Word of Encouragement (10/24/2024)
Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness; 30 tremble before him, all the earth; yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved. 31 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice, and let them say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!” 32 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it! 33 Then shall the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth. 34 Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever! (1 Chron. 16:29c-34)
In v. 33, David provides the reason for the trees of the forest to sing for joy—“for he comes to judge the earth.” This may sound strange: judgment is nothing to sing about, especially to sing for joy. But think about those who are victims of terrible injustice under an oppressive regime or hate crimes. They long for justice. Judgment is what brings justice, especially if God is the Judge.
This declaration is quickly followed by a call to give thanks to the LORD for His goodness and steadfast love, which endures forever (v. 34). Often, we mistakenly identify goodness with niceness. Niceness seeks to please. Goodness seeks to uphold and defend what is good, which includes hatred of evil. Because God is good, He must liberate and restore the victims of injustice and condemn the cruel oppressors; He must reward the good and punish the wicked in judgment.
Of course, all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). Even the victims of worst injustice are sinners, deserving of God’s wrath. There is a sense in which we all see only the speck in someone else’s eye but not the log in our own eye. Those who clamor for justice must face justice themselves. For we all have walked in the counsel of the wicked, stood in the way of sinners, and sat in the seat of scoffers (Ps. 1:1). There would be nothing to look forward to in judgment were it not for Jesus Christ, who suffered, died, and rose again from the dead for the redemption of all those who put their trust in Him. Because of His substitutionary atonement, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:1). We do not come into judgment, but have passed out of death into life (John 5:24). Since we have been justified by faith in Jesus Christ, we no longer need to fear the Day of Judgment. For those who trust in Jesus Christ, that day will be a day of public vindication and reward.
Christ has not only spared us from divine judgment but has also made us the beneficiaries of God’s steadfast love, which endures forever. This is so because by faith we have been united with Jesus Christ, God’s eternal Son, with whom He is well-pleased. In the Son of God, who is the object of the Father’s infinite love, we too receive and enjoy His love.
But there is more. Christ is beloved of the Father not only for His eternal sonship but also for His perfect obedience to the Father. He came into this world to live a life of perfect obedience as our Representative. By it, He has earned all the blessings God has promised to His people for their obedience, which they failed to render to God. We are covenantally entitled to the Father’s love and all His blessings because of Jesus’ obedience to the Father. God will love us with His steadfast love no matter what our circumstances may be through all the ups and downs of our lives. Even these things come from the Father’s steadfast love and will lead to our good. And this love will endure forever and never cease! Oh, how blessed we are! Oh, how we should sing for joy and call on the whole nature to join our praise!