3:22 For Moses truly
said to the fathers, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me
from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you.
23 And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be
utterly destroyed from among the people.’ 24 Yes, and all the prophets, from
Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these
days. 25 You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with
our fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your seed all the families of the earth
shall be blessed.’ 26 To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus,
sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities.”
Language is a tricky thing. It makes communication difficult.
Something is said or written but the message heard or read can take on a very
different meaning. Often, no make that very often, God is misunderstood. He
warns us and we take the warning as a threat. As a result we do not see Him as
loving but as a tyrant to be feared.
When God speaks of our destruction He is not speaking of
something He will inflict as punishment. He is speaking of consequences for a
choice or action. True punishment is never about destruction but about
rehabilitation. Parents who love their children correct or punish them in an
effort to direct them in a safer path for their benefit.
In this way God is often grossly misunderstood. We see His
laws as arbitrary acts we must fulfill to appease Him. Nothing could be further
from the truth. Jesus did not come to this planet as one of us to spy on us and
find excuses to destroy us. He is not willing that any should perish. He came
to offer a way out of this sin sick and dying world. His words were not threats
but warnings. They were not for our destruction but for our rescue. His words
are life, joy, and peace.
When I observe humanity the happiest people are those who
live closest to the principles of God's kingdom. They may not be religious. They
may even claim to be atheists. It makes no difference. The ways of God bring
happiness, fulfillment, contentment, and lasting joy. Things like generosity,
compassion, kindness, gentleness, self-sacrifice, etc... are the ingredients
for a meaningful, happy existence. God knows this. He knows love is the only
way not because He arbitrarily decided it, but because it just is.
If we don't listen to Him we will be utterly destroyed, not
by Him, but by the natural consequences of our own choices.
Love makes no threats. Love warns because truth and honesty
are a huge part of love.
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