Jump Start 3894

Jump Start # 3894
Psalms 50:21 “These things you have done and I kept silence; you thought that I was just like you; I will reprove you and state the case in order before your eyes.”
In this section of Psalms 50, the Lord is speaking to the wicked. When and how God did that is interesting to me. The Lord wanted us to know this and kept this as a part of His written record. This section paints a dark description of corrupt hearts.
· They hate discipline (17)
· They are pleased when they see a thief (18)
· They associate with adulterers (18)
· They speak evil of their fellow man (20)
· They slander their own family (20)
Our verse follows. And, within it are two revelations about the thinking of the wicked.
First, because God kept silent, they assumed approval. If it is wrong, He would have stopped me, is how many see things today. Because God allows the wicked to descend ever deeper into the well of wrong does not mean God approves. There seems to be no bottom to Hell, and some have sunk so deeply into the world of wrong, that they don’t recognize how dark and lost their soul is.
Second, the wicked assumed that the Lord was like them. A beer drinking, partying Jesus is how many picture the Lord. Smug in their attitudes and confidence, they view God as one of their good ole’ buddies. What a major mistake this is. It was then and it is today.
The prophet tells us that His ways are higher than our ways and His thinking is not the way we think. The parables well illustrate this. What begins as common stories, nearly every parable has a twist that is counter to the way that things are normally done. Celebrating a prodigal’s return, paying the last workers the same as those who worked all day, forgiving a man who has such debt that it would take thousands of years to repay, none of that makes sense. None of that is normal. None of that is expected. God is not like you.
Now, here are some thoughts for us:
First, it is hard for us to let go of the pain and wrongs done to us. We say we forgive, but much too often, our relationship changes towards that person. Things are not the same. We can’t seem to forget. We can’t seem to move on past those injuries. God is not like you.
Not only can God forgive completely, His relationship with us is not scared because of the wrongs we have done. Not understanding that God is not like us, dampens our relationship with Him. We ask the Lord for mercy and forgiveness, but we expect Him to respond the way we do. God is not like you.
Second, God blesses us better than we deserve. This is evident in the sending of Jesus. This is illustrated in the giving of His word. This is seen in the answer to our prayers. God is so good to us. We can be nice to each other, but we tend to keep the best for ourselves. We hold back. God doesn’t. Far beyond all expectations is how our God is with us. God is not like you.
Third, a twisted view of God, as the wicked manifested in Psalms 50, will impact everything that they do. Our view of God shapes, molds and colors all of life for us. The way we treat one another, is a by-product of how we view God. Our attitudes, our words, our worship, all of that is built upon how we see God.
If God is like us, then our Lord is flawed, fractured and unable to save. He is in as much trouble as we are. Instead, God introduces Himself as “The I AM.” He is holy. He is love. He is perfect. He is almighty. God is not like us. He can understand us, but it is hard for us to understand Him. There is no darkness in His character. He never has to apologize. Great is our God.
The wicked simply do not get it.
Roger