Aaron McKee - The Relenting and Unrelenting God - Class 3 - The God Of Justice (Deu. 32v1-47)

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   This is Class 3. The overall subject is the relenting and unrelenting God. Our speaker is Brother Aaron McKee and the third class is entitled The God of Justice.

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   Well, good afternoon again, brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thank you brothers, for your reading. Our world cries for justice, doesn’t it? We see this outcry practically everywhere we look. We see it in protests over world events decrying destruction of nature and and deaths of innocence. We see it in depravity of the impoverished.

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   We see it in cases of corruption and and abuses of power. Brunch sisters. We see it in out cries against lawlessness, oppression of power imbalances, governments to citizens, countries to other countries. You have husbands to wives. You have civil and social injustice and brun sisters and seeing these things and witnessing this world around us. Well, maybe not personal to us.

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   It it certainly feels personal. There are certainly moments where you see we we see injustice and it sits in our stomach. It it weighs in our heart. In fact, huge portions of society are built around alleviating that feeling. You, you have unions, you have law firms, you, you have political parties, rightly or wrongly, all capitalizing on man’s desire for justice.

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   And this fixation, this drive in the heart of man to enforce right in the face of wrong justice and face of injustice, That is nothing new, brothers and sisters.

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   In fact, you could go to the earliest records of humanity, to the earliest societies of humanity and see man aspiring for justice. In fact, one of the oldest samples of writing ever found, a stone pulled from the deserts of Iran in 1901, is 500 lines etched in stone dedicated exclusively to the enforcement of justice.

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   It declares justice to the poor, justice to the impoverished, retribution for the wrong. And it is thousands of years old. And in seeing these things, Bren sisters and every form of society and witnessing in ourselves, we have to reconcile one thing and that’s that justice is biological. You know, as many of you have come to find Rose and I have a little 7 month girl who’s been floating around the hall today. And right about this stage of her development, she’s, she’s starting to form a a sense of right and wrong. You know, developmental psychologist, they, they know this.

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   Then children as young as six months of age, they begin to show signs of moral intuition. They respond to helpful puppets over harmful ones that they show distress in the face of unfair treatment. Children ages three to five act on this sense of fairness. I’m still waiting for that for my 3 year old. But so I’ve been told they they they begin practicing equal sharing.

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   They begin enforcing rules and games, even to their detriment. And all the straws brun sisters to a very simple, very purposeful, powerful understanding and an important one. And that’s that God is placed in the heart of man, a quality central to who he who he is. And it is this unwavering character of our God, Brun sisters, his commitment to justice, what it means to him, how he will use it, how it relates to his grace that we’re going to be considering this afternoon.

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    Come with me to Deuteronomy 32. You see, our God is a God of justice for and sisters, and we can know this in many different ways throughout our Bibles. We can see it in the the holding of Israel to an account. He gives them this law, cast them out into the nations because they transgress it.

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    Well, there’s perhaps no better place to get a sense of just how, how intimately justice relates to the heart of God then, then the words of Exodus 32. And we think of that for a moment, Bron sisters, because we identified that that that is really a turning point in our Bibles. We reflected that, that when Moses this morning was given there, it’s not just a, a proclamation of God’s name. What’s given wasn’t just a, a passing description of our God. It was the character of God that would always guide his hand with man.

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    And that’s what we have there, Bron Sisters, it is a blueprint for how God will work in our lives. And what did we see in verse 6? He will be a God gracious to the thousands, he said. But Moses, by no means will I clear the guilty. Our God, brothers and sisters, is unequivocably a God of justice, one who holds a moral order, one to whom accountability matters, one who will never ignore our turn from injustice.

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    And not only do we witness that there, brothers, sisters, but that resonates all throughout Scripture. That’s a basic tenant of all our Bibles. We see it in Isaiah. I, the Lord, love justice and hate robbery. We see it in the words of David. You Lord, maintain the cause of afflicted and execute justice.

