Week Ten - Day One: End of Day

This morning we discussed two truths about affliction as it relates to God’s sovereignty. Here is one more.

Truth #3: Affliction sometimes comes as a consequence of our sin, but also in this case God allows it.

The Bible is clear that we sin and fall short of God’s standard for us – even our standard for ourselves. Our experience certainly bears this out!

So, we find ourselves regularly crying out for forgiveness. In fact, the good news announced by the followers of Christ is that because He paid the penalty for our sins, we can be completely forgiven. We can have fellowship with God and will not experience the separation from Him that we deserve both now and for eternity. Thank God that He forgives us and will “purify us from all unrighteousness.”

Still … sometimes God allows the full weight of our sin to be felt. This is undeniable from our experience and is also the testimony of Scripture. Let’s look at just two examples.

Ezekiel 23:32-35

(32) “This is what the Sovereign LORD says:

“You will drink your sister’s cup,
      a cup large and deep;
      it will bring scorn and derision,
      for it holds so much.

(33) You will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow,
      the cup of ruin and desolation,
      the cup of your sister Samaria.

(34) You will drink it and drain it dry
      and chew on its pieces—
      and you will tear your breasts.
      I have spoken, declares the Sovereign LORD.

(35) “Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Since you have forgotten me and turned your back on me, you must bear the consequences of your lewdness and prostitution.”

Romans 1:18-23

(18) The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, (19) since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. (20) For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

(21) For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. (22) Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools (23) and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.

(24) Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. (25) They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

(26) Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. (27) In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.

(28) Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. (29) They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, (30) slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; (31) they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. (32) Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

According to Ezekiel, the Sovereign Lord says that they “must” suffer the consequences of their sin. According to Paul’s letter to the Romans, God “gave them over” to their sin. In both cases, it is clear that they will have to drink their cup dry, dregs and all. Ezekiel even uses this analogy. I’m reminded of the parent who catches their child smoking and makes them smoke a whole pack knowing that nausea will be induced.

The loving, gracious, forgiving God sometimes allows the full affliction that is the natural consequence of our waywardness. He is not the source of the affliction – but still He allows it.

1. Before you go to sleep tonight, as an act of your will, surrender your desire to know “why”. Give up! Tell God that you still may want to know why at times, but that you will take whatever answers He gives you as long as you can have Him!
2. Lights out!