The Scariness of Hope

Scripture: Exodus 12:12, 13 "For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord. Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt."

Observation: There's an obvious parallel between the pending judgment on Egypt and the blood on the Hebrew's homes with the future Great White Throne judgment and those that have the blood of the Lamb of God (detailed in Revelation 20:11-15), but I'm not sure that I have the wisdom to draw it out very well.

It may be better to contrast than to compare:
1. At the heavenly judgment, God won't be coming to us to visit wrath on us; we will go to him (Rev. 20:12).

2. At the White Throne judgment I won't be responsible for killing the Lamb that will save me from my just punishment; God has already done that. He did it for His purposes and for our good.

3. I won't be responsible for spreading the blood on the doorpost; God already marked with the Lamb's blood those who will be passed over.

4. The first judgment was limited to the first born; the second will come upon everyone.

5. The earthly Passover brought physical, temporal relief and joy; the heavenly Passover brings spiritual, permanent grace and joy. It will last forever and it will be beyond our imagination.

You see, God really is for us. Many have a difficult time even thinking about the judgment that God enacted in Biblical narratives. The rejections of it I've most often heard have most to do with fairness or justness. By rejecting God for that reason, a person is making a couple assertions: (1) God has a responsibility to respect the person's "right" to understand God's motivations and purposes, and (2) that person claims, at least if it a rationalization for rejection of God, to be judge over God. "God, you better explain yourself to my satisfaction, or I cannot and will not serve you."

But all the while, that person has missed the open hand of God. Because of those assertions, he or she has been blinded to the true points of the narratives: God's grace, God's forgiveness, hope for lasting satisfaction. Choosing to trust in God doesn't require a ton of goodness, or intelligence, or money, or success, or talent, or experience, or work . . . it only requires humility--recognition of one's position before a God that we aren't even equipped to comprehend.

Application:
Be okay with not understanding everything, and be satisfied with understanding that God is for me. I can continue to pursue answers, but I don't need them all now in order to grasp that my sin is insurmountable and at the second judgment, I will be in need of the blood of Jesus on my doorpost.

Place my confidence entirely on the hope that God has promised, namely, heaven. If I chose to get my reward here and now, I will have done so at the sacrifice of any reward there and later. "He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it." (Matthew 10:39)  And my priority list reflects my treasure. "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:21)

Prayer: . . .