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    We see it in the Psalms. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne. And we see it, brothers and sisters, and the words of Deuteronomy 32, the words of verse 4. What does Moses say? All your ways are perfect and all your ways just all your ways. In other words, there is nothing he says in the character of our God that will ever compromise his pursuit of justice. Now, now, I don’t know about you brothers, sisters, but that makes me start to feel a bit uncomfortable. God won’t compromise his pursuit of justice. You know, maybe that’s OK.

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    That’s that’s how he treats the the truly abhorrent things of this world and and maybe the other sinners down the road. But but what if that’s how he treats me?

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    Not exactly a devotional thought this this afternoon, is it? Because you know, when I when I start to dwell on this character of Gobron sisters, my mind goes to passages like Deuteronomy 32, verse 41, some of the other verses we see in this chapter. What does it say? I, the Lord, sharpen my sword.

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    My hand stretches to justice. I take vengeance on adversaries. I repay those who hate me. I make my arrows drunk with their blood. My sword devours and takes vengeance. And in reading these things and seeing moments of God’s justice, well, I walk away with a fearful assessment of our God. I fear as justice, as cold and mechanical. I fear it in the face of my faults. I fear it where if I’m making mistakes, I will wait sometimes years for the day I’m made to pay for them. You know, it is so easy to judge ourselves on that concept of justice.

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    I did it, so I deserve it. It’s easy because that’s how man perceives justice from sisters. That’s how we practice it. You see, our society practices retribute of justice. Somebody does you wrong, you can pay them in kind.

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    Isn’t that the premise for which all justice is found? You know, we phrase, we use phrases in society like like punishment should fit the crime, or if you do the crime, you do the time. Because surely the moment justice is met is the moment we get even. But it’s so important we ask ourselves, brothers, sisters, is that all that justice means to God?

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    Is that how he judges us? Is that what he expects in our judgements of others? Come with me to Genesis chapter 3 and we refresh ourselves in this chapter brothers, sisters,

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    because you see here in the face of man’s first sin, the face of the first moment of justice that was ever to be enforced in this world. We we see something really important. That’s that’s worth noting because what do we see in verse 19 God says to dust you are to dust your return. He holds himself to be a God of truth. He helds into account the wages of sin were death. He delivers it, but before he even pronounces that judgement, brothers and sisters, before justice has ever executed. What is he saying, verse 15?

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    The seed of the woman will crush that serpent. In other words, the first moment of justice. The the first moment of retribution, of, excuse me, of justice. It’s framed in the context of future restoration. Paul in Romans 8 speaks exactly to what we’re noting here. In fact, he he highlights the same thing he writes in verse 20.

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    Creation was subjected to frustration. The justice of God delivered not to anger, not to vindictiveness, not to get even, but in hope, He says judgement was made that hope could come to man. That’s how God, brother and sisters, chose to execute the first moment of justice. And this dynamic that we see all the way, the beginning of our Bibles, brother and sisters in the garden of a justice that led man to hope. That’s a blueprint of all the judgements of God throughout Scripture.

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    We see it in Hebrews when speaking to the effects of guns. Chastening. It’s written for a moment. All this discipline is painful. Later it yields the fruit of righteousness. We see it in Revelation, the words of Christ, the latest he of those I love. I discipline, He says, so that so that you may be found waiting for me, that you might have hope.

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    We see it in the words of Jeremiah, where in the dark years of Israel’s captivity, what does God say? I brought you to this state. I subject you to these things that you might have hope. What a contradiction brought in sisters. What a contradiction that seems to us that that justice is a means to a better end for the offender. We see this in the words of Ezekiel 11. This is a powerful thing from Sister Ezekiel 11 and Speaking of times to come and Speaking of a day of judgement and justice has come to this world.

