Thy mercy, my God, is the theme
of my song. It is sheer folly for men to
think that they can accuse God of being evil, because it has
pleased him to create a world which Paul describes as this
present evil world. And it is equal folly for men
to think that he is not the director of all that occurs in it, or
the author of every event which he orchestrates in fulfilling
his divine purpose. Shall the thing form, say to
him that formed it, why hast thou made me thus? He doeth according
to his will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of
the earth, and none can stay his hand. Or say unto him, what
doest thou? God does not call upon men to
defend His honor as if it could be in question, but rather demands
that they fall at His feet, giving Him homage. Great and marvelous
are thy works, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are thy ways, thou
King of saints. Who shall not fear thee, O Lord,
and glorify thy name? For thou only art holy, for all
nations shall come and worship before thee, for thy judgments
are made manifest. At the name of Jesus, every knee
should bow, things in heaven and things in earth and things
under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. All creation
shall tremble before him. It is foolish for men to quibble
about the origin of evil, as if God is somehow ashamed of
its presence. He hates the wicked, and his
wickedness with a perfect hatred. Yet no evil deed has ever occurred
outside of the ordained purpose of him who does all things well.
The ponchards of the earth cavil and reason among themselves,
but they shall all fall down and alike magnify him who makes
peace and creates evil. I am the Lord, and there is none
else. There is no God beside me. I girded thee, though thou
hast not known me, that they may know from the rising of the
sun and from the west that there is none beside me. I am the Lord,
and there is none else. I form the light and create darkness.
I make peace and create evil. I, the Lord, do all these things.
Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness.
Let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation. And let
righteousness spring up together. I, the Lord, have created it.
The Lord would teach His truth and magnify the glory of His
grace to all of His creation in the manifestation of His redemptive
work, of that people which He gave to Christ from before the
foundation of the world. How marvelous does such a thing
appear in the eyes of those whom the Scripture says the angels
desire to look into these things! These angelic beings are dumbfounded
at the display of such great grace and mercy. Were they not
witnesses to the fact that He cast out a number of their multitude
from heaven? On the account of wickedness,
now they see him sparing no expense to redeem sinners of the human
race by taking upon himself the likeness of their sinful flesh
and suffering in their room instead. They look on him wonder from
afar and cannot quite grasp it all. Yet those who are made the
recipients of his mercy and grace among the sons of men are brought
to their knees in gratitude as they are made aware of the scope
of his love for them in the unfolding of redemption revealed in the
gospel of Jesus Christ, who imputes his righteousness to all of his
posterity. The unregenerate man may lament
his misfortune in this world, but yet still identifies himself
with it and treasures his existence in it, hoping that he can extend
his stay in it by some means. Yet those whom the Lord is pleased
to awaken find themselves to be but strangers and sojourners
here, and confess that they desire a better country wherein dwelleth
righteousness. Thus Paul declares the purpose
of God to deliver his people from this present evil world.
The world in which we presently dwell is thankfully temporary
and is characterized by sin, weakness, and death. It cannot
continue as it is because, by the very design of God, it is
fitted for destruction along with those who delight in it.
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.
If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in
him. The blood of bulls and goats was sufficient to be a pattern
of sacrifice for sin in this present evil world. Such patterns
and types are suitable for that which is temporary, even as the
giving of the law of Moses with all of its pomp and glory is
suitable for the religious man. Yet these things are not the
substance of that which is eternal. It was therefore necessary that
the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with
these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices
than these. For Christ is not entered into
the holy places made with hands, which are figures of the truth,
but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God
for us. The hope of the sons of God hangs
upon him who has come into this present evil world in a fleshly
body and has fulfilled all of the laws and demands which his
father has seen fit to subject his children to. Wherefore he
is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto
God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
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