The writer continues the theme of the testimony of creation
to its creator. We are pointed to the
heavens first, to consider the sun, moon and stars and the argument is from
teleology, that these things have a purpose, in fact, they have a dual purpose,
one heavenly and one earthly. They give
glory to their creator and they serve a purpose for those who are created in
His image. When we deny Him as creator
we lose the witness of creation and we lose the sense that we should worship
Him at all times and in all places for all things. We lose something of the majesty of God, that
which inspires the idea that He is awesome, worthy of awe and wonder. We should not be willing to part with that
unless there is proof that there is no creator.
Our worship becomes impoverished, our sense of Him as provider and the
lover of our souls because we are created in His image is diminished and our
lives less meaningful. That should
require an incredibly high burden of proof for me to let go of this central
belief.
There was prejudice against Galileeans in Jerusalem. There was the sense that those who were in
Jerusalem, or Judea, were holier than the folks up in Galilee. Galilee was more Roman in its outlook and
those Jews who lived there were thought compromised by proximity to the pagan
culture that dominated. Those who asked
Jesus about the Galileeans whose blood Pilate mixed with their sacrifices
intended to question His own Judaism and also infer that God's judgment was
involved in that horrible event. Jesus
pointed to a tragedy closer to home to say that it isn't just Galileeans to
whom horrible things happen. The only
proper response to this world and the seeming randomness of such things is to
repent and turn to the Lord, there lies real hope for life, eternal life. The parable of the barren fig tree reveals
the Lord's attitude towards His people, the time has come for harvest and yet
there is nothing. Time is short for
production of fruit or judgment will come.
God's sovereignty is revealed in His judgments. Were one of us to devastate the earth in this
way we would be not only tried but also convicted and would be utterly
despised. His judgments, in the harvest
by sickle by both the one seated on the cloud whose image was like a son of man
and the angel who follows Him with another sickle, and by the seven plagues of
the seven angels, are hailed as righteous by heaven. They are described as just and true. He alone has right to destroy because He is
creator. When His creation turns against
Him and fails to recognize its creator and worship Him for His works, there is
no hope left for repentance, the time for judgment has come.
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