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    What does he say in verse 8? I will bring the sword to you, Israel. I will deliver you up to nations. I will bring my justice to verse 19 for the intent of putting a new heart in you that I might restore you to me, says God. That’s our keyword, Brunn sisters restoration. You see, in contrast to this justice of man, a justice rooted in retribution, the justice of God aims for restoration. Come with me to Romans Chapter 11. You see, Paul draws us deeper into how closely related these two qualities are justice and and restoration. In fact, he elaborates further on this this pattern we witnessed brothers and sisters of of writing of the judgments of Israel.

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    How does he describe it? What does he say? He says justice is given, verse 22, that goodness might come to you. Justice is executed, says Paul. That greater restoration comes in this world for Gentiles. Behold, he says, the goodness and severity of God. You see, brothers and sisters, Paul pairs these two qualities together, not something isolated from each other, not something in contrast to each other, not severity forsake of severity.

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    It is severity forsake of his grace. In Paul’s words, we are drawn to the fundamental understanding that the justice of God and the grace of God work together.

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    And you see, while Paul emphasizes this aspect of of God’s justice in in the judgement of Israel, Brothers, sisters, don’t we see the goodness and severity of God all throughout our Bibles? Don’t we see it in the condemnation of Egypt, which through their judgement brought restoration to his people and a witness to all nations?

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    Don’t don’t we see it in Samson, who by the grace of God’s justice lost his eyes that it might restore his heart? Don’t we see it in Paul’s own life, who by the grace of God’s justice lost his eyes to restore his heart? Don’t we see it in David, who by the grace of God’s justice, he’s confronted with Nathan to restore his heart time and again? The judgement of God?

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    Brown sisters, it is executed never in contrast to His grace. But it’s an Ave. for it. It is always executed with the purpose of restoration. But as I say that justice aims to restore. Well, brothers, sisters, if you’re like me, you, you might instinctively think to, to how that’s not the case, because if you’re like me, these traits are something, you know, diametrically opposed.

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    These are two characters of God that are, that are two sides of a coin where, you know, once God runs out of his mercy, then justice comes to replace it, or once you’ve exercised enough mercy, now justice falls. In fact, it’s so abrasive what we’re discussing from the sisters, the things that we’re noting that that some theologians that go back to the cases of of Exodus 34, they see the qualities of God’s character revealed to man and they say surely it’s been altered.

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    That can’t be what the original text says because because surely these things aren’t compatible. But what we see in these examples is the fundamental truth proof. Brun, sisters, one quality never forsakes the other.

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    All your ways are just, said Moses. Psalm 25, verse 4 to 10. Show me thy way, says David. Teach me thy paths. All the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth. There is never a moment when God’s grace is sacrificed for His justice, or His justice diminished by grace. He redeems through judgement.

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    He will punish sin in ways that make mercy possible. And brothers and sisters, we see that even in places that’s hard to find. We think to the law in which we have verses like Exodus 2124, which advocate an eye for an eye, or maybe Numbers 3531. Maybe you think to that it advocates a life for a life. And you know, we might think,

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    isn’t this God teaching us retribute of justice? But even in that law, brothers, sisters, that law, which was never the sum of of what justice meant to God, Paul calls it only a shadow of what he’s trying to accomplish in this world. Even that shadow glimpses God’s justice. We see it in cities of refuge. Justice demanded life for a life, but given a chance that that if a person reached that they could live, that they could, they could reform themselves. We, we, we see it in laws of, of thievery, the offender wasn’t just supposed to pay back what they owed, they were supposed to pay back extra to restore relationship. We seen in the days of Jubilee and which is enshrined in the law every 50 years, a moment of restoration of slaves, of debts, where relationships are restored between God and man. We sit in the art, brothers, sisters, in which contains the law of God and what’s it surrounded by? A seat of mercy, a symbol of grace and truth that are harmonized.

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    These are moments that allow people to see beyond the letter and glimpse sconce desire of man to understand the law, not as as punishment forsake of punishment, not not as punishment to get even or a box to be checked, but as correction leading to restoration. For that reason the prophets could write as Hosea. Did you desire love and not sacrifice and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings?

