The Lord of Loss 2

Jesus recognized that it was God himself who was responsible for his looming crucifixion, telling his disciples, “ …the Scriptures say, ‘God will strike the Shepherd…'” (Matthew 26:31)

The father himself takes full responsibility for his intentions in what he has ordained.

Isaiah 53:10 … it was the LORD’s will to crush him (Jesus) and cause him to suffer…

Acts 2:23 This man (Jesus) was handed over to you (those who crucified him) by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge.

Jesus died at the hand of God to satisfy the wrath of God kindled by the justice of God in the face of the offence of sin which was intentionally allowed by God to fully display the fullness of the mercy and righteousness of God . Jesus sits at the father’s right hand adoring the one who crucified him, in perfect fellowship, holding no grudge against the Father for the perfect act of appointing propitiation.

No-one, including Christ himself, dies for any other ultimate reason than the will of God.
Matthew 10:29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father.

If my best friend murdered a man, it would be an issue between us. I would be angry, feel separated, distanced from him because of his brutal act. But if my best friend were a policeman who shot someone in the line of duty and it was deemed a “righteous” kill, there would be no issue between us. He would have done the right thing. He would still be considered good.

Every kill of God’s is a righteous kill. All have sinned and the wages of sin is death. We were told. We willfully disobeyed. We will all die. God will never, can never, be accused of an unrighteous kill. Jesus adores a perfectly righteous God despite the fact that God takes every single life.

Adoring a perfectly righteous God. I want to be there. I plan to be there. If I could identify anything that keeps me from being there it would only be that I am too small, too unable to comprehend, too infantile, juvenile, too faithless to worship the One who takes every single life.

Father help me to get where I need to be, where I want to be. Where I know I must end up, not just trusting you, but rejoicing in who you are and what you do.

I need to do more than merely trust God. I need to believe there is not a malicious bone in his body. I need to believe that though he ordains that evil be, he himself is not evil, but perfectly righteous, worthy of all praise. And he is.