“Judgment Past”

    Having fired a watery arrow of destruction into the heart of a world wicked beyond redemption, the Lord rested His weapon in the sky for all to see that never again would the earth be judged by a flood.

     “I do set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.  And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: and I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh” (Genesis 9:13-15).

    Having fired a wrathful arrow of destruction into the heart of His sinless Son, who was “made to be sin for us,” the Lord rested His weapon in the pages of His Word for all to know that grace makes possible our escape from judgment (II Corinthians 5:21).

     “And, having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself; by Him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.  And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath He reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in His sight” (Colossians 1:20-22).

    Born again believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are “saved from the wrath to come” because we are united to the One who has, for our deliverance, already experienced God’s wrath against sin (I Thessalonians 1:10).  “We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).  Thus, just as a beautiful bow in the clouds proclaims judgment past, beautiful affirmations of Scripture promise that the believing heart is no longer subject to the wrath of God.  We are rather “accepted in the Beloved,” and “justified by faith” (Ephesians 1:6; Galatians 3:24).

    Rarely do rainbows present themselves, and when they do, the sight is always lovely.  The Scriptures, however, continually beckon us to open pages that reveal a Savior who is “altogether lovely” (Song of Solomon 5:16).  Indeed, in this moment we can view the relaxed bow once used to fire God’s judgment into Christ’s heart, whether in the prophecies of the Old Testament, or the affirmations of the New.  May we often avail ourselves of the beautiful grace proclaimed, and the necessary reminders of judgment past, and glories to come.

“Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.  But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”

(Isaiah 53:4-6)