CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) – We are coming up on the third Sunday of Lent. Easter is 30 days away.
Here are three examples of God’s anger, from the Old Testament:
God sees that mankind is wicked and regrets creating us. He sends a flood to cover the earth. Noah and his family and two of each animal are spared on the ark.
God grows tired of the immorality in Sodom. He destroys the city in a rain of fire. Lot’s wife, having been told not to look back, ignores the warning and is turned into a pillar of salt.
Five times God instructs Moses to confront Pharoah; Moses, who knew God was real having been spoken to directly, refuses and says he is slow of tongue. Exodus tells us God’s anger burned hot towards him.
And you and I are no better. Who among us can say we aren’t wicked? Who can say we’re not taken by the immorality of this world? Who can say we know things God commands us to do, and yet we leave them undone. We deserve the flood or the fire.
What is the difference from then to now?
Jesus. The actors of the Old Testament did not know that a perfect sacrifice would be made to cleanse us of our disobedience to God – our sin.
But even before Christ, the stories of God’s anger tell us about God’s nature. Before the flood, we’re told the God was sorrowful, not angry, at having created humankind. And as the water recede, God makes a covenant with Noah that water will never cover the entire earth again. The destruction of Sadom and Gamorah tells us that God will treat us as individuals. Lot and his daughters are spared. Those who disobey are destroyed. Moses is a fascinating case. He’s heard God’s voice and was still slow to obey. When Moses relents, God’s favor returns to him. We do not have to be perfect to serve the almighty.
Isiah made his prohesies generations before Jesus. And even then God knew that we must have a path to forgiveness. Isiah wrote “for those who repent, God casts their sins into the sea. He remembers them no more.”
King David lived before Jesus. And he wrote in Psalm 30: “God’s anger lasts but a moment. His favor lasts a lifetime.” God’s favor is waiting for each one of us. In this season of Lent, claim the sacrifice Jesus made at the cross. Ask for forgiveness, and it is yours.
Chris Conley
I’m inviting you to become a monthly donor to the Gospel TLC. It’s a one-of-it’s-kind live-in facility for people who would otherwise be homeless are trying to leave addition behind. If you’d like to be a monthly giver, I have a link here.
The Gospel TLC also needs milk, eggs, sour cream, string cheese, and laundry and dishwasher pods. Those items can be dropped off at their building in Weston, near the hospital, at Cross Pointe Boulevard.
Comments