How Does Our Perspective of This Life Change When We Learn to Rejoice in the Justice of God?
Notes
Transcript
There are a lot of conversations going on in our culture right now about the idea of justice. The word justice is a hot button issue at the moment. Unfortunately, it is becoming a divisive issue in our country. People on both sides of the issue are crying out for justice. There is a wide spectrum of ideas and view points on justice in our country right now isn’t there? From far left to far right and everywhere in between.
How should you and I as believers in Jesus Christ think about this issue of justice?
5 Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the Lord understand it completely.
My plea is that we not let our understanding of justice be defined by our current culture. Our current culture is evil, because it is made up of unbelievers and unbelievers do not understand justice. So, let’s seek the Lord. Let’s put into practice Rom 12.2
2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Let’s come to a biblical understanding of justice. Because God loves justice. He loves justice because He is a just God.
1 “Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak, and let the earth hear the words of my mouth.
2 May my teaching drop as the rain, my speech distill as the dew, like gentle rain upon the tender grass, and like showers upon the herb.
3 For I will proclaim the name of the Lord; ascribe greatness to our God!
4 “The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he.
28 For the Lord loves justice; he will not forsake his saints. They are preserved forever, but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.
8 For I the Lord love justice; I hate robbery and wrong; I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.
As a believer, how should the fact that God is a just God- that all his ways are justice, that God loves justice, that justice is the foundation of His throne- how should these truths effect the way we see the world?
When we get a biblical understanding of justice, and then we learn to rejoice in God’s justice, how should that way of thinking change our perspective of how we see the world, and how we live in this world?
That is our question this morning. How does our perspective of this life change when we learn to rejoice in the justice of God?
And to answer this question we are going to turn to I Samuel 2 and allow the story of Hannah to transform our minds this morning.
How does our perspective of this life change when we learn to rejoice in the justice of God?
I. We will live in worshipful obedience rather than sullen despondency
I. We will live in worshipful obedience rather than sullen despondency
19 They rose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord; then they went back to their house at Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her.
20 And in due time Hannah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Samuel, for she said, “I have asked for him from the Lord.”
Ch. 1- Hannah rested in the providence of God, she gave up the idol of her heart- so God blessed her with a child
21 The man Elkanah and all his house went up to offer to the Lord the yearly sacrifice and to pay his vow.
22 But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “As soon as the child is weaned, I will bring him, so that he may appear in the presence of the Lord and dwell there forever.”
v. 22- the hardest thing for Hannah to do, she wanted to wait until she could make a clean break.
23 Elkanah her husband said to her, “Do what seems best to you; wait until you have weaned him; only, may the Lord establish his word.” So the woman remained and nursed her son until she weaned him.
24 And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and she brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh. And the child was young.
V. 24- textual variant (Dead Sea Scroll, Septuagint, Syriac- “Three-year-old bull”; Masoretic Text- “three bulls”)
“The child was young”- 3 years old, try to imagine the difficulty of giving up your three year old son that you have waited for for 15 or more years possibly?
No longer an idol in here heart because she was willing to give him up.
Not just give him up- not grudgingly but as an act of heartfelt worship and obedience.
25 Then they slaughtered the bull, and they brought the child to Eli.
26 And she said, “Oh, my lord! As you live, my lord, I am the woman who was standing here in your presence, praying to the Lord.
27 For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to him.
28 Therefore I have lent him to the Lord. As long as he lives, he is lent to the Lord.” And he worshiped the Lord there.
“I now give the boy to the Lord!” As long as he lives, he is give to the Lord!” Worshipful Obedience!
Before, when Hannah didn’t have any kind of confidence in the God’s justice- When she was the victim of injustice- How did she respond?
6 And her rival used to provoke her grievously to irritate her, because the Lord had closed her womb.
7 So it went on year by year. As often as she went up to the house of the Lord, she used to provoke her. Therefore Hannah wept and would not eat.
God allowed her to be treated unjustly- The Lord closed her womb. He allowed her to be provoked grievously for year after year. But Hannah did not have any confidence in the justice of God- so how did she respond? She wept and would not eat.
But now Hannah has learned more accurately who God is, that He is is God who loves justice and works for the good of those that love Him- so even when she comes to do one of the hardest things in all her life- give up her son- she does it with worshipful obedience.
When you trust God, and you trust in His justice it enables you to live in obedience to Him, even in the hardest circumstances of life. Do we really trust God? Do we constantly live out worshipful obedience to Him? When the world seems like it is falling apart, or when God is allowing you to go through excruciatingly hard times- do you trust Him enough, do you trust in His justice enough- not to doubt Him, not to live in sullen despondency, but is worshipful obedience.
