Fear No Fear

(All scripture from Lexham English Bible, Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software)

And Yahweh passed over before him, and he proclaimed, “Yahweh, Yahweh, God, who is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding with loyal love and faithfulness, keeping loyal love to the thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and he does not leave utterly unpunished, punishing the guilt of fathers on sons and on sons of sons on third and fourth generations.”

Exodus 34:6-7

Remember that mercy thing? Adonai KEEPS it. To ‘keep’ something is to continue doing something without stopping, or to do it repeatedly. To retain it in your power or your possession in order to maintain control of it. It means being faithful to it. To conform your habits and conduct to it. To stay in accord with it, in beatstep to it. To act fittingly in relation to it. To watch over it and defend it. To care for it, maintain it in orderly precision, preserve it unspoiled, and to restrain it from a removal, dismissal, or departure. Now that’s GREAT when it comes to Adonai’s mercy – less so for our conscience when you consider He asks us to KEEP His commands. Adonai’s mercy, then, isn’t ONLY a characteristic of who He is as a THING, but also as an action PROTECTING that thing. It means He is MINDFUL of His mercy and He is ACTIVE about it.

I don’t know if there is ANYTHING about Adonai that is static except His character (Hebrews 13:8). Everything about what Adonai does is moving, developing, changing, purifying. We see it again and again. He is a God of forward motion, no retreat. Getting ever better, ever deeper, ever purer. He refines. He develops. He renews in order to proceed. HE is busy, which is ironically why WE need to be still. We simply don’t have the ability He does to be totally focused while also being completely active. And part of that activity is maintaining, watching over, protecting, and continually using His Mercy. Keeping it, so that we can keep ours.

Much like love, breathing, and communication; we are able to be merciful because He is merciful. He did it first, does it always, and calls us to be like Him (Luke 6:36). Adonai is very particular about His application of Mercy. First He commands us to be merciful like Him. “Blessed are the merciful, because they will be shown mercy” (Matthew 5:7). Then He tells us the harvest of that mercy (or the lack of it) in James 2:13 “For judgment is merciless to the one who has not practiced mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.” When WE are merciful, He is free to be merciful. When we refuse to be merciful in this Age of Grace, then He gives us what the hardening of our hearts sprouted. We cannot work evil on purpose and expect to be treated with good. There is NO reward for the wicked, but there is grace and mercy for the truly repentant (Romans 8:1). Adonai pleads with us to be like the merciful master, and not the unmerciful servant (Matthew 18:21-35). What about Grace, you may say. Well, Grace is for those who NEED it, not those who scorn it by continuing in sinful attitudes after being shown it (Romans 6:1-4).

Ruach HaKodesh reminds us continually of Adonai’s keeping of His mercy, which enables us to keep ours. As we stay in Jesus, conforming our behaviour to match His. To conduct our lives as if we were Him – piece by piece (2 Corinthians 3:18). We must protect our sense of mercy, being reminded of the mercy Adonai showed us and KEEPS as our inheritance of His character. Ruach HaKodesh becomes the comfort we have in knowing our God is JUST and TRUE. He is the comfort we get knowing His mercy chases us down and never leaves us alone – no matter how much was needed. The comfort we have knowing that no matter how much WE expend as we should on those we meet, there is ALWAYS a ready supply waiting to overtake us again (Lamentations 3:22-23).

Daily Affirmation of the Goodness of Elohim: Genesis 12:1-3

“And Yahweh said to Abram, “Go out from your land and from your relatives, and from the house of your father, to the land that I will show you. And I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will make your name great. And you will be a blessing. And I will bless those who bless you, and those who curse you I will curse. And all families of the earth will be blessed in you.”” We are the seed of Abraham when we accept Jesus as Lord and are grafted into the family of Adonai (Galatians 3:29). We will be blessed in order to be a great BLESSING. It is a HUGE privilege and paints a target on our back for all those who hate the light (John 3:20). But look at the promise. When we are cursed, when they attempt to harm, us with herbology, methodology, or witchcraft; it is turned into a BLESSING for us because it will rebound on them. They will get what they meant for YOU and for ME. This is better than protection. This is divine what bounces off of me sticks to you retribution. Not mean-spirited. Ready to be covered by mercy and grace. IF they repent. IF they acknowledge Jesus as Lord. IF they choose salvation. Adonai is ever-merciful. We don’t need to be concerned or anxious when things come against us. They are only hurting themselves. We’ll be okay with Jesus. Hanging in the boat while the storm rages. What a GOOD God!

Your Daily Confession of Elohim’s Goodness:

I taste and see that Yahweh is good; I am blessed because I take refuge in Him.

Psalm 34:8