Musick-al note # 124
I am sure you have all heard the above statement in class when someone is teaching of God’s goodness and mercy. His Word is certainly about God’s goodness and mercy not ‘about’ ‘man’ BUT we should understand that His Word is ‘for’ man’s benefit. From the creation until the end of time, God has loved man and sought to have eternal fellowship with all mankind. His word to Adam and Eve shows this for He said, “Don’t eat of the Tree of Knowledge’ or you will die. Even His word to Cain after his error in worship was a call to do right, “If you do well, you will be accepted. Enoch walked with God 365 years and God took him from the world. When the world was so full of evil that every thought of man was to do evil, God destroyed the world with a flood that covered the earth, but Noah found favor with God. God provided a way of escape for Noah and his family. The Bible continues with the story of God seeking men to hear and obey Him. The Israelites under oppressive bondage followed the leadership of Moses out of that bondage to follow the Lord. Throughout their history, God entreated them to obey His will. In the generations that followed, God sent judges to save and lead the people to righteous living. He sent prophets, teachers and priests to direct man in His ways. Read the Old Testament carefully and you will see God’s goodness and love directed toward man. When man rebelled and went his own way into sin, God allowed him to do so, but God destroyed him, yet always saved the obedient ones. God created man who became a living soul whom He loved, yet He decreed, “The soul that sins will die” (Ezekiel 18:4, Romans 6:23). God’s final gift of love was sending Jesus into the world to save man from sin (Luke 19:10) but He was rejected and sentenced to die. His death was not the end for in the foreknowledge of God, He gave himself to be a sacrifice for man’s redemption and His death became the ransom for the penalty of all men’s sins. All have sinned (Romans 3:23) so all men were sentenced to death for their sins, but thanks to God for accepting Jesus’ death in lieu of our death. The Word not about me but it is FOR me! AND FOR YOU AND EVERYONE WHO WILL HEAR AND OBEY GOD!
Gordon Musick
Musick-al Notes 