Sermon Tone Analysis

Chapter Fifteen: His ‘Natural’ Work and His ‘Strange’ Work

Hebrews 1:1-3

There are several points that we must note before diving into our study:

God has spoken to the fathers in many ways—what are some of the ways?

God has, in these last days, spoken through His Son

The Son is “the radiance of the glory of God” and “the exact imprint of his nature”

Summarizing these truths, we can say that God has communicated to us through a variety ways, but most recently, exclusively, and completely God has communicated through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ is the “radiance of the glory of God” or brightness of God’s glory and the exact imprint (or, representation) of God.

Or, as John teaches in John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

In other words, Jesus is God and God is Jesus (basic trinitarian doctrine).

We come to an odd chapter in our study.

I say “odd” because so far Ortlund has been developing many passages of Scripture which depict God as a gracious, kind, and loving God.

Let’s begin with his own words.

“What I want to demonstrate in this chapter and the next three is that when we see Christ unveil his deepest heart as gentle and lowly, he is continuing on the natural trajectory of wha God had already been revealing about himself throughout the Old Testament.

Jesus provides new sharpness to who God is, but not fundamentally new content.”

(135)

Many of you have been working your way through the Old Testament and have commented on the amount of blood shed in the OT as compared to the NT.

There certainly appears to be a stark difference between the two.

However, as we briefly noted last week and will look at this week, this is not an accurate understanding of the OT.

In fact, in Lamentations we have a wonderful insight: God does not delight in afflicting people in judgment.

I.

The Lord’s Mercies are amplified in the midst of afflictions- Lam.

3:1-20

Lamentations, as the name implies, is a lament.

Mark Vroegop defines lament in the biblical sense as, “Lament is a prayer in pain that leads to trust.”

(Mark Vroegop, Dark Clouds Deep Mercy, 28) It is a response to the judgment of God on Israel for their sins (1:5, 8, 9, 14, 17, 18, 20).

This judgment took place in 586 BC with the conquest of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzer and the Babylonians.

This was a horrible seige, as we learn from Lamentations 4:9-10 “Happier were the victims of the sword than the victims of hunger, who wasted away, pierced by lack of the fruits of the field.

The hands of compassionate women have boiled their own children; they became their food during the destruction of the daughter of my people.”

We wonder why the LORD wrought such destruction on Israel, until we remember the covenant He made with them which included both blessings and cursings.

Deuteronomy 28 details this.

We will not take the time to read through that passage, but the curses promised as a result of failing to keep the covenant are astounding and terrifying.

It is in the midst of these afflictions that Jeremiah comes to a sweet realization.

II.

The Lord’s Mercies are endless in this life (and the life to come)- Lam.

3:21-22

Notice what precedes this point.

Jeremiah has just listed 21 verses of suffering and turmoil.

“But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope” and then gives us 21-22.

In the midst of God’s judgments we see God’s mercies.

Jeremiah has hope in God’s grace because God’s mercies are endless.

Just think about your own life and how the Lord has been merciful to you over and over.

Follow Jeremiah’s lead, call God’s mercies to mind and you will have hope.

Knowing that God is merciful brought Jeremiah hope.

God is a holy God, of this there is no doubt.

His holiness demands justice.

But God is equally a merciful God.

This is where Ortlund’s book is helpful.

III.

The Lord’s Merciful Work and the Lord’s Judging Work- Lam.

3:31-33

Jeremiah reveals something that we know intuitively as we progress through Scripture but now clearly: “He does not afflict from his heart.”

In other words, God draws no delight in disciplining or in judging.

Concerning this Ortlund writes, “There is an implicit premise in this verse and an explicit statement.

The implicit premise is that God is indeed the one who afflicts.

The explicit statement is that he does not do it from the heart.”

(137)

In the words of Isaiah (and from whence we get the title of this chapter) “strange is his deed” and “alien is his work” (Isa.

28:21).

Other words used are “unusual/extraordinary” or “strange”.

In other words, it is not the natural disposition, if we could phrase it like that.

This sounds very different than what we typically think of when we think of God.

Many professed Christians take this view that God in the OT is an angry God.

But His mercy is both implicit (behind the scenes if you will) and explicit (open to all).

Listen to Joel Beeke and Paul Smalley,

“God’s wrath is a revelation of his divine nature.

When ‘the name of the LORD cometh’ to sinners, it does so ‘burning with his anger’ (Isa.

30:27).

Nevertheless, we recognize that God’s wrath is ‘his strange work’ (28:21).

The Bible says, ‘God is love’ (1 John 4:8), but never says, ‘God is wrath.’

Strictly speaking, wrath is not an attribute of God’s nature, but is his holy justice against sin.

God does not enjoy afflicting and destroying his creatures (Lam.

3:33; Ezek.

33:11), but rejoices in his righteousness and justice when he execute’s the law’s curse upon sinners (Deut.

28:15; 63).

“

I realize that is a lengthy quote, but I think helps us frame our understanding of God’s natural work (i.e., mercy, grace, love) with His strange work (i.e., wrath, judgment, affliction).

When we think of God our first thoughts should not be “wrath” but “love.”

There is ample Scriptural support, even in the midst of the many acts of divine judgment, for God’s mercy.

We mentioned Adam and Abraham last week.

What about Sodom and Gomorrah?

God literally destroyed the entire area (19:29, the “cities of the valley”).

But even in this we see God’s mercy: Lot.

God was incredibly gracious with Lot and his family.

Consider Exodus 32.

We know from other Scripture there were over 600,000 people who left Egypt (Num.

1:46).

While I am sure they added some people between Ex. 32 and then, and we can assume that not every single individual Israelite joined in the partying.

However, 3,000 men died that day at the hands of the Levites.

In other words, more people were spared (a lot more!) than were judged.

Consider David’s sin of adultery with Bathsheba in 2 Sam.

11.

Sin abounds in that chapter, and this is a man after God’s own heart.

God disciplines David, to be sure, but notice the amount of mercy poured out over David when he repents (just look at Psalm 51).

The nation of Israel also serves as an example.

In fact, we can try to find a book in which Israel does not sin against God and find it difficult.

Yet, the Lord is gracious and merciful.

He does not delight in the death of the wicked.

He does not receive joy or fulfilment at afflicting human beings.

Ortlund writes, “Left to our own natural initiations about God, we will conclude that mercy is his strange work and judgment his natural work.”

(144)

This is vitally important because it is directly related to 2 Peter 1:3: “through the knowledge of him.”

All things necessary for life and godliness are developed, produced, and pruned “through the knowledge of him.”

That is, if you get the knowledge of Him wrong, you will not progress in the life of Christ.

You will not grow, develop, and be fruitful for the LORD without the knowledge of Him.

So, here is a challenge to make sure you keep a biblical knowledge of God.

As you read through the Old Testament, any time you come across a judgment/discipline passage, see if you can also find God’s mercies in it.

It can be seen in the judgment/discipline itself.

It could also be seen in the restoration process, or the grace shown.

This will help your knowledge of Him be right (i.e., biblical) and will, through the Holy Spirit, cause you to be fruitful for the LORD.