When we looked at Psalm 73 a few days ago, we saw that the psalmist Asaph had been tempted to envy the wicked for their seeming prosperity and lack of problems. That is until he got his focus back onto God and remembered the judgment that awaited them if they didn’t repent. In today’s reading from the Psalms, he revisited that subject and praised God for His righteous judgment.

And at the end of 2 Kings, we see a great example of God’s mercy to His own even in the midst of national judgment.

Today’s Readings:

2 Kings 25
Psalm 75.1-10
Proverbs 19.4-5
Acts 3.1-26

Mercy in the Midst of Judgment

Psalm 75.1-10:

A Time for Judgment

The title of this psalm in the New King James Version is “Thanksgiving for God’s Righteous Judgment.” The New American Standard’s title is “God Abases the Proud, but Exalts the Righteous.”

God is a merciful God “not desiring that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3.9). But there will come a time when divine patience will come to an end and He will judge evil and unrighteousness.

As verse 2 says, “When I choose the proper time, I will judge uprightly.”

And verse 10, “All the horns of the wicked I will also cut off, but the horns of the righteous shall be exalted.”

So while He will judge the wicked, He is faithful to His promises to those who belong to Him even in the midst of that judgment.

2 Kings 25:

Mercy Even in Judgment

The book of 2 Kings ends, sadly, with the complete destruction of Jerusalem and with the people being carried off captive to Babylon. It was God’s judgment for their continued rebellion as a nation. But the last few verses contain a picture of God’s mercy and faithfulness.

Jehoiachin, David’s descendant, had been kept alive in prison in Babylon, while a figurehead king, Zedekiah, was set up in Jerusalem. Zedekiah eventually rebelled and was put to death. Verses 27-30:

Now it came to pass in the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, that Evil-Merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, released Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison. He spoke kindly to him, and gave him a more prominent seat than those of the kings who were with him in Babylon. So Jehoiachin changed from his prison garments, and he ate bread regularly before the king all the days of his life. And as for his provisions, there was a regular ration given him by the king, a portion for each day, all the days of his life.

God had faithfully kept His promise to David to preserve his seed, but He was also continuing to work His plan to bring through that seed the promised Messiah and the King who would rule forever.

There are other examples throughout Scripture including His faithfulness in the lives of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Dan. 3), Daniel himself (throughout the book of Daniel), and Joseph (Gen. 39-50). Daniel would eventually serve under four powerful kings even though he never compromised His commitment to God. And Joseph like Daniel prospered in a foreign land in his case Egypt. God blessed him as a steward in his master Potiphar’s house, made him a leader even in prison, and eventually lifted him up to become second in command of the most powerful nation on earth at that time.

So, no matter how things look in our lives, we need to remember that God is never absent from what is going on. If we belong to Him, He will see us through even when there is judgment on the world around us.

Proverbs 19.4-5:

Judgment on False Witnesses

Verse 5 says:

A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who speaks lies will not escape.

This statement is repeated almost verbatim in verse 9.

When God says something once, we need to pay attention, when He says it twice, He wants to be sure we get it.

If someone has lied about you or falsely accused you, God will deal with it, make no mistake (Gal. 6.7-8)! But He chooses the proper time, the method, and the degree. We need to leave it to Him and not try to impose our own standard or timing (Rom. 12.17-21).

Acts 3.1-26:

Not Even Miracles

When God healed the lame man, the people were amazed at the miracle they had witnessed, but just seeing God’s mighty works doesn’t necessarily mean people will surrender their lives to Him. Many who witnessed this miracle and others who saw Jesus perform miracles during His earthly ministry still rejected the gospel.

Coming Up:

In the coming days, we’ll talk about the importance of godly friends, persecution, hypocrisy, the sin of nagging, and the circle of blessing. We’ll, also, look at the importance of being able to explain the basics of the Christian faith.

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Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥

Note about this post:

I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years. Some days I make major changes, other days fewer.

A while ago, I read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”

I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.

Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)