Jer. 3-5
Was God fair in unleashing His wrath and His judgment on His people? Some definitions of fair are “acceptable and appropriate” and “without self-interest”. Some people view God’s actions from a “you didn’t do it my way so I’m going to fry you” kind of perspective. But I don’t see it that way at all. First of all, we need to realize that light and life and love and all that is good only exist in God. Without Him you can have none of these things. That’s just the way of it. God never rejected His people; they rejected Him. Is it unfair for Him to remove His blessings and protection from those who have rejected Him? I think not.
Also, God warned them…repeatedly. He told them what the consequences of their actions would be. They knew there was no life, no salvation apart from Him, yet they chose not to believe it. He gave them every opportunity to turn back to Him. They were without excuse. They brought their destruction on themselves; God merely allowed it to happen. Even so, God promised three times in just two chapters that He would not make a full end of them. If anything, I’d say God wasn’t being fair to Himself. That’s called mercy.
Lastly, every time God warned His people of the coming judgment, He also promised them a future hope. “Return, faithless Israel,… I will not look on you in anger, for I am merciful,… I will not be angry forever. Only acknowledge your guilt, that you rebelled against the LORD your God” (Jer 3:12b-13a). God never required perfection out of His people. He only asked that they serve Him with a whole heart; that they acknowledge Him as their only God. And He is more than just in asking that, because He is only asking them to acknowledge what is true. And really, that’s what it all boils down to for each of us. Do we acknowledge and accept the Truth, or do we chase after the Lie?
Acts 27:1-26
I wonder how many of the men who travelled with Paul, including the centurion in charge, ended up believing in God? Given the kindness with which he treated Paul, I’d say there is a good chance the centurion was aware of Paul’s innocence. And when the hardship that Paul predicted (and the centurion ignored) came to pass, it must have made an impression. Also, Paul initially said their lives were at stake, so I have to think that he prayed earnestly to God on this point, and ultimately every life on board was spared. Paul very clearly credited all of this to “the God to whom I belong and whom I worship” (Acts 27:23b).
Paul had a captive audience on that ship and I feel certain that he was a witness for God in his words, his actions and his attitudes. I imagine it would have been very difficult to not sense the presence of God around him. But pride is a very powerful thing and there was certainly opportunity for it to flare up, especially when Paul said, “you should have listened to me”. How many were able to drop their pride, humble their hearts, and receive God’s incredible gift of grace because whatever path their lives were on put them on that ship with Paul? And the bigger question – does anybody whose path crosses mine receive a similar opportunity?