75)

“Unless Your law had been my delight,
I would then have perished in my affliction.
I will never forget Your precepts,
For by them You have given me life.
I am Yours, save me;
For I have sought Your precepts.” (v. 92-94)

Paul Grieves for Israel Too

Okay, so far I’ve only looked at “hard hearts” in the Old Testament. But look what I’ve found in the New. Here’s how Paul felt about Israel’s hardheartedness:

“With Christ as my witness, I speak with utter truthfulness. My conscience and the Holy Spirit confirm it. My heart is filled with bitter sorrow and unending grief for my people, my Jewish brothers and sisters. I would be willing to be forever cursed—cut off from Christ!—if that would save them. They are the people of Israel, chosen to be God’s adopted children. God revealed his glory to them. He made covenants with them and gave them his law. He gave them the privilege of worshiping him and receiving his wonderful promises. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are their ancestors, and Christ himself was an Israelite as far as his human nature is concerned. And he is God, the one who rules over everything and is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.” (Romans 9:1-5, NLT)

Can’t you just feel his grief and frustration? It’s like when, with your kids, you’ve given them almost everything, and they don’t show any appreciation, but want to go their own way. Yet they’re always wanting more privileges.

So what was going to happen to them?

Read the rest of chapter 9 and then 10 and 11 to find out. However, it raises a lot of questions. Well it has for me. And Paul had some questions too. In chapter 9 we find the following:

• Has God failed to fulfill His promise to the Jews? (v.6-13)
• Was God being unfair? (v.14-1 But God has the right to take pity on whom He wants and to harden the hearts of whom He chooses.
• Why then, does God blame them for not listening? Haven’t they done what He made them do? (v.19-29)
• What shall we say about these things? (v.30-33)

And I’ve also discovered that this passage has raised lots of questions in people’s minds for centuries… the debate over God’s sovereignty and man’s free will.

I thought this morning, to put a bit more light on my dilemma, I’d see what someone else had to say. So I went to the bookshelf. The first book I picked up was Haley’s Bible Handbook.

Haley did help me understand it a bit better. He says:

“In this passage Paul is not discussing the predestination of individuals to salvation or condemnaton, but is asserting God’s absolute sovereignty in the choice and management of nations for world functions so as to bring all at last in subjection to Him.”

And then he goes on to say:

“How to reconcile the sovereignty of God and freedom og the human will we do not know. Both doctrines are plainly taught in the Bible. We believe them both. But to explain how both can be true we shall have to leave to others, for the present. Some things we now see in a glass darkly. But some day we shall know, even as we are known.”

So, if Haley couldn’t figure it out and has had to leave it for the “here after”, I think I should do so also.

It is just one of those things we will never really understand while her on earth. So I’m just going to trust God in this one. And besides there are so many other more important things for us to look at.

However, I do want to come back to this passage soon. We are studying Romans in a Bible study at present. We’re now into chapter 8. I asked if we were going to continue into chapter 9, etc. Sometimes studies on Romans only go as far as chapter 8. Anyhow we ARE going to continue.

This should make for some very interesting study. I’m really looking forward to it.

When the Hard Hearts are in God’s People…

…. WHAT A SAD AND SORRY STATE!!

But it happens. And we see it happen in God’s chosen people, Israel. Before they entered the promised land, God warned them:

“Beware that you do not forget the LORD your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today….. (lest) when all that you have is multiplied; when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.” (Deuteronomy 8:11,13b-14 NKJ)

And in verses 18 to 20, the Lord gives a grave warning about what will happen to them if they forget Him, the One Who gives them the power to get wealth.

“And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. Then it shall be, if you by any means forget the LORD your God, and follow other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish. As the nations which the LORD destroys before you, so you shall perish, because you would not be obedient to the voice of the LORD your God.”

So did they heed the warning?

Nope!! Like all fallen human nature, which with its bent towards rebellion, they went their own way. In their plenty, pride and arrogance entered their hearts. The forgot the fear of the Lord.

Consequently, we see the Israelites defeated by their enemies many times. However, each time they’d call out to God in their desperation, and He would rescue them. They eventually end up as captives in Babylon. After loosing everything and being in bondage for 70 years, a remnant of Israel return to Jerusalem to rebuild the city.

