JONATHAN'S WRITINGS:
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GOD STRIKES, AND THEN HEALS
(In Wrath There Is Mercy and Restoration)
In the Hebrew Scriptures (the OT) we find clear statements that the outcome of God's "wrath" and "judging" is healing and mercy. Let the following examples speak for themselves. These are my renderings of the Septuagint (LXX):
Isa. 19:22 (LXX),
And so [the] Lord (= Yahweh) will smite and wound (or: strike down with a fatal blow) the Egyptians, and then shall completely heal them – and thus they will be fully turned back toward (or: face to face with) [the] Lord (= Yahweh). Then He will listen unto them and thoroughly heal them.
Hos. 5:14-6:4 (LXX),
Because of this, I Myself am like (or: exist being as) a panther to (or: for; in) Ephraim, and like a lion to (or: for; in) the house of Judah: thus I Myself will tear, and then journey on; I will take (grasp in [My] hand; seize), and there will be no one to be rescuing and dragging [folks] out of [My grasp].
I will journey on and return into My place until they will be caused to disappear, and then they will search for My face, and seek My presence.
Within the midst of (or: When encompassed with and joined to) their pressure and affliction they will seek Me early and come to Me before the dawn, repeatedly saying, "Let us go our way and return to [the] Lord (= Yahweh) our God, because He Himself tore [us], and yet He will heal us. He will smite and wound (or: strike down with a fatal blow), and then He will bind us and bandage the wound. After two days He will make us sound and healthy; within (or: on) the third day we shall stand back up again from out of the midst (or: will be raised forth again) and then we will live before Him – in His sight and presence – and we will have insight (gnosis) and intimately know by experience! Let us press forward and run to intimately experience and know the Lord (= Yahweh) firsthand: we will find Him ready and prepared – like the early morning (or: as the dawn), and then He will come to us (or: for us; in us) – like [the] early and latter rain to and on the Land (or: in the earth).
Hos. 11:1-4 (LXX),
1. Because Israel [is] a young child, I Myself also love him, and I once called his children together from out of Egypt.
2. The more I called them [to Me], the more they distanced themselves and kept away from My face (or: immediate presence). They sacrificed to the Baals, and then burned incense to the carved and chiseled images (= idols).
3. And so I, Myself tied the feet of Ephraim together (i.e., restrained him; = hobbled him to keep him from wandering) [then] I took him up upon My arm – and yet they did not realize (or: know) that I had healed them.
4. In the thorough ruin and destruction of humans I stretch out to them and lay [My hand] on them in binding ties (or: bonds) of My love.
And so I will be to them as a person slapping (or: striking) [someone] on his cheek, then I will look upon him (= either: keep an eye on him; or: give respect to him). I will prevail with him and then give ability and power to him.
Then in vs. 8-9, Yahweh says re: Ephraim,
... My heart is turned for a change within itself, My change in care and
interest is jointly stirred and excited: I will not do or perform in accord with
(or: to the degree of) the inherent fervor of My hard-breathing passion – I
will not leave Ephraim down within the midst of the [situation] to be wiped
out of the midst, because of the fact that I Myself am God, and not human,
a Set-apart One within your midst!
Hab. 3:2 (LXX),
.... Within the [situation for] my soul to be troubled, in the midst of inherent fervor (or: anger; wrath), You will remember mercy.
Ps. 77:7-9 (LXX),
Will [the] Lord (= Yahweh) cast [folks/us] away on into the Age, and will He no more set forth the [situations] of goodwill and thoughts of goodness and ease?
Or will He cut off His mercy unto the end (or: on into the goal and consummation) – from generation to generation? Or will God forget to be compassionate or will He restrain His compassions in the midst of His inherent fervor and anger?
Pause and consider this!
Ps. 7:11 (LXX),
God [is] a fair and just evaluator and decider (or: judge), as well as a Strong One who takes a long time before breathing hard and rushing into passion. He is not one who is constantly bringing on anger from inherent fervor (or: passionate wrath) every day.
Isa. 48:9 (LXX),
For the sake of My own Name and Reputation, I will point out, show and demonstrate the fury of my rushing passion (or: wrath), and then will bring upon you My inner glory – to the end that I will not destroy you out of the midst.
To God be the glory,
Jonathan
NEXT: The Rich Man and Lazarus