Since I heard the word from the Lord that I should arrange my life so that I will be free to read, meditate and write (see Following Christ and Minimalism), I’ve had difficulty finding peace doing all the other “good” things which present themselves to me as a means of escaping the awesome responsibility I feel when writing what I believe are revelations from God. But last night before I could fall asleep, I once again committed myself to continue doing that which I feel called to do, relegating everything else in my life to a place of secondary importance.
This morning upon awakening I didn’t feel any particular inspiration, so I just began to read Jeremiah, the Bible character I most identify with—one who was commanded to proclaim God’s word while feeling totally incapable of doing so, a task he would never have volunteered to do.
I read of the most awful judgments being pronounced upon Israel for not listening to and obeying God, but rather going after all the false gods of the peoples around them. I read about how evil their hearts were and how desperately God wanted them to turn to Him and receive from His bounty. As I was reading, I kept thinking, “Is this the “true God” revealed to us by Jesus, John and Paul? Even David worshiped a God whose “mercy endureth forever” (Psalm 136); and he himself experienced that mercy even when he prayed that his enemies would not (Psalm 109).
I got to chapter 11 of Jeremiah where I was struck by these words:
(Jeremiah 11:3 Cursed be the man that obeyeth not the words of this covenant, 4 Which I commanded your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, Obey my voice, and do them, according to all which I command you: so shall ye be my people, and I will be your God: 5 That I may perform the oath which I have sworn unto your fathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day. Then answered I, and said, So be it, O LORD. 6 Then the LORD said unto me, Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying, Hear ye the words of this covenant, and do them. 7 For I earnestly protested unto your fathers in the day that I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, even unto this day, rising early and protesting, saying, Obey my voice. 8 Yet they obeyed not, nor inclined their ear, but walked every one in the imagination of their evil heart: therefore I will bring upon them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do; but they did them not.)
I immediately remembered the words of James and of Paul:
James 2:10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
Galatians 3:10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. 11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. 12 And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them. 13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
I had to ask myself, “How could God hold them guilty and punish them horrendously for not doing what they could never do”? Indeed, they were “cursed” for even attempting to do that which was impossible.
As I was pondering this, I remembered those (to me, confusing) two chapters in Romans about the Jews and Gentiles—about how the Gentiles profit by the “fall” of Israel. Israel, Paul says, “have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge” (10:2). They have attempted (through keeping rules and regulations—the “law”) to “establish their own righteousness” thereby (v 3), not accepting the righteousness of God without the law as a free gift. Indeed, they didn’t even know that “with the heart man believeth unto righteousness” (v 10). They didn’t know that righteousness comes to one by accepting the righteousness of God, not by doing the right thing. They couldn’t know until Jesus came and revealed this truth to us and sent us forth to proclaim it to the world.
Paul assures us repeatedly that God did not “cast away” these people (11:1-2) who were disobedient to the law, that they have not “stumbled that they should fall” (11:11).
Paul then comes to this astonishing conclusion:
Romans 11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. 26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: 27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
There is indeed a “mystery” here, a mystery that is not dependent upon time and space as we have viewed it. We don’t understand it while we retain our orthodox views of having to say the sinner’s prayer in this present human experience to assure ourselves an eternal experience of God in heaven. I am seeing here that when the “Deliverer” (God descended in the form of Jesus) came, everyone (past, present and future, for there is only “now is the day of salvation” (2Corinthians 6:2) in God)—everyone was included in this NEW “covenant” (Jeremiah 31:31-33) where God “took away” everyone’s “sins.”
2 Corinthians 5:19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them. . . . 21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Hebrews 8:11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.
I am seeing that the law was given to man who thought he had to “do” something to earn the favor of his Father from whom he thought himself to be separated (though it was only in his mind, not in reality). The law was given to let man see the impossibility of doing anything to receive the favor that he already had. I see that the entire Old Testament is a record of man’s vain attempts to establish his own righteousness and the consequences of doing so (which man perceived to be judgments and punishments from God). I see from Paul’s writings that man had to experience this complete and utter failure to earn his righteousness in order to be in a position to receive the free gift of God’s righteousness.
I now see why Paul said:
Romans 11:32 For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.
V 33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! 34 For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? 35 Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? 36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.
I can certainly agree with Paul on “how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!”
There is still much that I do not understand in these two chapters of Romans, but today I saw this. All of Scripture, however it may appear to read, is a record of God’s grace to ALL.
Romans 11:32 For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.