Isaiah 30 contrasts their rebellion with God’s graciousness and mercy:

This is what the Sovereign Lord,
the Holy One of Israel, says:
“Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved.
In quietness and confidence is your strength.
But you would have none of it.
You said, ‘No, we will get our help from Egypt.
They will give us swift horses for riding into battle.’
But the only swiftness you are going to see is the swiftness of your enemies chasing you!
One of them will chase a thousand of you.
Five of them will make all of you flee.
You will be left like a lonely flagpole on a hillor a tattered banner on a distant mountaintop.”

So the Lord must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion.
For the Lord is a faithful God.
Blessed are those who wait for his help.
O people of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more.
He will be gracious if you ask for help.
He will surely respond to the sound of your cries.
Though the Lord gave you adversity for food and suffering for drink, he will still be with you to teach you.
You will see your teacher with your own eyes.
Your own ears will hear him.
Right behind you a voice will say,
“This is the way you should go,”
whether to the right or to the left.
Then you will destroy all your silver idols and your precious gold images.
You will throw them out like filthy rags, saying to them, “Good riddance!” (v.15-22, NLT)

(More tomorrow! )

Hard Hearts and God’s Glory??

(I know this one is a tricky one. I’m sure it will raise a lot of questions regarding man’s free will and God’s sovereign plan. I’m ready for a debate on this one, and I encourage your comments. But here, I’m just recalling what I’ve found in the Bible, so far. I’m not claiming it’s the full answer, but rather what I’ve observed from these passages I’ve read.)

Now, here’s some more instances where God had hardened people’s hearts. (Read the previous entry, to find out what He did to Pharaoh.)

THE EGYPTIANS

God not only hardened Pharaoh’s heart. He also hardened the hearts of the Egyptians. Check it out in Exodus 14:15-18. The Israelites had just made their great escape from Egypt, and they fled and end up at the edge of the Red Sea. Pharaoh had sent his army to chase after them. So they were literally between the devil and the deep blue sea.

So they cry out to Moses. And Moses says:

“Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.”

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the people to get moving! Pick up your staff and raise your hand over the sea. Divide the water so the Israelites can walk through the middle of the sea on dry ground. And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they will charge in after the Israelites. My great glory will be displayed through Pharaoh and his troops, his chariots, and his charioteers. When my glory is displayed through them, all Egypt will see my glory and know that I am the Lord!”

One thing I notice there is that God hardens hearts so that His glory will be displayed. Not the normal way one would think of God being glorified!

SIHON, KING OF HESHBON

On another occassion, when the Israelites were in the wilderness, they wanted to pass through Heshbon. Didn’t want to cause any trouble, but just pass through! But King Sihon got rather irrate about it and would let them past. We read in Deuteronomy 2:30 that it was because God had hardened his heart, so that he would be delivered into Israel’s hands.

But Sihon the king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him, for the LORD your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate, that he might give him into your hand, as he is this day. And the LORD said to me, ‘Behold, I have begun to give Sihon and his land over to you. Begin to take possession, that you may occupy his land.’ Then Sihon came out against us, he and all his people, to battle at Jahaz. And the LORD our God gave him over to us, and we defeated him and his sons and all his people. (Deuteronomy 2:30-33, ESV)

Is it that when a person refuses to fear God, that He prepares his heart for judgment by hardening it. And with that judgment comes victory for God’s people. It reminds me of what it says in Proverbs:

“The wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.” (13:22, NKJ)

ISRAEL’S ENEMIES IN THE PROMISED LAND

After the Israelites had reached the promised land, under the leadership of Joshua, they conquered much of the land, as God had said. So again judgment of the wicked and victory for the righteous go hand in hand. Read the summary of Joshua’s conquests in Joshua 11:16-23. Note verse 20. We see here that God hardened their hearts.

For it was the LORD’s doing to harden their hearts that they should come against Israel in battle, in order that they should be devoted to destruction and should receive no mercy but be destroyed, just as the LORD commanded Moses. (ESV)

All these events were foretold way back in Genesis. It was when God made His covenant with Abraham and had promised him the land of Canaan. God told him this in a dream.

As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him. Then the LORD said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. As for yourself, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”

Note firstly the prophecy about Egypt, and we’ve just seen how God fulfilled that. And secondly, notice the phrase “the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”

The Amorites, according to the footnote in my Bible, represent all the inhabitants of Canaan. God’s judgment must await its perfect timing. And in that perfect timing (in the fourth generation) we see the wicked judged and the righteous exonerated.

We can see this in Psalm 37:5-9, and so be encouraged when we too are faced with injustices.

Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him, and he will act.
He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as the noonday.

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
over the man who carries out evil devices!

Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!
Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
For the evildoers shall be cut off,
but those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land. (ESV)

What will happen to the wicked?

Will justice be done? Will their oppression and exploitation of the poor ever stop? Will God punish the wicked?

Look at these wicked people— enjoying a life of ease while their riches multiply.

Did I keep my heart pure for nothing?
Did I keep myself innocent for no reason?
I get nothing but trouble all day long; every morning brings me pain.

If I had really spoken this way to others, I would have been a traitor to your people.
So I tried to understand why the wicked prosper.
But what a difficult task it is!
Then I went into your sanctuary, O God, and I finally understood the destiny of the wicked.
Truly, you put them on a slippery path and send them sliding over the cliff to destruction.
In an instant they are destroyed, completely swept away by terrors.
When you arise, O Lord, you will laugh at their silly ideas as a person laughs at dreams in the morning. (Psalm 73:12-20, NLT)

An interesting thing is that Psalm 73 and 37 talk about the same thing. Here’s the first 11 verses of Psalm 37. (Or read the WHOLE Psalm.)

Don’t worry about the wicked or envy those who do wrong.
For like grass, they soon fade away.
Like spring flowers, they soon wither.

Trust in the Lord and do good.
Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.
Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires.

Commit everything you do to the Lord.
Trust him, and he will help you.
He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.

Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act.
Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes.

Stop being angry!
Turn from your rage!
Do not lose your temper— it only leads to harm.
For the wicked will be destroyed, but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land.

Soon the wicked will disappear.
Though you look for them, they will be gone.
The lowly will possess the land and will live in peace and prosperity. (NLT)

So we can be assured that their day will come.

In the meantime, God has His purposes for delaying judgment. We see this in the story of Pharaoh, along with some other examples. As we be still and spend time in God’s word, we can begin to see what God is up to.

So let’s go back to Pharaoh in Exodus.

Firstly, we learned that God KNEW Pharaoh’s heart. He knew the extent of his stubbornness. Here’s a little example.

When Moses came to Pharaoh and asked that he let God’s people go, so that they could worship and sacrifice to their God in the wilderness. But Pharaoh says:

“Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go?” (Exodus 5:2, NKJ)

He had no fear of God. And by saying that, Pharaoh had it coming to him. Years ago, God had said to Abraham,

“I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you (and your descendants), and I will curse him who curses you…”

So hey, it’s dangerous to mess with God’s kids. So God would sort him out, for sure! God had a plan, and He was actually using Pharaoh to help fulfill it. He had said to Moses:

“Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh. When he feels the force of my strong hand, he will let the people go. In fact, he will force them to leave his land!” (Exodus 6:1, NLT)

Later on we read that “Pharaoh’s heart became hard and he did not let the people go.” (See Exodus 9:7.) And then a bit later we read that “the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh; and he didn’t heed them, just as the Lord had spoken to Moses.” (9:12)

And further on, we read about how God sent the final plague, the death of the firstborn. This had become too much for Pharaoh. He could not longer stand it. So he called for Moses and Aaron in the middle of the night, and he said:

“Get out!” he ordered. “Leave my people—and take the rest of the Israelites with you! Go and worship the Lord as you have requested. Take your flocks and herds, as you said, and be gone. Go, but bless me as you leave.”

Don’t you just love the hide of that guy, Pharaoh, asking Moses to bless him? Of course he didn’t qualify for God’s blessings. In chapter 14 we read again of how God hardened his heart, and Pharaoh and his army chased after the Israelites, and they were all drowned in the Red Sea.

See, even when it doesn’t seem He is doing anything regard the wicked, God has His ways. He does have a day of judgment for the wicked. God will overthrow them, and the meek will inherit the earth.

Tomorrow, I will share some other examples of how God hardening hearts.

(To learn more about Pharaoh and his stubbornness, go to the previous entry. Also you can read the whole story in Exodus 3-15.)

God Knows the Wicked

…OR DOES HE??

Sometimes we would think He doesn’t see or care about the oppression the wicked bring.  As the Psalmist said in Psalm 73:

Truly God is good to Israel, to those whose hearts are pure.
But as for me, I almost lost my footing. My feet were slipping, and I was almost gone.
For I envied the proud when I saw them prosper despite their wickedness.
They seem to live such painless lives; their bodies are so healthy and strong.
They don’t have troubles like other people; they’re not plagued with problems like everyone else.
They wear pride like a jeweled necklace and clothe themselves with cruelty.
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