Life Together Forever

08.20.14

Jeremiah 48.7 Yet I will restore the fortunes of Moab in the latter days, declares the Lord.” Thus far is the judgment on Moab. –Jeremiah (for God) ESV

In Nehemiah 13 are these words: On that day they read from the Book of Moses in the hearing of the people. And in it was found written that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever enter the assembly of God, for they did not meet the people of Israel with bread and water, but hired Balaam against them to curse them—yet our God turned the curse into a blessing. (1,2) Tell me we don’t have trouble in the middle east where grudges have been nurtured and nursed for centuries…

I read through Jeremiah’s (God’s) judgments of Moab, Ammon; Edom; Damascus, Kedar and Hazor, and Elam this morning. They’re pretty ugly – the outcome of the judgments are ugly. When empires get restless, things get ugly. In Jeremiah’s day Babylon, under Nebuchadnezzar, was restless, and things got ugly. And small countries like Moab, Ammon, Edom, and the like, were overrun by this restless empire leaving horrible death and destruction in the wake.

Yet God (on more than one occasion in these judgments)said, “Yet, I will restore…”

God doesn’t seem to intervene much in the politics of this world. He seems to use the comings and goings of men in His plan, but He doesn’t seem to intervene. (God doesn’t crash parties all that often; He knows where He is not welcome.) But having said that, I’ll say this: God does intervene in the hearts of men who are being jostled about by the clashing of empires, and vast armies on the move. God never takes His eyes off the individual in the midst of all this chaos.

God, it appears, is more interested in friendship than He is with kingship. Oh yes, He is King and His Kingdom is forever and ever, amen; but His Kingship isn’t the issue: our friendship with Him is.

In Nehemiah 13 it is written that no Moabite was allowed into the assembly of the Jews because they didn’t offer help to Israel in her wanderings all those years ago. (Again, the grudges.) But God is more interested in friendship with men than He is with grudges. And God promises – in His word, spoken by His people – that He will restore the fortunes of those who bullied His people, Israel. God is interested in friendship, restoration, and forgiveness.

I ask myself: Paul, what are you more interested in today: friendship or the nursing of old hurts? I like friendship better, but believe me, I’ve maybe got a grudge or two; I’ve sung a somebody done somebody wrong song. God is more interested in the condition of my heart than He is the hurts I’ve endured. (And yes, the hurts have maybe been used by Him to me see how I’ve done somebody wrong; and how I need to change my perspective about friendship, forgiveness, and restoration.) God is all about restoration because He doesn't create junk…

Father, today I sit amazed at the magnitude and profoundness of Your love and Your heart toward all of us who deserve Your judgment and yet receive Your mercy. Thank You for the restoration of the nations; that Your perfect plan is never “B”; it’s always: Hey, you there! Come be My friend, and lets do life together forever… Amen.