The Enduring Love of God

 

Psalm 30:5 “For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” (NIV)

Psalm 30 was written by David for the dedication of the temple, although God would never allow David to build it since God had reserved that privilege for David’s son, Solomon (1 Chronicles 22:7-8). Nevertheless, David was enabled by God to see and understand the precise location of the temple at the threshing floor of Araunah (1 Chronicles 22:1), when the death angel stopped at David’s request to bring a halt to the plague. How did it come about that the nation was inflicted with a great and deadly pestilence which killed so many (1 Chronicles 21:7)? We are reminded that in David’s pride, he determined to count his fighting troops in direct disobedience to the commands of the Lord. David, in this Psalm of Dedication, points to why he did it in Psalm 30:6-7, when he trusted in the security of his own kingdom based on the number of soldiers under arms. David only forgot one small thing, which was the truth that God had blessed David as king, and it was God alone who had provided for the security of his kingdom.

In dealing with David, God offered him a “Hobson’s choice” of three years of famine, or three months of being swept away by Israel’s enemies, or three days of a plague in Israel. Over 70,000 men of Israel had died when David and his advisors in sack cloth came to their senses and pleaded with God for him to stop the plague. God graciously relented and the killing stopped exactly at the threshing floor of Aranauh, which became the future site of the Temple, and was also the location of Mount Moriah where Abraham was to sacrifice his only son Isaac (2 Chronicles 3:1).

David’s reckless folly and sin had caused God’s punitive action to come against God’s people, and it cut deep into David’s heart, but he learned a strong lesson that is captured in our devotional verse. God disciplines us for our good that we may share in his holiness (Hebrews 12:10), even though no discipline is pleasant, comfortable, or without painful consequences. The discipline of God is to get our attention so that we may have our hearts instructed, attitude of mind adjusted, and behavior corrected. God doesn’t do this to cause pain for the sake of pain, but to instruct us in his word and in his ways. David was a real training tool for God before mankind, because you can see it displayed throughout the Book of Psalms. Any Godly discipline that we face as spiritually sensitive souls must be received as God’s very best for us in securing our eternal future that is worth everything.

So in examining what David says about the discipline of God, it points to three truths of sequence in God’s dealings with spiritual men and women:

1. God’s anger or discipline lasts only a moment, but it is followed by his favor which lasts a lifetime. If we are to be in the circle of the will of God in his favor, we must learn to be instructed by God regardless of its severity, since God knows it is necessary, tolerable, and beneficial to our spiritual growth.
2. Weeping is temporary and followed by rejoicing every time. We will cry and weep in this world, there can be no doubt of that, but when God intervenes to grab our attention and teach us a life salvation lesson, there is only one outcome and that is joy.
3. Only by a persevering trust and faith in God, who has our very best interests at heart, can you experience the favor and joy of the Lord. You cannot “wimp” out on God in self-pity, playing the blame game, or nurturing a “give-up” mentality and grow up into the fullness of Christ. The Apostle Paul said it best, “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” – Acts 14:22. Isaac Watts’s old hymn asks a question, “Am I a Soldier of the Cross?” In that song there is a verse that we must come to grips with in our Christian life, fighting the good fight (2 Timothy 4:7):

Must I be carried to the skies on flowery beds of ease,
While others fought to win the prize, and sailed through blood seas?

FATHER, GIVE ME A SIMPLE TRUST THAT WHATEVER ENTERS MY LIFE IS THERE BECAUSE IT IS YOUR VERY BEST TO GROW ME UP INTO THE FULLNESS OF JESUS CHRIST, SO THAT I MAY BE A SOLDIER OF THE CROSS. AMEN!

Article Source: Mike White @ Summit church of Christ