Psalm 38:2

Psalm 38:2

The hand of judgement

The ancients believed that the Lord God held a bow of wrath directed towards the earth and the arrows of pain and suffering and famine and pestilence and war are His judgements against sin. The rainbow, on the other hand, is pointed away from the earth and its arrows are directed to the heavens; that suggests God turning away and instead of judgement He provides blessing. Such is the unbelief in our culture today that no one would consider such notions as being worthy of consideration – not even Christians. If we are sick or ill or troubled or surrounded by enemies or weighed down by fears and doubts, the last thought would be that this is God’s anger and judgement against us. The world is currently suffering from Climate Change and Coronavirus and individuals and governments have no idea what to do! Meanwhile Satan is on the march and “out of control” computers are watching and monitoring and interfering with our thought processes. Tensions within nations are rising, economies are close to collapse and the way of life we all knew is being threatened in unprecedented ways. And yet no one turns to the living God and perceives that the judgements are His wrath revealed against our sin and wickedness. Our Psalmist, King David, was not so foolish; he understood that sin brings consequences and that God’s blessing is not given lightly. For us to be saved cost Jesus Christ His life. For sin to be overcome demanded an immense sacrifice by God Himself, why then would we treat sin so lightly? While mankind continues to deny God and to concoct cranky alternatives to Him and His creative powers, living without moral codes and in denial of His existence, we should not be surprised that we face His judgements. And the more we deny Him, the more the enemy takes control and thus sin abounds. The apocalyptic visions of Revelation are terrifying and unless the world repents they will happen – soon! 

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