The Prophets

Over the past while I've been reading through the Old Testament Prophets, this morning I reached Micah which I greatly enjoyed. But as I read it I was thinking of how all these prophets brought messages from God of doom and gloom (with the odd hint of great and glorious light). The brought a message of judgement and God's Wrath over Israel's sin.

And God was very angry with them! I mean if I spoke to people who wronged me in this way I'd undoubtedly be locked up - Consider a persons response if I said "I'm gonna have you suffer, and your women and sons and family suffer, all your possessions are going to burn, and your house will be knocked to rubble." I don't think people would take it all that well. But that's pretty much what God said to them.

So how does God's anger over the sin of Israel and His pronouncements of judgement and wrath affect me?
Well, if God was angry at their sin, it is certain that He is angry at mine. God, after all is the same yesterday, today and forever, so as He hated sin then it is pretty much a cert' that He still hates it today. So in contemplating this anger that is so prominent in these books I've become more aware of the anger God has for sin in my own life and of the unequalled and indescribable wrath of God that was poured out upon Jesus while He was on the cross.

So in reading these prophets and in becoming more aware of God's holy and righteous wrath over sin my grip on the cross of Jesus has tightened. The cross, Jesus, is the only means of forgiveness of sin and of peace with God, without Christ's atoning and redemptive work I would have no hope, and would be facing only the punishment that comes from God - namely hell.
Praise God for the opening verses in Romans 8;
"There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death."

And for John 3:16
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."