What is God doing?

 

2 Samuel 24; Psalm 79; Ezekiel 31; Galatians 4

 This morning I read of an incident in the Old Testament that seems to repeat itself in some ways throughout history. In this story, God was angry with His people and allowed Satan to incite King David to number his fighting men. His army commander warned him that assessing his strength was not God-honoring but David insisted. When it was done, there were 1,300,000 in total. However, David realized he had sinned greatly in what he had done. At that, a prophet told the king that God offered three choices: 3 years of famine, 3 months of attack from enemies, or 3 days of pestilence. David picked the latter one and God sent a pestilence where 70,000 people died.

The parallel? Prior to the last few months of this current pandemic, there seemed to be a great deal of saber-rattling. While world leaders may not have been counting their troops, they were boasting of their might. Not God-honoring. Did this put the world on the edge of disaster? Was the prevailing attitude one of “my army is bigger than your army” or am I imagining things? The history in 2 Samuel could reveal a reason why our world has been hit with pestilence. Even so, Instead of fighting with one another, we now have a common enemy with unity between some former enemies.

I shrug my shoulders and wonder if we are being challenged to think differently about who has the most power compared to the power of Almighty God.

Psalm 79 is a cry to God about the nations that have defied Him and His people. The psalmist reviews some of the things done and how God’s people are mocked for believing in a God that no one can see. He says,

Do not remember against us our former iniquities; let your compassion come speedily to meet us, for we are brought very low. Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name; deliver us, and atone for our sins, for your name’s sake! (Psalm 79:8–9)

Isn’t this like many prayers today? Christians are asking for compassion and for God to glorify Himself by delivering us from what seems like His wrath against a God-defying world.

Ezekiel uses a poetic figure of speech to describe what God will do to a nation or nations that lift themselves above Him. He strikes them down to remind them that all are “given over to death” and that their prideful actions will bring destruction to them. Yikes, this too is much like today’s news. Nations are crumbling and their people are fearful, panicking, protesting loudly and violently but limited because no matter what they do, nothing seems to stop or change what a tiny invisible virus is doing to human lives and emotions.

Today’s NT reading is a strong word to Christians who are relying on themselves through rule-keeping rather than remembering that Christ died to set them free from the impossibility of salvation by their own works. Were they counting their own strength like David did with his army? Sounds like it, and God was not pleased. His people are not slaves to the Law and rules. Paul told them:

Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more? (Galatians 4:8–9)

This is a warning to us — do not rely on anything else, not our own goodness, or rituals, or dogma, or whatever else it might be. Our salvation is by grace through faith — both gifts from God. (Ephesians 2:8-9) We received Jesus because we realized we are sinners who fall short. Not only that . . .

Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. (Colossians 2:6–7)

Walking in Him involves the same process — by faith, relying on Him for what we cannot do without Him. We are to “work out our own salvation” but it is “God who works in us, both to will and to work for His good pleasure” because we cannot do it through rules or in our own strength. Sabre-rattling does not work for Christians either.

APPLY: What can one person do in a world of chaos? All I know is to pray, to call out to God to use this pestilence to serve His purposes. He wants a pure and confident people who trust Him. He wants justice and peace in this world. He sent Jesus to bring us what we need to do the good things that will make that happen. I must pay attention and I must keep praying for His will to be done in my life and the lives of others.