The Justifier

Last night I read Psalm 143:1-2, "Hear my prayer, O LORD, give ear to my supplications: in thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness. ² And enter not into judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight shall no man living be justified."  David made his appeal for God to take heed due to His faithfulness and righteousness, for David could not rightly claim these qualities for himself.  David believed in God and laboured to honour and glorify God, yet he was far from perfect.  His sins were ever before him.  There is no way justification could come by attempts to keep God's law.

Paul confirmed this in Romans 3:19-20, "Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. ²⁰ Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin."  The Law of God brought the knowledge of sin, a revelation of God's divine standards.  What God intended to reveal sin and move to repentance man leveraged to justify himself.  Man sidestepped the spirit of the Law to assert his own righteousness because of effort made to keep it--whilst judging others who didn't measure up.

Enter the grace of God:  what man could not do for himself through effort our righteous, faithful, and just God provided the means for justification and salvation through Jesus Christ.  Romans 3:21-26 explained, "But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, ²² even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; ²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴ being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, ²⁵ whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, ²⁶ to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus."  We have all fallen short of God's righteousness, but we have been justified freely by His grace through faith in Jesus.  God's hearing of our prayers therefore does not depend upon our efforts to measure up but God's grace to listen to undeserving sinners.  He is faithful, and when we place our faith in Jesus He is just and our Justifier.

Sovereign and Good

Knowing a thing is from the LORD impacts our perspective.  To fight against what is from the LORD is to fight against Him.  Realising God is good and sovereign over all provides rest for our souls even when circumstances are out of our control.  By God's grace we can seek Him and the God who breaks can also make whole.

When it was revealed to King Hezekiah he would surely die, he prayed earnestly to the LORD with weeping.  He asked God to remember the good things he had done for God's glory.  In his sickness he mused, "How can I praise and honour you in the grave?  It is the living that will praise God!"  God graciously caused Hezekiah to recover and added 15 years to his life.  God even provided a miraculous sign that Hezekiah would be restored and go up again to worship in the house of the LORD by causing the sundial to reverse 10 degrees.

After Hezekiah recovered of his grave illness, a delegation from Babylon came with a gift.  King Hezekiah proudly showed off all the riches of his kingdom to friendly men from a far-off land.  Isaiah 39:5-8 reads, "Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, "Hear the word of the LORD of hosts: ⁶  'Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house, and what your fathers have accumulated until this day, shall be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left,' says the LORD. 'And they shall take away some of your sons who will descend from you, whom you will beget; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.' " ⁸ So Hezekiah said to Isaiah, "The word of the LORD which you have spoken is good!" For he said, "At least there will be peace and truth in my days."  Upon hearing the revelation from Isaiah the prophet, Hezekiah's response is not what I would expect of any king or caring dad.

Let me say right off I cannot say exactly why Hezekiah would respond in such a manner, nor do I feel compelled to justify his remarks.  The good king recently experience a very near brush with death and was delighted to be spared by God's grace.  It may be nothing at the time could have derailed his euphoric happiness.  I think it highly unlikely his seemingly carefree response was due to him not believing the word of the LORD, for he celebrated the good news spoken by the prophet:  there would be peace in Hezekiah's days which were extended 15 years.  Hearing all he and his fathers had been accumulated would be taken along with his sons who would be made eunuchs in captivity didn't seem to phase Hezekiah.  His words have a similar ring to the words of Eli the high priest after hearing God would severely judge his house and vile sons in 1 Samuel 3:18,  "It is the LORD. Let Him do what seems good to Him."

Acknowledging the sovereignty and goodness of God in faith could be the explanation behind Hezekiah's indifference:  God has the power to kill and make alive, to wound and to heal.  What does it profit a man to fight against what is from the LORD?  The irony in this is Hezekiah wept over his own impending death, yet he behaved quite differently concerning the future of his children and people.  The reality is Eli nor Hezekiah could change their children, nor cause them to fear God and walk in His ways.  Instead of placing himself under this unbearable burden, Hezekiah praised and rejoiced in the goodness of God towards him.  When God allowed David's infant son to become deathly ill, whilst he lived David fasted and mourned.  However after it was confirmed he had passed away, David rose from the ground, washed, went to the house of God and worshipped, then ate food.  His counsellors were confused by this behaviour.  David's response was, "While he lived there was a chance God would heal him, but since he is dead what can I do to change it?"

To those who criticise or condemn Hezekiah for his response (praising the LORD over present good instead of mourning over future evil which was out of his hands), who are we to judge another man's servant?  It is before his own master a servant stands or falls.  I am no one to judge him, for I have celebrated what I ought to have mourned and mourned when I should have rejoiced.  Again, I can't say why Hezekiah acted or spoke the way we did because I am not God who alone knows the hearts of men.  What I can say is faith in God as our sovereign LORD leads to contentment and rest in Him even as days grow darker.  There is always cause to praise and worship God even in the face of doom or death.  Should our thanksgiving and joy in the LORD be tempered because of what might or will happen in the future?  Hezekiah prayed to the LORD and God heard him and preserved his life:  couldn't Hezekiah's children petition the LORD as well for a stay of their judgment?  Wasn't it their own responsibility before God to repent?  Hezekiah could pray for his sons and people, but he could not repent for them.

Between Sheep and Sheep

God had strong words for the negligent and greedy shepherds of Israel, those God had appointed to guide, protect, and instruct God's people.  It would not be a stretch at all to compare the roles of the priests and Levites to the role of ministers in the church today which provides valuable personal application.  Instead of lording over people, the sanctified priests were to serve God and the people faithfully.  A shepherd was responsible to lead sheep to good and safe pasture, and pastors are to present the wholesome Word of God to strengthen and nourish the sheep of God's pasture.

