Divine Order

"You give your mouth to evil, and your tongue frames deceit. ²⁰ You sit and speak against your brother; you slander your own mother's son. ²¹ These things you have done, and I kept silent; you thought that I was altogether like you; but I will rebuke you, and set them in order before your eyes."

Psalm 50:19-21

God was faithful to address the sin of His people of sinning with their lips.  One aspect of their sin was their presumptuous belief God was altogether like them.  Their words spoken against their brethren were marked with deceit and slander, and God remained silent, observant and composed.  They sat in judgment and spoke with the authority of man, but God would rebuke them with unmatched power, wisdom and majesty.  The tendency for man to liken God to himself is an error repeated throughout scripture, and it was evident as people interacted with Jesus Christ--God in the flesh.  True to His word, Jesus gently rebuked those who were anxious or worried when their expectations of Him were unmet.

The first time Jesus went up to Jerusalem to observe the Passover with Joseph and Mary, He lingered behind.  Joseph and Mary assumed Jesus accompanied people in their group as they trekked home to Nazareth and were worried when they could not find Him.  They hastily returned to Jerusalem and found Him in the Temple discussing matters of the Law of Moses, listening and asking questions.  Luke 2:48-50 says, "So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, "Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously." ⁴⁹  And He said to them, "Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father's business?" ⁵⁰ But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them."  Mary blamed Jesus for her and Joseph's anxiety.  Jesus showed He was in the right place and their assumptions were in the wrong.  Jesus understood the most complex matters of Law, yet Joseph and Mary did not understand His simple question.

While crossing the Sea of Galilee with His disciples, a fierce storm whipped up and the ship was in danger of sinking.  The disciples, many of them seasoned sailors, feared for their lives.  Mark 4:38-41 reads, "But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?" ³⁹ Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!" And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. ⁴⁰ But He said to them, "Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?" ⁴¹ And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, "Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!"  Because Jesus slept during the storm they viewed His actions as careless, perhaps even clueless.  Jesus amazed the disciples by speaking to the storm (that instantly obeyed Him) and bringing a great calm.  Jesus rebuked His disciples for their fear and questioned their total lack of faith.

Finally, there was a domestic conflict when Jesus went to the home of Lazarus, Martha and Mary in Bethany.  Mary sat at Jesus feet as He spoke the word of God, but Martha was distracted by feelings of being ignored and abandoned by her sister when there was much to do--and blamed Jesus for her troubles.  Luke 10:40-42 states, "But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me." ⁴¹ And Jesus answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. ⁴² But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her."  Instead of pulling Mary aside and dealing with her offence, Martha confronted Jesus as if He did not care for her feelings.  Martha demanded Jesus tell Mary to do what she wanted Mary to do, but Jesus did no such thing.  He rebuked Martha for her anxiety and worries, and He commended Mary and others who do well to listen to Him.

These three occasions show when we give place to anxiety and worry, in one sense we have relinquished the authority and power of Jesus in our lives to our own fleshly thoughts and desires.  It shows at least for a moment we have forgotten Who Jesus is, His wisdom to always be doing His Father's will, His ability to bring peace to our situation and to do all that is necessary to provide for our physical and spiritual well-being.  It is shocking how often we have viewed God through our own human frailty, limitations and folly.  As a result we have looked for hope in all the wrong places, been overwhelmed with fear and anxiety, and felt like God does not even care about us.  We have thought God was altogether like us, but thank the LORD He is gentle and gracious to rebuke us so we might be instructed and learn to cast our cares upon Him.  Because God resists the proud and self-assured and gives grace to the humble, 1 Peter 5:6-7 exhorts us: "Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, ⁷ casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you."

God is not like us, and this realisation prompts us to humble ourselves to be more like Him.  A judge says, "Order in the court!" and God is the One who brings order to our hearts, minds and lives by His divine presence and power.