Mercy

David ordered that his soldiers be counted.

Joab tried to persuade David not to do this as it would bring judgment from God.

David’s edict held and the soldiers were counted.

This offended God.

David confessed his transgression and asked God to remove his guilt.

When God spoke, He did not speak to David.

Rather, He spoke to the prophet Gad.

1 Chronicles 21:9-10 (NET) - The LORD told Gad, David’s prophet, “Go, tell David, ‘This is what the LORD says: “I am offering you three forms of judgment from which to choose. Pick one of them.”’”.

The prophet Gad then delivered God’s three options to David.

David did not choose three years of famine.

Nor did he choose three months being chased and struck by his enemies.

Instead, he chose three days of plague.

He chose this in hope that the Lord would be merciful.

So, God sent a plague through Israel and 70,000 men died.

God was merciful as David had hoped.

1 Chronicles 21:15 (NET) - God sent an angel to ravage Jerusalem. As he was doing so, the LORD watched and relented from his judgment. He told the angel who was destroying, “That’s enough! Stop now!”

This was not the only time God spoke through a prophet.

It was certainly not the only time God was merciful.

In Acts 15, the apostles and elders met concerning the Gentiles.

They listened to Peter and Barnabas as they spoke of the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles.

It was James who laid the matter to rest when he spoke of how the prophets of old agreed with this.

Acts 15:15-18 (NET) - The words of the prophets agree with this, as it is written, ‘After this I will return, and I will rebuild the fallen tent of David; I will rebuild its ruins and restore it, so that the rest of humanity may seek the Lord, namely, all the Gentiles I have called to be my own,’ says the Lord, who makes these things known from long ago.

The words God spoke through these prophets is true.

God is firm, but He is also merciful.

Just as He showed mercy to David, He also showed mercy to the Gentiles.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, February 3, 2017.

I will be back here on Friday, February 10, 2017

No Favorites

God does not show favoritism.

Peter made this clear in the book of Acts.

Acts 10:34-35 (NET) - Then Peter started speaking: “I now truly understand that God does not show favoritism in dealing with people, but in every nation the person who fears him and does what is right is welcomed before him.

That is good news.

As people, we tend to allow our human biases to get in the way of what actually matters.

Our concept of fairness and God’s could not possibly be farther apart.

Here, Peter understood that a person who is in awe of God and does what He deems right is welcome.

It does not matter where in the world that person lives.

It does not matter how much money that person makes.

It does not matter how much power that person wields.

In the verses that follow, Peter speaks of who Jesus is and what He had done.

Acts: 10:36-38 (NET) - You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, proclaiming the good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all)— you know what happened throughout Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John announced: with respect to Jesus from Nazareth, that God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, because God was with him.

Peter also spoke of His crucifixion and what happened afterward.

Acts 10:39-43 (NET) - We are witnesses of all the things he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him up on the third day and caused him to be seen, not by all the people, but by us, the witnesses God had already chosen, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to warn them that he is the one appointed by God as judge of the living and the dead. About him all the prophets testify, that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

In a way, these words might seem contradictory.

How can God not show favoritism and still choose Peter and the others as witnesses?

Personally, I think part of the answer lies in how they were chosen.

Scripture tells us that those who saw Jesus after his resurrection did not recognize him right away.

When Mary went to the empty tomb, she thought Jesus was the gardener.

When John and those with him went fishing, they thought he was just a man standing on the shore.

As two of them walked on the road to Emmaus, they thought he was just another traveler.

Even Thomas doubted until he could actually see and touch His wounds.

In short, God chose them but they did not respond immediately.

Jesus had to be revealed to them.

Day after day, the real Jesus is revealed to more and more people.

Some we ourselves would choose.

Some we might not.

Sometimes we look at those chosen and think to ourselves, “That doesn’t seem fair.”

Fortunately, God’s concept of fairness and ours are not the same.

God sacrificed His Only Son for us.

That same Son willingly laid down His life for us.

Let’s be honest.

Would we honestly consider that fair?

As Jesus is revealed to others, let us not question.

Instead, let us rejoice.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, January 20, 2017.

I will be back here on Friday, January 27, 2017