Having this kind of faith in God’s justice does not exempt us for doing our part in this world. This is not an excuse to let go and let God. “I don’t have to be concerned about justice because God will take care of that.” That is an unbiblical idea. Trust in the justice of God frees us to act- we need to make sure we are acting in worshipful obedience to Scripture! How can we obey God next? Not how can we conform to culture? And how does God want us to act?
8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
3 To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.
23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.
We need to be actively concerned about modeling God’s justice and mercy and faithfulness to our world. When we learn to rejoice in God’s justice it should cause us to be actively engaged in our culture- letting out light so shine that they may see your good works and glorify you Father in heaven.
How does our perspective of this life change when we learn to rejoice in the justice of God?
II. We will live with deep genuine joy rather than anxious fear
II. We will live with deep genuine joy rather than anxious fear
1 And Hannah prayed and said, “My heart exults in the Lord; my horn is exalted in the Lord. My mouth derides my enemies, because I rejoice in your salvation.
My HEART exults or rejoices in the Lord! Some people live with the pretence of joy- what Hannah is saying is that all the way down to the bottom of her soul she experienced joy in the Lord. Her HEART rejoiced in the Lord. That means when she went to bed at night- and everything was still and calm and she was alone with her thoughts guess what consumed her heart? Rejoicing!
When you have real heart level joy do you know what that produces in the life of an individual? Contentment, peace, happiness, compassion, love, mercy, longsuffering, gentleness. Let me ask you something do you see anything like that in our world right now? On either side of the issue? I don’t see joy or contentment or peace or forgiveness or compassion do you? But this kind of heart rest is possible for the BELIEVER.
What else is possible?
My horn is exalted in the Lord. What does that mean? The horn is a symbol of power based on the strength of animal horns. So get what she is saying- my horn or my position of power is exalted or lifted up by the Lord. In other words- “I don’t feel powerless anymore.” Don’t you hate the feeling of weakness or powerlessness? Hannah states that she has found strength and security in the Lord. Wouldn’t you like to live that way?
What else is possible?
My mouth derides my enemies. I like the way the NASB translates this phrase- “My mouth speaks boldly against my enemies.” Hannah isn’t insulting her enemies, this isn’t being rude and obnoxious. What is going on here? How did Hannah respond before when Peninnah taunted her and provoked her? She wept and she would not eat. She didn’t have a response other than anxiety and fear, but now her heart rejoices in the Lord, and she has found her strength in the Lord, so even when her enemies provoke her, she has a quiet confidence in the Lord that everything is going to be OK. And she is so confident that she can boast in her God, and in God’s perfect justice.
27 Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,
28 and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God.
Where did Hannah’s deep genuine joy come from?
1 And Hannah prayed and said, “My heart exults in the Lord; my horn is exalted in the Lord. My mouth derides my enemies, because I rejoice in your salvation.
Because I rejoice in your salvation- read deliverance. Not salvation in terms of justification and forgiveness of sin, but deliverance as in God delivered His people from the nation of Egypt.
Why is all of this possible? How was it that even though she was giving her only son to the Lord- the hardest thing she ever had to do- yet she could be alone with her thoughts and still have a heart that rejoiced in the Lord? And a feeling of security and strength? And a confidence so intact that she was not frightened in anything by her enemies?
BECAUSE- she rejoiced in God’s deliverance. God is in the business of delivering His people. God is in the business of justice. And Hannah was so confident in that deliverance and in that justice that she could live with deep genuine joy.
28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
Murphy's law- anything that can go wrong will go wrong- erased for the believer. God is able to take the bad, the actively wicked things of this world and bring justice. When you get a hold of that it brings a confident joy to the bottom of your soul.
How does our perspective of this life change when we learn to rejoice in the justice of God?
III. We will live with reverential awe rather than doubt and distrust
III. We will live with reverential awe rather than doubt and distrust
2 “There is none holy like the Lord: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God.
There is no one like God- He is awesome!
12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and marked off the heavens with a span, enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance?
13 Who has measured the Spirit of the Lord, or what man shows him his counsel?
14 Whom did he consult, and who made him understand? Who taught him the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding?
25 To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him? says the Holy One.
26 Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name; by the greatness of his might and because he is strong in power, not one is missing.
27 Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God”?
28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.
29 He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.
Hannah learned this through years of injustice. God caused her to be baron, God allowed here to be tormented and persecuted for year after year. To what end and to what purpose? So that Hannah could learn the unique greatness of God. Hannah came out of this experience with a relationship with God that was so close and intimate that now she can express because of life experience that there is none holy like the Lord, there is no one else beside you, there is no rock like our God.
