OK…I’m going to take this in a whole other direction. Yes, it has very deep and personal application to how we should each live and behave. But I would like to suggest that these verses also provide a measuring stick by which we can discern whether someone or something claiming to be of God is indeed so. How someone treats not just the person of God but His Word is one of the most visible indicators of whether or not they are actually on His side.
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I think the “fire and brimstone” messages throughout the Bible should not be used exclusively to motivate those that repeatedly refuse to respond to God’s call, but to inspire those of us that HAVE responded. Granted, a part of us is glad to escape such consequences, but it should still weigh a great burden upon us as that there are those to whom this will apply.
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Why do some people find God where others fail? The common denominator for those that find Him is that they finally stop seeking Him on their own terms and conditions. As long as one insists on encountering God only within the limitations and terms they themselves have imposed, it never happens. This is because the roles of potter and clay are reversed, the mere mortal trying to dictate to the immortal the conditions by which a relationship will take place. Every successful relationship with God begins when one truly recognizes and acknowledges the sovereignty and authority of God and His rule over them.
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We are admonished not to pray by incessantly repeating phrases and patterns, chanting the same thing over and over and over again. But we’re most certainly encouraged to continually bring things before the Lord, particularly where the work of His kingdom is concerned. It may seem like a long time coming from our perspective, but it will come. In fact, when it comes to His work, we’re to never cease bringing it to Him in prayer. Perhaps it’s one of the indications when we finally become more concerned for His name and glory than our own, when the salient points of our prayers number greater for His kingdom than our own personal desires.
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Yes, I’m sure there are dual allusions here to Christ’s earthly ministry and First Coming, but it’s very clear from the context that the ultimate, final fulfillment is directed specficially at Israel and speaks of the literal appearance of the Messiah to Whom all nations will be drawn. There are several times in Isaiah alone where God mentions that all the nations of the earth will be physically drawn to the Messiah reigning from Jerusalem, bringing the Jews back to their land. :”(Isaiah 2:3)”: :”(Isaiah 11:10)”: :”(Isaiah 43:6)”: :”(Isaiah 49:22)”: :”(Isaiah 66:12)”: There can be no doubt that there is also a literal fulfillment to come of not just the physical return of Israel, but their spiritual return centered around their recognition of Jesus as Messiah.
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It’s truly amazing how much of New Testament teaching isn’t entirely “new” at all, but an extension of the foundation first provided in the Old Testament. When we come across these verses, we immediately connect them with Paul’s teaching concerning the “armor of God” :”(Ephesians 6:10-18)”: But there are two things here listed that Jesus dresses in which are excluded from our own armor: “Vengeance” and “zeal”.
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I remember as a kid being in the back seat of the car, listening to the adults converse about one of the local churches we’d just passed. Apparently this particular congregation’s pastor had initiated a program to feed and clothe homeless people. The comment that has always stuck in my mind from that conversation is one adult’s deriding assertion, “That pastor thinks EVERYONE should be doing that.” It was clear that these adults did not see the need for this activity within their own congregation.
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