24
May '19
Our God, A Warrior
24
May '19
The Lord shall go forth as a mighty man, he shall stir up jealousy like a man of war: he shall cry, yea, roar; he shall prevail against his enemies. (Isaiah 42:13)
When you see pictures of Jesus, do they often depict Him as a warrior? Do they ever show Him defeating his enemies? Probably not. Generally, he is longingly gazing heavenward, holding a child or a lamb. Isaiah, however, is very clear about our God: He is a warrior. In fact, Revelation 19:12-16 reveals what He will look like when He “shows Himself mighty against His foes”:
His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King Of Kings, And Lord Of Lords.
This may appear to contradict what we are called to do as Christians. For example, Jesus instructed, we are to turn the other cheek (Matthew 5:39), go the extra mile (Matthew 5:41), give up our coat (Matthew 5:42), love our enemies (Matthew 5:44), and show mercy (Matthew 5:7). How can we do this when our God is called “a man of war” whose robe is dipped in blood? We are freed to do this as Christians because it isn’t our job to judge God’s enemies or make them pay the wages of their sin! We are to love them so that they may come to worship this warrior God.
While our God is holy and just, He is also merciful. Merciful, even to the point of sacrificing His only Son that we, His enemies, may be made into friends. We can weather hardships, trials, and injustice done to us because we know that our God is coming back to “judge the living and the dead” (2 Timothy 4:1), and He will never leave nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).
Do you try to judge others instead of loving them and letting God be their judge?
What a powerful devotion. I love how it depicted just how powerful God is and yet so loving and merciful. He is coming back one day and my prayer is that you are ready to stand before Him as a warrior for Christ. Search my heart oh God and find me ready, I want to be a part of that army following Him on a white horse.
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Proverbs 4:23