Wednesday, October 10, 2018
Isaiah 35:4b Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.
GOD DELIVERS PERFECT RECOMPENSE
This section of Isaiah ultimately directs our attention to the end of time, Christ's second and final coming. Indeed, that day will be the happiest day for believers as we realize our completed salvation, but it will not be happy for those who have rejected Christ as their Savior.
What is recompense? Romans 6:23 says that "the wages of sin is death." Recompense is getting what you deserve. It's a paycheck for services rendered. Now, God does not indulge in revenge as people do when they get even with an enemy. He acts as a judge who imposes the just penalty. Absolute impartiality is also a seeming impossibility. In our reality, it's impossible for a sinful person to be absolutely fair, absolutely impartial.
Think of a courtroom. We make people go to school for years to learn how to properly interpret our laws before we allow them to become a judge. We send our jurors through a rigorous selection process before we allow them to sit and give a verdict in our courtrooms. Even the prosecutors and defense lawyers are expected to play fair. Even after all this, no courtroom is completely fair. It's an impossible mission to remove all bias from everyone.
It's not an impossible mission for God. God is absolutely fair, just, impartial, righteous. That means that his recompense, his judgment, his vengeance is perfect. It's not unfair. God is not a big meanie who likes to watch people suffer. Ezekiel 18:32 says, "For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord GOD." As in a perfect court trial, God sees to it that the wicked (those who resist the Holy Spirit and reject Jesus) do not avoid the wages of sin. God has a date fixed when they will receive the due reward of their deeds, eternity in hell. As in a perfect court trial, God also sees to it that believers (those who receive the gift of faith through the Holy Spirit) are given the free gift of God which is eternal life is Christ Jesus our Lord. Praise the Lord for his perfect recompense!