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    Or reflect as David wrote, sacrifice and burnt offerings you do not desire, but a broken and contrite heart or right is in the Proverbs. To show mercy and justice

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    pleases God more than sacrifice. And there’s so many other things that we could note about the justice of our God. Brown sisters, You know, we, we, we might relate it to his faithfulness. You know, we read in Deuteronomy 32 that what does it say? All his ways are perfect and just a God of faithfulness. And we can mention that his a justice is a reflection of faithfulness and commitment to truth. Hath he spoken and shall not he make good reads? Numbers 23.

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    This is a God who remembers his promises, who defends those he loves, who holds guilt to account, those who persecuted and harmed and use the ways of this cursed world for selfish gains. God says, I will not let that go. I will hold it to account. And I don’t know about you, brother and sisters, but I don’t think we’d have it any other way.

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    We could mention that there are times when justice falls in different ways for the same offense. You know, we we see this particularly in in Nineveh versus the account of Second Chronicles 28 verse 6. Both cases, there’s a city of 120,000 people. Both commit the the the fault before God of idolatry. 1 spared the other put to the sword. And we might look at that brothers, sisters and say, you know, isn’t that isn’t that inconsistency in it is another powerful truth of the justice of God, and that’s that it is never one-size-fits-all.

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    The justice of God fits the individual. I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, he says, and give each according to their ways. No2 hearts are the same brothers and sisters. No2 judgements are the same, and because of this we can have confidence that in our God’s wisdom he will not break us, nor injustice give us more than we can bear. A bruised Reed he will not break, writes Isaiah. A burning Wick he will not quench, yet he will faithfully bring forth justice.

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    We could also note that at times justice certainly looks retributive. And I think of this brothers, sisters, my mind went to the words of the author, CS Lewis,

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    and he went once wrote this curious thing. It stuck in my mind. He said that there’s essentially two types of people in this world. Those who say to God, thy will be, thy will be done.

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    And those to whom God says thy will be done. What CS Lewis is observing, brothers, sisters, is that while the justice of God seeks restoration far past the patience and endurance of man will, it will always honour

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    human choice. Hasn’t God framed service to him in this way? I’ve set before you life and death, he says. When, when giving the law, choose life and live. Our God desires relationships, brothers and sisters, not something forced, not something coerced or mechanical, but somebody knowingly, persistently and purposely rejects God’s love, light and truth.

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    And judgement falls, bronze sisters, and not out of cruelty. Ezekiel writes, I take no pleasure in deaths of the wicked, says the Lord, but it falls because that person becomes incompatible with a greater restoration being accomplished in our world. And when that happens, brothers and sisters, the judgments of God take two effects.

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    And we see it in the words of Malachi, the words of chapter 4, words of justice to come to this world. What does he say in verse one? Behold, the day of fire comes of judgement, which will burn the arrogant and evil doers as stubble, and I will leave them neither root nor branch.

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    Yet for those who fear my name, that same fire will be as the Sun of Righteousness that rises with healing in its wings. The justice of God can either restore us in grace for the sisters or by the hardening of our hearts, we break ourselves on it. In our time this afternoon, we’ve considered a few things, brothers and sisters, on this character of God. We, we, we considered that he is rooted in justice, not neglecting wrong.

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    We considered that that despite this desire, his justice, it’s never in spite of Grace Bran sisters, but working with it when aimed for our restoration, when working good to those who love him, when, when relational and adaptive to our needs. And now, brothers and sisters, we’ll consider what this means for us. And there is much we could say on that, couldn’t we? We could reflect that as mentioned in the beginning, God, God put justice in our hearts.

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    And, and he does that because, as said in the beginning, he made man in his image. He desired. We reflect this character we think to his words I’ve chosen you Abraham and your children that they may do justice.

