Deuteronomy 32:1-4 (NIV)
1 Listen, you heavens, and I will speak; hear, you earth, the words of my mouth.
2 Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew,
like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants.
3 I will proclaim the name of the Lord. Oh, praise the greatness of our God!
4 He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just.
A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.
Close to forty years ago, I picked up a rock from bottom of the Buffalo River. It was a section of the river that was clear and shallow. I could see how the constant movement of the water reshaped the stone until it was round and smooth.
Do you know that the constant movement of God in your life can round out the rough edges and make your spirit smooth? I’m not saying that our lives will be smooth, but the Holy Spirit can take away the rough edges of jealousy, unforgiveness, pettiness and pride, and when those qualities are washed away we will no longer cut ourselves and others on the jagged rock of our sinful nature.
In today’s scripture Moses is nearing the end of his life and he is not just talking to God, he is talking to the heavens and the earth and he is proclaiming the greatness of God. When Moses referred to God as a rock, he was saying that God was strong, reliable, immovable and he went on to say that all of His works are perfect and His ways are just.
Our Creator serves as the ultimate foundation for all integrity and justice. God’s justice does not mimic man’s justice. Man’s justice is based on our idea that people should get what they deserve. God forbid. Because what we deserve is death because we are sinners, but God judges us in light of the redemptive work that Jesus did on Calvary. Where we deserve judgment, God chooses to give us mercy.
As Christ followers, may we always seek the justice of God over the justice of man. And rather than returning evil for evil, may we choose mercy over vengeance.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and if the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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Seeking Holiness 