Remember Who God is, April #3,
1 Chronicles 16:11-12
Since we have two verses again this week, I’m looking at 1 Chronicles 16:12 in this second blog. He is a God of … wonders, miracles and…judgments.
Remember His MARVELOUS WORKS,
And
(Remember) His MIRACLES.
God’s miracles on behalf of Israel–from the 10 plagues on the Egyptians to effect their release, the parting of the Red Sea to escape the Egyptian army, the manna and water in the wilderness to provide for their needs, the destruction of the walls of Jericho–the list of God’s marvelous works in Israel’s history is long.
However, human tendency is to forget what’s happened in the past and to ask, “What has God done for me lately?”
Taking the time to remember and memorialize past miracles was essential for the Nation of Israel to maintain their faith and dependence on God, and provide motivation to continue to obey His laws. It is no less important for us today.
So, what is the one aspect of God in this verse that is not like the other two? His… judgments?
Why might David elevate God’s past judgments to the same degree of importance as His past miracles?
It’s easy to call up a litany of God’s miracles, but what about His judgments? I couldn’t think of what David might be referring to at first until I remembered I had recently run across a statement by God that intrigued me. When 10 out of the 12 spies convinced Israel that trying to take possession of Cana would be impossible, God said, “…these ten times have tested Me…” (Numbers 13 and 14)
Hmm…, there were 10 plagues in Egypt, there were 10 Commandments given by God to Israel, there were 10 rebellious spies, and there were 10 times when Israel responded by not believing God? I had to find out what those 10 times were!
God’s Judgment, Numbers 14:22-23
As I was looking at the ten times, I realized that each time, in addition to the testing of God by an ungrateful nation of former slaves, God delivered a judgment and even a miracle, showing how these two things were associated in Israel’s history. I also noticed that the key to the judgment of God being limited to the instigators, instead of affecting the whole Nation, was the faithful intercession for the Israelites by Moses. That was one of the most awesome parts of this study, how often God extended mercy, but ONLY IN RESPONSE TO PRAYER.
Since walking through those 10 incidents in Exodus and Numbers would be extensive, I’m not going to present them in detail, but here’s the list if you’d like to go to the chapters and read about “these ten times,” when the Israelites grumbled, disobeyed, or doubted God’s power and provision after leaving Egypt, and then God’s acts of judgments in response.
These ten events represented failures of Israel to trust God’s faithfulness, despite witnessing His miracles, ultimately leading to that generation being barred from entering the Promised Land, and instead wandering for 40 years in the wilderness until they were all dead and buried.
After reading through those 10 instances of rebellion by Israel, the interceding prayers by Moses (NOW I see why he was such a great man of God and leader for God’s chosen people), and the 10 judgments of God, I had this reaction…
Whew! There is some serious harshness displayed by God toward His chosen people when they rebelled against Him, even in what we would consider a small thing like grumbling and complaining. Yet, David placed God’s judgments on par with His miracles (smaller scale) and His mighty acts (larger scale) in this psalm of praise.
I don’t think I would feel quite the same way if I suffered judgments from God like these, but remember, David was a “man after God’s own heart.” Might that mean David had a unique ability to appreciate God’s heart that maybe the rest of us lack?
But I have to be honest here, I HAVE suffered one of those judgments and I DO feel the same as David about it, that God’s judgments are perfectly fair. He gave me plenty of time to repent and obey Him, decades in fact. However, as much as I tried, I seemed to be powerless. I have no complaints that He has afflicted me because now I’m in a better position in my life to serve Him in ministry, and that has been a lifelong desire I was never able to realize.
Maybe remembering God’s past judgments is another way to be motivated to remember to OBEY God? Maybe if remembering His miracles and mighty works doesn’t generate enough “awe of God” to keep you “on the straight and narrow,” maybe remembering that He is also a God of judgment will inspire enough “fear of God” to do so?
So, there always looms the possibility that if NOTHING keeps you on the path of obedience to God, you’ll get to experience one of those scary judgments yourself. I think that might have been David’s point, if the Nation of Israel did NOT remember to obey God, for whatever reason, they could expect JUDGMENT from God…and that is EXACTLY what happened down the road in Israel’s history.
So, whatever the explanation might be for David praising God for His judgments, as well as His miracles, this week let’s…,
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