thoughts... by chriss

God’s love, his justice and righteousness

This last week while having my times with the Lord and His word I found something…

One of those things you thought you knew, but when you really see them, then you can actually grasp or at least you realize that what you thought all the time maybe was not all on target or actually only a tiny fraction of this huge truth of God.

We all know that God loves us, that He loves the whole world…

And we enjoy this truth and speak about it often in our churches. And so we should…

But how is it when it comes to speaking about His justice and righteousness? I really struggle with teaching those passages. But I will, as the Word of God is all I have to bring to the table…

So this last week as I was reading about Solomon I stumbled over something that I had never seen before:

As I was meditating over the “wise ruling” that made Solomon so famous I suddenly realized that this wisdom coming directly from God, probably would have a very difficult time to survive or find application in our minds and churches today…

If you look at 1.Kings 3:16 we see that these two women were prostitutes. According to Deuteronomy 23:17 (and many other scriptures) God was clear about not having harlots in Israel! So why would Solomon in all his wisdom even give these women an ear, if he was a man who was exercising “Gods righteousness”? “You two, just get your act together and then we can see if God’s Wisdom will have time for your problem…” that could have been his response to their request and probably would be most of the time today, right?

But there is even more about these two women that makes it hard for me to understand why God would choose this problem of these two women to have Solomon become so famous for his God given wisdom:

These two harlots were cold as ice – both their hearts were hardened from long years of abuse and abnormal humiliation in their profession. We can obviously see this clearly with the mother of the dead child, as she is ready without a wink to see the child cut in half…

But also the mother of the baby alive is hard as stone. Maybe not in the area of her heart as a mother, where this God given passion and love of a mother is willing to even let her own child go as long as it may have life…

If you look at 1.Kings 3:21 it says: “But when I had examined him in the morning, indeed, he was not my son whom I had borne.” (NKJV)

This term “examined him” we find also in Job and there the translation gives us a better understanding of what she did: Job 32:12 “I paid close attention…”

I don’t know about you, but the mothers I know including my wife would not have the emotional strength nor the mind to undergo a detailed examination of their child who has just died in their arms.

Why did she do it?

Well there is only one explanation for such an action:

She herself would have done the same wickedness to swap babies, that’s why she expected the other prostitute to do such a thing.

The death of her child did emotionally not touch her so far to overwrite the wicked assumption that the other woman switched the babies.

So with all this in mind, again the question: Why would God speak His divine godly justice into these women’s situation, women that were wicked, hard at heart and were actively involved in the godless activity of prostitution?

Well, the answer I found in chapter 10 of first Kings.

It was the Queen of Saba who visited Solomon to see the wisdom and all the riches for her self, when she profoundly pointed out: “Because of the LORD’s eternal love for Israel, He has made you King, to maintain justice and righteousness.” 1^st Kings 10:9 NIV

She understood that it was love that motivated God to put Solomon as King, so that He might exercise God’s righteousness and justice!

Jeremiah 9:24 states the same concept:

“But let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight," says the LORD.”

God’s justice and righteousness is always motivated by God’s nature of love and kindness!

How does that go togther?

How can you exercise justice and righteousness and love and kindness at the same time?

God can and He does it over and over again…

The ultimate expression of this we find at the cross, as he exercised extreme justice and righteousness by bringing the penalty of sin upon His divine son Jesus Christ, to show us His love and kindness, so that now we can receive His provision for the punishment of our sin in Jesus, who paid for us!

So now the uncomfortable question:

Do we understand God an know Him in His lovingkindness, justice and righteousness? Or is it that we only embrace one side of this truth of God, because we either fear or don’t understand the other?

Ephesians 5:1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. We are called to live like this, to have both areas alive and active in our life, family and churches, if we call ourselves children of God!

God, may we understand and know you more so we might glory in the one true God…