God’s Justice!

And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:   Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts. Revelation 9: 20, 21, NKJV.

Merciful God, we thank You so much for Your endless love and forgiveness. We need You in our lives, to give them meaning. We love You and want to serve You. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

We often hear people ask questions like:  If God is a God of love, why did He allow an innocent child to die? Or, If “God is love” why did this disaster take place? Or, How can a God of love destroy the wicked? We base our inquiries on God’s love, and seem to completely ignore His justice. We fail to realize that in the realm where God exists, mercy and justice go hand in hand. The Mercy Seat is the cover of the ark – where God’s law is contained. At the Throne of Grace – mercy and justice meet and kiss each other.

Our Scripture for today gives us a snapshot of the attitude of those who will be lost when Christ returns.  Much of the imagery in these verses are figurative. However, there is one feature of the narrative that is quite clear and easy to understand – the attitude of the lost:  “And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands.” You get the feeling that if they had been given another opportunity they would have continued with “business as usual.” It is hard to imagine them being happy in heaven, of their free choice.

It is important that we understand that hell and destruction were never God’s plan for His creatures. Scripture makes it plain that, hell was created to destroy the author and the perpetrators of sin. Let us take a look at the following portion of Scripture:  ” ‘ “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels” ‘ ” (Matthew 25: 41). Emphasis provided.

We do not understand God’s justice because we do not think the way God thinks, nor act the way He acts (Isaiah 55:  8, 9). Therefore, we cannot comprehend how justice and mercy can be on the same side of an equation. We do not understand how you can love someone and yet allow that person to destroy him or her (self). That is because free choice is of divine origin, not human. That does not make God less loving. Our minds cannot grasp it. Our inability to appreciate this concept leads to persecution and sometimes death of one group of people, at the hand of another group, who is not in agreement with them.

Even when God allows the following words to be penned by His servants Moses and Joshua, respectively, in His name:  “I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live” (Deuteronomy 30: 19). Emphasis provided. “And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell” (Joshua 24: 15a). Emphasis provided. Yet our minds cannot understand His gift of free choice.

That is because we are caught in the midst of a cosmic warfare between the forces of good and evil. God gives us free choice (as seen in the verses quoted in the paragraph above) – the Adversary does not. Therefore, God’s justice and His mercy, allows the sinner to decide where, and how, he or she will spend eternity. Not so with the Adversary – he comes in and imposes his will on those who have not answered the Savior’s call. They allow the houses of their hearts to be cleansed, but do not allow the Savior to come in (Revelation 3: 20; Luke 11: 24-26).  Some will choose heaven; some will choose hell. God will respect both choices, because He is just!

Due to our fallen nature, it is easier for us to want people to do things our way, and if necessary, force them to do so. I pray that the next time someone does not see eye to eye with us, instead of being angry with them, demonizing them, or trying to force their wills, we will remember God’s justice.

NOTE:  This devotional has been edited.