Would you be willing to trade that kind of relationship with God for anything? Was it worth the cost of God bringing her through a trial to know Him better?
11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
11 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.
Somethings in life you have to learn by doing. Hannah, through this trial learned that God is a just God- He loves justice and the foundation of His thrown is justice. And God is working out His justice in all of our lives in a way that no one else can- because no one is like our God- no one is holy like God- there is no other rock like our God.
Do you know God that way? Do you have the same kind of reverential awe that Hannah did?
Some of this must be learned through life experience. But much could be learned of God if we would become diligent students of God’s Word. Because His Word is His self-revelation. It is God’s way of telling us what He is like. Like any relationship it takes time and effort- God is a rewarder of those who diligent seek Him.
How does our perspective of this life change when we learn to rejoice in the justice of God?
IV. We will live with humble confidence rather than arrogant rashness
IV. We will live with humble confidence rather than arrogant rashness
3 Talk no more so very proudly, let not arrogance come from your mouth; for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.
Don’t be arrogant, don’t be rash- don’t live like there are no consequences to your actions. The Lord is a God of knowledge. He knows everything- He is a god of perfect knowledge- He is omniscient. You cannot hid anything for the Lord. He knows the things done in secret. He knows every thought and intention of your heart.
And by Him actions are weighed. Like in a scale- and the idea is just because God has not brought about perfect justice yet, one day he certainly will. God will bring justice for every action- He is a God of knowledge. Nothing, and I mean nothing will slip through the cracks. Every single person on this planet will be held fully accountable. And just because it hasn’t happened yet, don’t talk with a mouth full of arrogance, don’t be proud- because one day God will weigh all of your actions in the scale of his perfect justice.
3 Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God?
4 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?
5 But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.
6 He will render to each one according to his works:
7 to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life;
8 but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.
9 There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek,
10 but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek.
11 For God shows no partiality.
Let the knowledge of God’s justice lead you to repentance
Let the knowledge of God’s justice produce a humble confidence in your life. Trust that one day He will weigh every persons actions on the scale of His perfect justice.
How does our perspective of this life change when we learn to rejoice in the justice of God?
V. We will live with loyalty and trust rather than hopeless frustration
V. We will live with loyalty and trust rather than hopeless frustration
4 The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble bind on strength.
5 Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, but those who were hungry have ceased to hunger. The barren has borne seven, but she who has many children is forlorn.
6 The Lord kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up.
7 The Lord makes poor and makes rich; he brings low and he exalts.
8 He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, and on them he has set the world.
“He is not a tame lion.”
20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.
How does our perspective of this life change when we learn to rejoice in the justice of God?
VI. We will live with concern for eternal justice not merely temporal justice
VI. We will live with concern for eternal justice not merely temporal justice
9 “He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness, for not by might shall a man prevail.
10 The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; against them he will thunder in heaven. The Lord will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.”
11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them.
12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.
13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done.
14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.
15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
15 When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers.
21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds,
22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,
13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,
14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.
11 Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands—
12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility
15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace,
16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.
How does our perspective of this life change when we learn to rejoice in the justice of God?
VII. We will live with a confident expectation of our coming King
VII. We will live with a confident expectation of our coming King
10 The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; against them he will thunder in heaven. The Lord will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.”
Hannah is praying under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, not sure what she understands- but here is a foreshadowing of what is to come in the story of I Samuel. From one woman’s rejoicing in the justice of God comes a prophet Samuel who will begin to turn a nation back to God, and from Samuel God will anoint King David who will rule and reign as a man after His own heart- and from the descendants of David will come THE KING- the Messiah- Jesus Christ who will one day rule and reign forever and ever.
7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
1 Behold, a king will reign in righteousness, and princes will rule in justice.
16 Then justice will dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness abide in the fruitful field.
1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.
3 a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice.
4 He will not grow faint or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his law.
11 Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war.
12 His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself.
13 He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God.
14 And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses.
15 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.
16 On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.
1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb
2 through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
3 No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him.
4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.
5 And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.
Are you rejoicing in God’s justice? Is it part of the lens through which you view the world?
How does our perspective of this life change when we learn to rejoice in the justice of God?
We will live in worshipful obedience
We will live with deep genuine joy
We will live with reverential awe
We will live with humble confidence
We will live with loyalty and trust
We will live with concern for eternal justice
We will live with a confident expectation of our coming King