when God Responds

When God Responds 

II Kings 21:10-14 NKJV

[10] And the Lord spoke by His servants the prophets, saying, [11] “Because Manasseh king of Judah has done these abominations (he has acted more wickedly than all the Amorites who were before him, and has also made Judah sin with his idols), [12] therefore thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘Behold, I am bringing such calamity upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whoever hears of it, both his ears will tingle. [13] And I will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samaria and the plummet of the house of Ahab; I will wipe Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down. [14] So I will forsake the remnant of My inheritance and deliver them into the hand of their enemies; and they shall become victims of plunder to all their enemies, 

Sin is an " immoral act and a transgression of divine laws". It is not just a weakness  but a hamartia on what perhaps could have been a beautiful character. It is an offence against God. In theatre it is described as a tragic flaw, a fatal mistake that will lead to the downfall of the tragic hero. That description is from the Greek word, " to err".

   Whenever hamartia is at work, it will set forth chain of events that will eventually result in a reversal of fortunes for the character. In our read today, Manasseh and Judah are about to enter that reversal. God is the Judge. He is reading out the judgements through the prophets. Read that again. V.12 " Behold, I am bringing such calamity upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whoever hears of it, both his ears will tingle". There's a sense of dread on what God is about to unleash.

    " Hamartiology explains why, how, and the consequences of humans "missing the mark". It also explains how humans miss the mark of righteousness, which is God's standard for living". Any sin that is not confessed and forsaken will naturally attract God's response as judgement .  1 John 1:9 says, " If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness". I think that's the sweetest verse in the Bible. Don't wait for God to respond. Its a mark of pride to assume you can beat God in this. Mannasseh learnt it the hard way, so you don't. We can break the hubris and go to God in repentance. God wont manipulate  you. His word is  standard. Keep the date tomorrow. Good morning.