The
Great Offence In The Earth:
God
Offended
By Trevor Davis
7/9/2007
Offences come and offences go. Everywhere here and there offences occur between men, women,
children, and businesses and among societies in general. Jesus Himself declared, ”it is impossible
but that offences will come: but woe
[unto him], through whom they come!” (Luke3 17:1).
We in the United States live in a “sue happy culture”. Lawsuits are engendered for the slightest
injustice or quite often-frivolous causes.
This is evidence against a hypocritical nation…a people who are wise to
do evil but are ignorant about doing good.
Many take legal action for the slightest reason even for
an unfitting spoken opinion. Others
take matters in their own hands outside the law and execute an ‘eye for an eye’
with violence. Even for the minutest
error of an other such as a ding being caused in their car door in the parking
lot. ‘Boy, look out, don’t hurt my
car’, people passionately feel in their heart.
People love to side with causes. But far too often people lose sight of proper judgment of what is
right and what is wrong. Many times the
masses improperly access who is in the wrong and who is properly offended. Often, groups side with the perpetrator and
champion his cause ignoring the hardship and injustice for the victims of
self-seeking crime.
In the midst of all this hypocrisy and shallow morality
stands One who is rightfully wronged and seeks justice. It is God Himself. God is offended!
Why? Because the basic common
respect that is due a great and awesome Person, the LORD Almighty, has been
transgressed—Repeatedly. Over and over
and over again. God who is good, gives
good, shows good endlessly is shown such contempt by hard-hearted
humanity. God is slow to anger. He is gracious and of great mercy. But, as seen in Scripture, the line can be
crossed where God determines His grace is despised and He decides to deal with
the impudence of disrespect. God is a
“father”, where is His honor; God is a “master”, where is His fear? Malachi 1:6
The figurative line that is drawn has been crossed many
times throughout biblical history. The
catastrophic flood of Noah, the demise of Sodom and Gomorrah by brimstone and
flaming fire, the repeated dealings with Israel and Judah are such examples of
God’s hand of judgment displayed by great measures of fury.
God’s judgment is always fair. His judgment is always due and proper. God has no pleasure that humanity endure the heat of His
fury. But, God only takes such drastic
measures upon rude disobedience after His seeming endless pleas for repentance
fall on endless rejecting ears. Hard
hearts, hard heads, stiff necks, adamant faces of stubborn selfishness will
always find the hand of God pressing firmly to lead to repentance, or, if not
heeded, death is delivered to the disobedient.
Always. God does not
change. We have these biblical examples
recorded for our learning.
There is a repeated scenario recorded in the
scripture. God Who is good and kind
blesses a people with good and plenty.
He gives them crops and sends rain to make them flourish. He gives bread and oil for the joy of mans’
heart. He causes the herds and flocks
to abound. He sends prosperity, peace
and promotes them as a people. Then,
after all the kind blessings God gives to be enjoyed, the people let their
heart drift away from a loving relationship with Him. Their hearts become entangled by the blessings God gave to be
enjoyed, and then, they begin to serve the blessings instead of God. The people fall away and arrogantly reject
God and His ways.
The second chapter of Jeremiah records Gods feelings of
this very thing. God blesses and
blesses and the people sin and sin.
Then God says, “You defiled My land” by your wicked living. God deals and deals with this erring people
through His Spirit’s yearning as well as the prophets’ call. “Come back”. “Come back”. “Come back
to Me”. But, the people for the
majority say, “No. Our lives are our
own. We will do as we please”. It is a sad story. http://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/Jer/Jer002.html#top
God has likened this despicable occurrence as a spouse
that wickedly departs from their mate.
Sinning shamelessly ever so selfishly.
The “self becomes king” at whatever cost or harm. The center of life becomes one’s own
desire---not God. The Self.
Ezekiel 16 records God chiding those in Jerusalem in
Ezekiel’s day about their immoral and corrupt spiritual lives. God likened them to being a sister to
Sodom. Yes, Sodom. Where is Sodom now? What was she like?
http://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/Eze/Eze016.html#top
She was filled with pride. She enjoyed lavish abundance of bread. She had abundance of idleness.
She was guilty of not helping the needs of the poor or needy. She was selfish. Sodom was haughty. She
committed abomination, detestable unacceptable wicked behavior before the eyes
of God. Guilty of homosexual
perversities. Guilty of killing
infants. THEREFORE, GOD REVOVED THEM AS
HE SAW FIT.
Again, where is Sodom today?
Where is Gomorrah today?
What other nations are guilty of these same sins?
Where will these guilty unrepentant nations be shortly?
Today as I write this message that blazes in my being, I
have heard from the LORD the sound of His gavel slamming in the court of
heaven. Slam, slam, slam! “Guilty!
Guilty! Guilty!”
The
King’s court has decreed the righteous decree of guilt and more guilt in the
land. The earth is defiled by the
shedding of innocent blood. The earth
is defiled by abominable iniquity. The
land that God gave to be enjoyed…His land, is defiled again by the sins of the stubborn
selfish souls.
The fury
of the LORD shall be made known and the infamy of His fury shall RESOUND! This is what the LORD is saying. He has spoken. He shall perform his Word mightily. Who shall not fear the LORD when His judgments are made manifest?
‘But,
for this man and woman will the LORD look—one that is broken and of a contrite
repentant heart, and that trembles at His Word.’ Isaiah 66:2
The LORD calls His few chosen ones to abide in Him.
“Come My
people, enter your secret chambers and shut your doors about you for a short
moment, until the indignation be overpast…for the LORD comes forth from His
place in a cloak of vengeance seeking His enemies as prey. For He shall catch the rebels in their folly
and make of them a perpetual display of the error of their ways. For they loved not the LORD or His
mercy. They had no delight in His
love. They despised His truth and gave
no place to it.
For as
God called Noah and commanded Him in the way for His deliverance during the day
of catastrophic judgment, so to does the High God call His righteous remnant to
obey His voice. Enter into the ark of
safety prepared of by the LORD’s direction.
Let Him be your protection. Let
Him be your focus. Look not to the events
or times of the destruction, but move with fear and serve the LORD with
gladness. Enter in to the abiding place
that the LORD has bidden you. Do as I
command you. Do it. And it will be well with you.”
Trevor Davis