November 17: LOYALTY
And I heard another from the altar saying, “Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments.” Revelation 16:7
The above words of affirmation spoken from the altar in the heavenly temple are for our benefit. They not only affirm the pure and righteous character of God; they affirm the previous angel’s statements (vv.5&6). All accusations against the character of Almighty God originate from a single source. The controversy that has raged from an era previous to the creation of our world is rooted in false accusations against God by Lucifer, whose desire for self-exaltation was so cunningly couched in flattery and deception that one-third of his fellow angels bought into the negative campaign that he waged against God. He succeeded in causing doubt to arise regarding the divine attributes of the LORD’s Creatorship, which includes a perfect plan for the happiness and joy of his created beings. Also called into question were His character traits of compassion, mercy, and love.
Lucifer’s discontentment was the seed that he himself nourished into full-blown hatred toward God and anger without a cause. But these character traits that emerged, which he could have “starved” in favor of a spirit of gratitude and loyalty, he instead “fed”. He then disguised them under a garb of concern for the welfare of his fellow angels.
Many of his ideas, fabricated to obscure the LORD’s character of goodness, longsuffering, grace, love, and mercy (thus painting Him as a cruel tyrant), have become so ingrained in the minds of fallen man, that to believe otherwise is perceived as disloyalty. But to whom are we being disloyal? The archenemy of God has often succeeded in turning our understanding of the truths of God into the very opposite of what He has said in order to lead us away from Him and into a life of disobedience. Satan has deceived the world to such a degree that belief in what the Bible actually teaches is often viewed as “strange”, and even as disloyalty toward God.
The words in today’s opening verse represent a perception from heavenly beings who have seen what we cannot see, namely the entire history of the human race. Repeatedly, they pronounce the judgments of God as true and righteous. The Holy Spirit spoke through King David, showing the world that it is possible to have a right understanding of our Creator, the Lawgiver and Judge, even in our current state of fallenness. His forgiveness and faithful guidance are available gifts for us, as only the Giver of life can offer! Look to Him and believe what He says.
The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth, And their words to the end of the world. The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. Psalm 19:1-4a, 7-9