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    We think of the words of Micah 6 verse 8 do justice, love mercy and walk before God and in these words, Bron sisters is a simple essential lesson that God’s character. This is where the things considered this morning. It’s never something we just understand.

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    It’s something that we live knowing. God is a call to action, to live these qualities and who we are. To restore the hearts of people as God seeks to restore them.

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    To care for those as God would seek to care for them. To see those who are suffering as a result of this cursed earth and treat man as God would treat them. But we have to acknowledge that in our desire to emulate God’s justice, there are times that we fall far short of it.

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    Times were unlike God, we take satisfaction in our in our punishment of others. Times we forget that the root of justice isn’t vengeance, it’s correction leading to restoration. Times where unlike God, our justice doesn’t really account for how we’re going to restore the offender. We’re unlike our God, it doesn’t account for circumstance or or individual.

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    And in our carelessness, we break the weak and an anger drive out the vulnerable. The challenge for believers is to create safe spaces and our ecclesias for broken people

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    without lowering God’s standard of holiness. The challenge for believers is to speak truth in love, to enforce God’s Word, but always in a spirit of mercy so that it may never be said of us. As was written long ago, justice is without mercy to one who had no mercy. The challenge for believers is to remember that a community without justice is lost and a community without grace is cruel. The standard we strive for are the words of Hosea 12. Hold fast to justice and love and wait for your God. But the final thing we’ll note

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    is that while we might understand this, brothers, sisters, while we might grasp everything we’ve just discussed that that the judgements of God aim to restore you. That does not mean that it is easy or when you were in darkness that that you’re always going to see that that light of understanding. You know, as I was thinking to this, my thought went to a speech I once heard.

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    I didn’t hear it. I read it by Abraham Lincoln. In fact, it was his second inaugural address and he wrote this in 1865 and the context was was quite dark for him personally. You see, over the course of that, that long struggle of a nation, he increasingly came to see the conflict he presided over as an act of God’s justice.

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    And he was trying to articulate why it had to happen, why so many fathers could not come home, why so many children would now be orphaned. Why, why, why the nation had to suffer for these things. And he was lost in the only thing he could comfort. The only place he turned was this passage of the Psalms. The judgments of the Lord are righteous and true. Sometimes you will not understand the justice of God, brother and sisters.

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    Sometimes the only comfort you will have is knowing that all things come from His hand and that He works good to those who love Him. And sometimes that is enough to give you the strength of David, where after living through the unimaginable, he could stand in belief of God’s character that we’ve been reflecting on and say as he did in the Psalms in Psalm 51, I sinned. That whatever God does to me, he might be just. It makes you Abraham.

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    And who moments of uncertainty could cry out in conviction. Will not the judge of all the earth do what is? Just as I was thinking to this from the sisters, my mind went to this sculpture on the screen. Several years ago. I had the the privilege of seeing a full reproduction of it. In fact, it’s a work of Michelangelo. And as I looked at it, I was immediately struck by two things.

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    The first is that the subject matter is immensely dark. It’s the artist’s imagination of a moment after the cross in which Mary would have, for a brief moment, held the broken body of her child. It is a depiction of a mother holding her crucified son. The second thing that struck me

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    is that it is immensely beautiful, bruh. And sisters of mortal man, in all of our failings, can create something so beautiful from something so tragic.

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    What can God not do in the darkest moments of our lives? What beauty can he not pull from tragedy? What peace can he not salvage from our chaos? O the depths and riches and wisdom of our God, wrote the Psalmist. How unsearchable His justice and inscrutable His ways. Brothers and sisters and our time Tomorrow we will continue our reflections of the God that Habakkuk writes in Wrath Remembers Mercy, our God.

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    As Isaiah records in chapter 29, when His justice is in the earth, the inhabitants learn righteousness. We will consider how we live in the tension of these character traits, how we manifest this quality of God in who we are, the pitfalls of it, and we will bring our minds to the reflection of our God’s perfect character, embodied in the glory of his Son.