Gentle & Lowly VI

Lamentations 3:33 CSB

For he does not enjoy bringing affliction or suffering on mankind.

INTRO—

((By now I hope, I believe, that we are beginning to understand to beauty of the Scripture’s witness regarding Christ’s heart , God’s heart, for sinners & sufferers, BUT how would you have answered before picking up this book? How do you think your lost family, friends, neighbors, et al., would answer? …))

What would you expect the heart, disposition of God to be shown to be in the OT?

“Left to our own natural intuitions about God, we will conclude that mercy is his strange work and judgment his natural work.” (Ortlund, p. 144)

“…when we see Christ unveil his deepest heart as gentle and lowly, he is continuing on the natural trajectory of what God had already been revealing about himself throughout the Old Testament.” (Ortlund, p. 135)

Natural v. Strange. [Lamentations 3.32-33]

Lamentations 3:32–33 CSB

Even if he causes suffering, he will show compassion according to the abundance of his faithful love. For he does not enjoy bringing affliction or suffering on mankind.

Mercy & Judgment

Judgment: Lamentations 3.33 “For he does not enjoy bringing affliction or suffering on mankind.”

Mercy: Jeremiah 32.41 “I will take delight in them to do what is good for them, and with all my heart and mind I will faithfully plant them in this land.”

Strange Work (Translations)

CSB Isaiah 28.21 “For the Lord will rise up as he did at Mount Perazim. He will rise in wrath, as at the Valley of Gibeon, to do his work, his unexpected work, and to perform his task, his unfamiliar task.”

ESV “For the LORD will rise up as on Mount Perazim; as in the Valley of Gibeon he will be roused; to do his deed—strange is his deed! and to work his work—alien is his work!”

KJV “For the LORD shall rise up as in mount Perazim, He shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, That he may do his work, his strange work; And bring to pass his act, his strange act.”

God is certainly perfectly just!

AND… His disposition (natural inclination/reaction) is mercy!

Echoes of God’s Voice. [Exodus 34.6-7]

Exodus 34:6–7 CSB

The Lord passed in front of him and proclaimed: The Lord—the Lord is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth, maintaining faithful love to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But he will not leave the guilty unpunished, bringing the consequences of the fathers’ iniquity on the children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generation.

What God said...

“Merciful & gracious” - first description after his name!; like ‘gentle & lowly,’ a paramount picture!

“Slow to anger” - in fact, his anger has to be provoked!

Contrast picture of Hebrews 10.24 “And let us consider one another in order to provoke love and good works,”

“Abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness” - ‘hesed’…covenant faithful love, the total commitment of the heart; abounding/great/ flooded

“Keeping steadfast love for thousands” - stop trying to count (like 70 x 7)

“Visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and fourth generation” - make no mistake, God is not permissive/lenient.

[NOTICE: …The ‘asymmetry’—as Ortlund puts it—between the description of God’s mercy & compassion AND his judgment.]

Who echoed his words? [Ortlund notes 14 references…we’ll take on four]

Lamentations 3.33 “For he does not enjoy bringing affliction or suffering on mankind.” [Previous Text]

Nehemiah 9.17 “They refused to listen and did not remember your wonders you performed among them. They became stiff-necked and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt. But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love, and you did not abandon them.” [History]

Psalm 86.5 “For you, Lord, are kind and ready to forgive, abounding in faithful love to all who call on you.” … Psalm 86.15 “But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth.” [Wisdom]

Joel 2.13 “Tear your hearts, not just your clothes, and return to the Lord your God. For he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in faithful love, and he relents from sending disaster.” [Prophets]

CONCL—

Isaiah 55:6–9 CSB

Seek the Lord while he may be found; call to him while he is near. Let the wicked one abandon his way and the sinful one his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, so he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will freely forgive. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not my ways.” This is the Lord’s declaration. “For as heaven is higher than earth, so my ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

We typically read this passage, especially vv. 8-9, and think about God’s Providence— “Well, God is doing this, I don’t quite understand, but ‘his ways are not my ways...’.”

Take a look at the context again: Let the wicked abandon…the sinful one…//…return to the Lord…he may have compassion on…will freely forgive…///…FOR MY THOUGHTS ARE NOT YOUR THOUGHTS…!

As we have said in our Wednesday night discussions on this book, reading about how God (Jesus) is predisposed to relate to us is BOTH ENCOURAGING (personally) & CHALLENGING (relationally).

Isaiah 55:8 CSB

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not my ways.” This is the Lord’s declaration.