Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God will shine forth. Our God shall come, and shall not keep silent; a fire shall devour before Him, and it shall be very tempestuous all around Him. (Psalm 50:2-3)
At the end of Moses’ life, he told the people of Israel that the Lord separated the sons of Adam and set boundaries for the nations in regard to Israel — “For the Lord’s portion is His people; Jacob is the place of His inheritance” (Deuteronomy 32:8-9). The point is, though the Lord created the earth, everything and everyone in it, He determined that Israel was to be His chosen vessel through which He would speak to the rest of the nations. Furthermore, He chose Zion (Jerusalem) as the place where He would set His Name and, from there, send His Word throughout the earth.
That being so, the Adversary and all the nations under his influence are determined to countermand that purpose, committing themselves to destroying Israel and its’ people. As for the Lord, it could be argued that He has concealed Himself somewhat from the nations in that His Presence is not visible to the naked eye; spiritual discernment is required to “see” God in and through His creation. To underscore the point, to the casual observer it appears as if God doesn’t administer well-deserved punishment to those who are blatant in their wickedness, nor does it appear that He rewards the righteous deeds of those who serve Him. The fact that the nations often hold the upper hand in regard to Jerusalem and God’s people seems to underscore this observation.
That is how it appears to the casual observer; but those who are looking and listening with spiritual eyes and ears know differently. That being said, the author of this psalm, Asaph, prophesies of the day when the Righteous Judge will make Himself known in a very visible and dramatic way. From Zion, He will appear to mankind and speak in a way that cannot be denied. When He comes, it will be to avenge His downtrodden people and administer long awaited justice to the nations who have sought the destruction of His people.
Should we look forward to this day? We’d be crazy not to, however, not for the sake of seeing the demise of our adversaries per se. I choose to look toward this day with the hope of being redeemed and set free from the restraints this fallen world places upon me. In other words, I do not relish the destruction of others; I want to celebrate the redemption of God’s people when our King shines forth from Zion. The fire that devours before Him is the same fire that will bring redemption and restoration to this world. Furthermore, that is something all of us with eyes to see and ears to hear know is coming — it is even at the door. Maranatha!
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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