Reading
SAA Notes
Asaph continues with his potent warnings against party spirit and its divisive tactics. The result was unthinkable – God abandoned His Tabernacle! The New Testament teaching is that our sins nailed Christ to His cross – God abandoned His TABERNACLE! Asaph is calling for this result: Repent and do according to His commands!
SJA Notes
* God Above, please mark us as a people who are faithful as You are faithful.
“Yet he, being compassionate, atoned for their iniquity and did not destroy them; he restrained his anger often and did not stir up all his wrath.”
God did not stir up all His wrath.
Certainly a portion of God’s wrath is displayed, look at the plagues sent upon Egypt. Flies. Locusts. Blood. Hail. DEATH.
But God did not stir up ALL His wrath.
So a question comes then – Will there be a time when _all_ of God’s wrath will be stirred up?
Psalm 75 says,
“For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup with foaming wine, well mixed, and he pours out from it, and all the wicked of the earth shall drain it down to the dregs.”
Down to the dregs. That speaks of fullness.
What is this cup?
In Jeremiah 25 we read,
“Thus the LORD, the God of Israel, said to me: ‘Take from my hand this cup of the wine of wrath,'”
This cup, the wine to drink, symbolises God’s wrath.
In Revelation 19 we read,
“From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.”
God’s wrath will be fully stirred up at the return of our King.
But thanks be to God that we, His people, have a great hope.
On the cross at Golgotha, Jesus drank that cup of the wrath of God. He drank it fully and completely for His people, for us, bearing the punishment for sin. So that we no longer have to face God’s wrath at the return of the conquering King.
What a better story we have!
* Mighty God,
Thank You for saving us from Your wrath, the just punishment for our rejection of You, for our sin.
Thank You Lord!
Amen.