A Family Tradition

04.18.15

Psalm 78.38 Yet he, being compassionate, atoned for their iniquity and did not destroy them; he restrained his anger often and did not stir up all his wrath. – Asaph

Asaph was a musician and a poet – he wrote psalms. Psalms 50 and 73-83. He is generally recognized as one of the directors of King David’s choirs. Asaph’s perspective always gives me pause. Asaph was an insider and he cut the people of God who chose to rebel and disobey God little slack. Asaph knew the Family tradition. I thought about Hank Williams Jr. when I thought about Asaph today: “…if I get stoned and play all night long; it’s a family tradition.”

The different between Asap and Hank is Asaph’s view of God and what he understood to be the proper response to God in our lives. Asaph had a heart for God. I’m not sure about Hank. And Asaph understood just how much grace God poured out on His people despite their unfaithfulness, grumbling, and disobedience. Asaph said, “…[God] restrained his anger often and did not stir up all his wrath.” It would’ve been ugly had God stirred up His entire wrath.

This made me think today of just what God puts up with when He puts up with me. I’m glad He doesn’t pour out His entire wrath. Wrath is way more than just anger. Wrath is the settled and fixed response of God to our choices. There comes a point where the wrath of God is settled with our choices and there is no reversing the outcome; no turning back.

Another thing to remember is that God settled His wrath on Jesus, who bore our sins and failings upon Himself on the cross for us. And so, according to the Scripture, the one who believes in what God did for us in Christ is spared from the full wrath of God when God finally lets it all go in judgment on those who choose to ignore Him. Wrath is for those who (figuratively, unrepentantly) give God the finger. They might seem to be really good people according to our standard of good, but they flip God off. It’s a family tradition.

Now, back to what God puts up with. God doesn’t have to offer salvation. He could (as some wish He would) just leave us alone. We can live, laugh, and love all the way to hell (eternal separation from the Greatest Being Anywhere, Ever). But God chose (at least in my thinking) to compassionately restrain most of His wrath and help, at least, me to get my sorry act together. He allowed me to live, laugh, and love in my own way, but He didn’t arm-twist me to believe. He let me have my way until I understood my way was a bad way, and in a bad way I came to Him and asked for His way. 

Complete wrath is like God allowing us to have our own way forever. Nobody really wants that but God lets many have their way. It’s a family tradition.

Today, in Christ, the Wrath is stopped for those who chose to believe. It’s full-bore for those who disbelieve. It’s not exclusivity; it’s choice. And really, it’s not full wrath…yet; that day is coming. It’s my job to live and serve God in a way that helps those who godlessly live, laugh, and love to perhaps see that there is a better way.

Father, help me to help those who are struggling in unfaithfulness, grumbling, and disobedience to see You as compassionate and restrained and break out of the family tradition of the sons of earth… Amen.