(All scripture from the World English Bible, ebible.org, all rights reserved)
“Yahweh, I know that the way of man is not in himself.
It is not in man who walks to direct his steps.
Yahweh, correct me, but gently;
not in your anger,
lest you reduce me to nothing.
Pour out your wrath on the nations that don’t know you,
and on the families that don’t call on your name;
for they have devoured Jacob.
Yes, they have devoured him, consumed him,
and have laid waste his habitation.”
(Jeremiah 10:23-25)
“Pour out your wrath on the nations that don’t know you,
on the kingdoms that don’t call on your name,
for they have devoured Jacob,
and destroyed his homeland.
Don’t hold the iniquities of our forefathers against us.
Let your tender mercies speedily meet us,
for we are in desperate need.
Help us, God of our salvation, for the glory of your name.
Deliver us, and forgive our sins, for your name’s sake.
Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?”
Let it be known among the nations, before our eyes,
that vengeance for your servants’ blood is being poured out.
Let the sighing of the prisoner come before you.
According to the greatness of your power, preserve those who are sentenced to death.
Pay back to our neighbors seven times into their bosom
their reproach with which they have reproached you, Lord.
So we, your people and sheep of your pasture,
will give you thanks forever.
We will praise you forever, to all generations.”
(Psalm 79:6-13)
“For God didn’t appoint us to wrath, but to the obtaining of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. Therefore exhort one another, and build each other up, even as you also do. But we beg you, brothers, to know those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to respect and honor them in love for their work’s sake. Be at peace among yourselves. We exhort you, brothers: Admonish the disorderly; encourage the faint-hearted; support the weak; be patient toward all. See that no one returns evil for evil to anyone, but always follow after that which is good for one another and for all. Always rejoice. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus toward you. Don’t quench the Spirit. Don’t despise prophecies. Test all things, and hold firmly that which is good. Abstain from every form of evil. May the God of peace himself sanctify you completely. May your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
(1 Thessalonians 5:9-23)
Jeremiah was feeling burnt out. Feeling the weight of the iniquities of his nation. He cried out to God for correction – not judgment. So that his ways might be right before the Lord. So that he could walk with God and remain with God and be at peace with God. That is always the cry of the penitent at heart: correct me, O Lord. If wrath was coming, Jeremiah prayed it would land on those nations persecuting God’s people. The nations who led them astray. The nations who chose to reject Yahweh and steep themselves in idolatry.
‘May our enemies know your wrath’ and ‘may the world see what happens to those who come against your obedient children’ are both justified cries of the Old Covenant. The Law provides protection for the godly and judgment on the ungodly. It often goes hand in hand (as it does here) with a cry to not hold previous sins and iniquities against those crying out to God. For God to save them, wash them clean, and not remember them. For God to restore them and protect them and walk with them as they seek to walk with Him. To be an example of His mercy and lovingkindness.
In the New Covenant, God’s wrath against sin and iniquity has been satisfied with the sacrifice Jesus made. There is no judgment waiting unless someone refuses to accept Jesus’ payment for them. In the New Covenant, we bless everyone around us. We strive to live in love and grace with them all. To seek to return nothing but goodness, no matter how we are treated. To show the world – everyone we come into contact with – the difference salvation makes in our lives. From the way we speak, to how we act, to how we interact with strangers, to how we maintain our relationships, to how we work, to how we do chores, to every corner of our lives and personalities. We are new creations living by grace through trusting in what Jesus did for us. He is the reason we can be such a blessing. He is the reason we are so blessed.
Summary
Paul gives a little glimpse of how we are to conduct our lives as believers in Jesus and trusters in God. He also states WHY we can live this way: God sanctifies us. Jesus prayed the same thing for us, asking His Father to sanctify us with His Word (John 17:17). It is the TRUTH that sets us free from past behaviours and broken thinking. It is through Jesus and His covenant with the Father that we are enabled to live as He did, act as He did, and love unconditionally as He did. To live holy lives because HE is holy and HE lives in and through us. To be a blessing to those around us and an example of the good work that God does in us for His pleasure – enabling us to give glory to Him for everything we have, everything we do, and our entire lives. He is a GOOD God.
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