A couple of times in the passage God told the ministers He would judge between sheep and sheep, between cattle and cattle (depending on the translation).  Instead of having many shepherds, one shepherd (the Good Shepherd Jesus Christ) would be placed over them all.  See what is written in Ezekiel 34:20-22:  "'Therefore thus says the Lord GOD to them: "Behold, I Myself will judge between the fat and the lean sheep. ²¹ Because you have pushed with side and shoulder, butted all the weak ones with your horns, and scattered them abroad, ²² therefore I will save My flock, and they shall no longer be a prey; and I will judge between sheep and sheep."

Christians are all sheep of God's pasture, and in Christ's fold are sheep of all kinds:  sheep which are fat and healthy, sheep which are lean, weak, and sickly.  A shepherd took extra care with unhealthy sheep, but the issue God had was with the stronger sheep pushing against and butting the weakened sheep to scatter them.  These sheep were not hopeless because God would save them, but the sheep who were doing the butting and preying on the weak He would judge.  Instead of driving away the weak and sickly from fellowship, we ought to provide patient, long-suffering, and gracious care.

To apply this to pastoral leadership, I am reminded of a verse in the Law which held owners responsible for not taking action to correct violent tendencies of their animals.  Whilst ministers are not responsible to answer for the actions of others, there is a principle held forth those prone to do damage should be marked and adequate protection provided for others.  Exodus 21:28-29 says, "If an ox gores a man or a woman to death, then the ox shall surely be stoned, and its flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall be acquitted. ²⁹ But if the ox tended to thrust with its horn in times past, and it has been made known to his owner, and he has not kept it confined, so that it has killed a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned and its owner also shall be put to death."  God held owners of oxen accountable for what they knew:  if an owner realised his ox tended towards violence, he was responsible to keep it in a paddock to protect others.

The application is similar for Christians in leadership who have learned over time the character of their fellow believers.  Paul wrote in Romans 16:17, "Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them."  We have a responsibility before God to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God, and should we notice butting and conflict amongst us we should protect the weak.  Those who expend a great deal of energy on the lookout for potential troublemakers may themselves be the fat and aggressive rams they are looking for.  I am eternally grateful Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd, and all in His fold are under His loving and righteous authority.  Having a healthy relationship with our Good Shepherd helps guide our words and conduct between sheep and sheep.

The Pursuit of the Heart

A theme often repeated throughout scripture is people who spoke the truth were ignored.  God sent many prophets to warn His people of coming judgment for their sin, yet many who heard the truth did not engage with it.  We might assume all who heard God's Word were scorners or mockers, but a passage in Ezekiel shows this is not always the case.  People flocked to hear the prophet Ezekiel share and complimented his discourse and delivery, but God's words did not actually impact their faith or practices.  They listed to Ezekiel because it pleased and profited them in some way, but not with intent to please God.

Ezekiel 33:31-33 reads, "So they come to you as people do, they sit before you as My people, and they hear your words, but they do not do them; for with their mouth they show much love, but their hearts pursue their own gain. ³² Indeed you are to them as a very lovely song of one who has a pleasant voice and can play well on an instrument; for they hear your words, but they do not do them. ³³ And when this comes to pass--surely it will come--then they will know that a prophet has been among them."  God had remarkable insight into the hearts of people and discerned the motives behind their words and deeds.  We look on the outside, but God looks at the heart.  It is always sad for a preacher to see people drowsy during a message, nodding off whilst fighting sleep.  He is glad to see people bright and energetic, taking notes, and later even rehearsing aspects of the message for further discussion.

Ezekiel's hearers were the second kind, attentive like a music lover enjoying his favourite band live.  They were compared to a man whose foot tapped in rhythm and quietly sang along with words he memorised.  He owned every album, recognised the melodies, and even knew the backstory behind the lyrics of particular tunes.  But just like listening to music cannot fundamentally change a person, hearing the word of God made no impact without faith and obedience.  This is really challenging for me to consider:  when I read or hear God's Word do I take action to heed and obey it?  Or am I only pursuing my own gain?  Some people like rap or metal, others folk music or country:  do I enjoy being taught the scripture because it is a personal preference or because I want to honour God and be transformed?

Jesus spoke of the wise and foolish who heard His words.  Both wise and foolish heard His words, but the wise were those who ordered their lives in obedience to them.  Rather than being a pastor who wonders if his hearers obey the Word of God, I need to realise my natural tendency is to be a hearer but not a doer.  Ezekiel had no control over the kind of listeners who assembled, but he was responsible before God to be both a hearer and doer of God's Word, to not just "show much love" with words but to love God and people from the heart.  I am not responsible for the responses of other people, and ensuring my response to God's Word in humility, repentance, and obedience is key.  When an instrument is out of tune it is not pleasing to the discerning ear of the musician or audience, and if we hear God's Word yet do not change accordingly our lives resemble a clanging cymbal out of time.

James 1:19-25 says, "So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; ²⁰ for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. ²¹ Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. ²² But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. ²³ For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; ²⁴ for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. ²⁵ But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does."  Hearing is important, but hearing without doing brings self-deception.  As we behold Christ, let us take steps to live in the way that pleases Him.  The meek will receive the implanted Word and walk in it, whilst those who only seek a blessing for themselves will find it strangely elusive.  If we will pursue Jesus in faith, may we in meekness trust and obey Him.