Do you want God's respect? The Lord said, “to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.”
Man’s conviction is a work of God that begins within a man, hidden from the view of others. Yet, that work ultimately manifests itself on the outside. As the apostle Paul reasoned with Felix concerning righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, the Spirit of God took the sword of the Spirit (the word of God) and worked within Felix. Though Felix’s conviction did not lead to his immediate conversion, it visibly affected him by causing him to outwardly tremble. The book of Daniel tells us that the Lord interrupted king Belshazzar’s party and caused his knees to smite against each other (Daniel 5:1-6). The Second Book of the Kings tells of Josiah’s conviction that was manifested through his weeping and the rending of his clothes (2 Kings 22:19).
Throughout the church’s two millennia of history, many people have weighed in on the definition and meaning of biblical conviction. Unfortunately, all of this talk has done little to provide insight into an accurate understanding. The word convict only takes place one time in scripture—in the past tense (John 8:9). Yet, the concept appears quite frequently. Again in John chapter 8, one finds another key Bible word closely related to conviction. That word is convinceth. In fact, some have wisely defined conviction as the mental state of being convinced. In other words, one is never convicted or under conviction until he has first been convinced of sin or guilt. This should offer the Christian much comfort and understanding as to why the people could not convince the Saviour of sin. He was simply not guilty.
The means by which any individual seeks and finds pleasure exposes the condition of his heart. The Bible points to those who find pleasure in rioting, while others in backbiting or carnality, and yet others in selfish indulgences. At first, the individual tries to hide his carnal pleasures. As these things become more amusing to the carnal Christian, he begins to do them in the open, or as the scripture says, “in the day time.” All these things point to a cold heart toward the ways of God and a warming toward the things of the world. Yet, the people of God should find pleasure in spiritual things such as Bible reading, talking with the Lord, singing His praises, fellowshipping with like-minded believers, and witnessing to others of God’s goodness.
A good wife and mother will exemplify a type of selflessness like no one else upon the earth. Proverbs offers a wonderful examination into her life and ways. Her life is one of sacrifice, often putting the needs and wants of her household ahead of her own. She labours to take care of her family (Proverbs 31:16-19). She looks well to the ways of her household while enjoying little to no idle time (Proverbs 31:27). Yet at day’s end, she rises up to give meat to her household (Proverbs 31:15). All the while, she can open her mouth with wisdom with the law of kindness in her tongue (Proverbs 31:26). The Bible points to her only reward as the praise of her husband and children (Proverbs 31:28). This reward may seem insignificant to the world, but to her the love of her family is both sufficient and worth the effort.
The Bible clearly states that all comfort comes either directly or indirectly from the Lord. The Bible says that He is “the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort” (2 Corinthians 1:3). Any true and lasting comfort man receives originates with and through the Lord (James 1:17), and the comfort given by God can comfort each of us in any and all tribulation (2 Corinthians 1:4). Unfortunately, man seems to think that every problem he faces requires a different area of study with various solutions. Yet, the Bible contradicts this line of thinking by stating that every tribulation has only one source of comfort. It is important to note that the comfort received by one person can be passed on to help others regardless of the trouble faced. That is the power of God’s comfort!
No sensible person would ever ask to be on the receiving end of the wrath of God. The thought is completely illogical! Yet, this scenario takes place every day in the lives of those who live with hardened hearts toward the things of God. The Bible affirms that a humble spirit begs God's attention and brings His corresponding blessings (Isaiah 66:2). Contrariwise, a hard heart also garners God's attention but for judgment rather than blessing. Today's passage points out that the hard heart treasures up wrath against itself. This wrath rarely takes place immediately, but it will come in the “day of wrath.” It is important to recall that hardness of heart brought the plagues upon Egypt and it brought blindness to the Jews in Jesus' day. Ultimately, it will bring eternal damnation in the lake of fire to all those who fail to accept God's payment for sin.
Pride shows itself as an unyielding adversary of a tender heart. A prideful heart remains hard and obstinate toward the things of the Lord. According to scripture, such a heart is stubborn and self-willed. However, those who choose to humble themselves actually tenderize their heart so that God can work according to His purpose and will. The humbled heart does not focus on whether the outcome looks good, nor does it focus upon who receives credit for a certain act. Today's passage reveals Josiah accepting the coming judgment, repenting by rending his clothes, and weeping before the Lord. The Lord heard his servant’s plea. Yet, Josiah's tender heart kept him from complaining or arguing with the Lord concerning God's looming judgment.
There are few sights and sounds like that of a majestically flowing river. For this reason, the Lord promised His people that they would have “been as a river” through simple obedience. This analogy using the river not only speaks of quality but also of quantity. Israel's obedience would bring a peace similar to the calming effect of a flowing river. This peace would also be quantitatively associated to the vast amounts of water which flow down a river. The Lord reaffirmed this truth when He said of Jerusalem, “Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river” (Isaiah 66:12). This peace too was dependent upon the obedience of the people of God. Unfortunately, for most people, life is more like the raging waves of the sea rather than the pristine flowing waters of a river. God in His grace desires to reward the obedient with peace like a river, but disobedience has its own set of unmanageable outcomes.
Humility moves God to action. This common theme runs throughout the Bible; however, our passage reveals some truth otherwise hidden. According to Second Chronicles, the people of God are responsible to humble themselves. While doing so, they must also pray, seek God’s face, and turn from their wicked ways. God’s use of the word then in the passage reveals that God’s actions result from the actions of His people. Their humility will move the Lord to action. If, or when, they humble themselves, God hears from heaven, forgives their sin, and heals their land. God takes note when people display humility (Isaiah 57:15; Isaiah 66:1-2). Though some things have changed concerning Israel versus the church, God remains constant and is still looking for humility in the lives of His children.
