I am struck by how wise and loving God is. While He saves the oppressed from oppression, He is simultaneously seeking to save their oppressors from oppressiveness. While He metes out judgment, His judgments are, at the same time, mixed with mercy.
I’m going to take you all through a little journey in scripture. We will look at examples of God addressing oppression, meeting out judgement, and simultaneously granting great mercy. Most importantly, we will see how God’s goal is to save everyone.
In this chapter, God laments the oppression that His people are experiencing.
Please take note of verses 5 and 6, and especially the parts of these verses that I have highlighted:
“Now therefore, what have I here, saith the LORD, that my people is taken away for nought? they that rule over them make them to howl, saith the LORD; and my name continually every day is blasphemed.
Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak: behold, it is I.” Isaiah 52:5-6 (KJV)
God proceeds, in verses 8 and 9 to deliver His people from oppression, and while He does this, He is revealing, to everyone observing, that He is a Savior, as we can see in verse 10.
“The LORD hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.” Isaiah 52:10 (KJV)
God’s name is His character. Exodus 34:5-7 (KJV) God wants everyone, both the oppressed and their oppressors, to understand His loving and just character.
With this in mind, let us now visit our next story.
2. Ezekiel 36
In this chapter, we at first see an unfortunate scenario.
God has had to put His people in “timeout” as a consequence for their own bad decisions (verses 17-19). And even so…while they are scattered abroad, the people among whom they are scattered do something that God finds censurable.
God rightfully holds His people accountable for putting themselves in a situation that invites mocking, while at the same time He expresses His disapproval for onlooker’s mocking of His wayward children.
And then God begins His work of salvation again. Please especially note the portions of scripture that I have highlighted in bold.
“But I had pity for mine holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen, whither they went.
Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name’s sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went.
And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes.” (verses 21-23)
Going on in the next few verses, we see that God sanctifies Himself in His people by changing both their life situation and, more significantly and importantly, their hearts. (verses 24-28) This beautiful work of redemption helps those observing to see who God is.
Those looking on marvel at the transformation that they have seen in the lives of God’s people. They can see that God is a restoring God. (verses 35-36)
Let us now move on to our final story.
3. Daniel 3
In this chapter, King Nebuchadnezzar has a service where he compels all in attendance to worship a gold statue that he has had erected. It is significant that the building of this statue was a defiant act on the part of the king. He was well aware that God had prophesied that his kingdom, which was represented by gold in Daniel 2, wouldn’t last forever. He had the audacity to publicly declare otherwise by building a statue entirely of gold, and asking his people to worship it.
Three God-fearing men would not comply. (verses 8-14 and verses 16-23) They honored God and infuriated the king. King Nebuchadnezzar had the three men thrown into a fiery furnace as a punishment for their non-compliance with his idolatrous command. In that furnace, God showed Himself to be both a powerful and a merciful Savior.
The king had spoken rudely of God. He had been defiant, rebellious and disgustingly obnoxious.
“Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?” (verse 15)
Instead of simply striking King Nebuchadnezzar dead, God took a quiet, powerful and merciful approach.
“Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.
He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.” (verses 24-25)
God honored His faithful children with both His protection and His physical presence. He also, in an act of supreme mercy, allowed a defiant and rebellious king to be one of few people who has had the privilege of seeing God with his own eyes.
This chapter ends with King Nebuchadnezzar praising God and honoring the three brave, selfless, loving servants of God who had been willing to die rather than dishonor the One whom they loved and worshipped. (verses 26-30)
In closing, please listen to some of King Nebuchadnezzar’s words of praise to God, paying special attention to the words I have highlighted in bold.
“Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.”
King Nebuchadnezzar learned that God is a Savior. God continued to work with the king, and in chapter 4, King Nebuchadnezzar experienced firsthand that God was able to both correct and save him, personally: from himself. Daniel 4 is an amazing chapter, and I recommend that you take the time to read it.
In closing, I want to reiterate:
God’s name is His character. Exodus 34:5-7 (KJV) God wants everyone, both the oppressed and their oppressors, to understand His loving and just character. This is the sincere desire of His heart.
My personal prayer, which I hope is your prayer as well, is that God would sanctify His great Name in my life by showing Himself to be my Savior: by saving me from my sinful self.
I confess my sins to Him, and by faith, I accept His beautiful promise:
“A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.” Ezekiel 36:26-27 (KJV)
I’m not trying to be cliche by ending with, “God is good!” He is good!
“For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.” Psalm 100:5 (KJV)
Learn and Grow 4ever 