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“And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD.”  Now what are some of the names of the Lord?  The Lord is Almighty.  The Lord is all-powerful, isn’t He?  Is that what He emphasized?  No.  He didn’t.  “And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious [and He sure was, He spared all the Israelites, didn’t He?], longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth…” (Ex. 34:5-6).  So because God is love this is what He delights in more than anything else.

This is why if a person approaches God from the opposite point of view, as we find in the parable of the three servants in Matthew 25.  You know, the three servants were each given a pound.  One gained ten, one gained five, and the one who hid it in the earth.  Remember what he said when God came to account?  He said, “Here is the pound you gave me.  I wrapped it and hid it in the earth.”  He said, “I knew you were an austere man.  I knew that you gathered where you didn’t sow, and you harvested where you didn’t straw therefore I was afraid and I hid it in the earth.”  Now what was God’s response to him?  The same that he had to God.

So if our response to God is, and our attitude toward God regardless of your circumstances or what it is, God is gracious and merciful and kind.  And if in our prayers and relationship with God, if you really feel down and out and sort of on the odd side of God, and I’m sure you’ve all felt on the odd side of God cause of your own sins and maybe some of the circumstances you’ve gone through, remind Him of His goodness and mercy.  Think of the attitude that Abraham had.  Think of the attitude that Joseph had.  And use those attitudes toward God coupled with repentance and then you won’t be like the third servant who took the pound and hid it.

See, you’ll be like this, “The LORD [is] merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands [and He would have spared all those in Sodom and Gomorrah] forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin…”  That’s what God delights in.  That’s why Christ came, to what?  Save the world, not condemn it.  It’s own sins condemn it enough.  That’s why the only sin that won’t be forgiven is the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit which comes from God the Father.  “…And that will by no means clear the guilty…”  In other words God is not going to forgive unless there is repentance.  And if there isn’t repentance then He visits “…the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation” (vs. 6-7).  And as it is in Exodus 20, for those who love Him and keep His commandments unto a thousand generations.  Now a thousand generations is a long, long, long time.

I can’t tell you exactly how long a generation is.  I know that came up one time just as an aside, it came up one time where Jesus said in Matthew 24 that this generation shall not pass away till all these things be fulfilled, so we all…, “Let’s figure out how long a generation is.  How long is a generation?  It’s 100 years.  Now it’s 20 years.  No it’s 30 years.  No it’s 40 years.  No it’s 25 years.  No it’s 18 years.”  So I thought, well I”ll be real clever.  I took the three sections of the 14 generation of Matthew 1, 14 generations from Abraham down to Moses, and then 14 from there to whatever, and then 14 from carrying away of Babylon to….and all those.  And I went through the genealogy tables and I added up all the years of those who were listed and then divided and I had an average, cause each one was a generation.  So and so begat so and so, and so and so begat so and so, and I found out that there is no way you can set a definite number of years on a generation because one average was 32 years, one average was 60 years, and one average was 42.

So how long is a generation?  However God figures it, see.  So how is a thousand generations?  You want to take a thousand times 62?  That’s almost the whole history of the earth, ok?  You want to take a thousand times 42?  Well that’s almost all the time from Abraham down to our day, right?   You want to take the narrowest amount 32 years?  That’s 3200 years.  And that goes back at least to David. That’s a long time.  So God is interested in that.  And I just imagine that if we really knew, we are here as a result of God’s mercy regardless of how we got here, or our forefathers got here.  We’re here because of God’s mercy.

I know I would not want to live up in the Eskimo land.  I just would not make a good Eskimo.  I just wouldn’t.  Nor would I want to be down in the jungles of the Amazon.  And when I see people in circumstances like that I’ve had two responses.  One has been, “Those dirty people deserve it.”  No that’s the wrong response, isn’t it?  No.  It’s just God’s blessing that we’re here, and may God be merciful to them because maybe if God would call them…  Remember what God said of Israel in Jeremiah 2.  He said, “If I would have gone to the heathen they would have kept My laws and statutes to this day.”  You know, so we don’t need to get all uppity, uppity and brag about this or that or the other thing, we just need to be thankful for God’s mercy and that He has done it and He is allowing it.

Let’s go on and see some more of God’s graciousness and mercy and goodness.  Let’s go to 1 Samuel.  There are many other places we can go in the Old Testament, some of them I’ve covered in the past so when I get to that point I will just mention it so you can go and study them.  And that’s the sections in Deuteronomy where God said, “I love the fathers therefore I have chosen you.  You’re not the greatest, the biggest, and the best, but you’re the least and the smallest”, and so forth.  Those all have to do with God’s mercy.

Let’s go to 1 Samuel 1 and see how God works out through circumstances in people’s lives.  Samuel and his calling and the whole situation concerning Samuel was because of mercy and grace.  And it was because of the attitude of Samuel’s mother.  Strictly because of her attitude.   And look how all of Israel was blessed because of Samuel.  You can go back and read the whole history of it.  Just to summarize:  they came year to year and Elkanah said, “Why are you weeping?”  And that’s because Hannah didn’t have any children.

So let’s come to verse 9.  “So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk.  Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the LORD.”  Now we can also understand something here that’s important.  What happens when you come into contact with someone who’s supposed to be God’s representative but is corrupt?  Was Eli corrupt?  Yes, he was.  Were his sons corrupt?  Yes, they were.  God executed them all three on the same day.  Now she trusted in God, not the man.  And he was the high priest.  So she went there and Eli was the priest, “And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore” (1 Sam. 1:9-10).  Now she was not angry.  Bitterness means from overmuch sorrow in this particular case.  Overmuch grief because of the trying circumstances of not having any children.

So she vowed a vow.  Now here’s part of this reasoning with God within the realm of His grace.  “And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if Thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of Thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget Thine handmaid, but wilt give unto Thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him into the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no rasor come upon his head” (vs. 11).     Now you can imagine the older that Samuel got…  It didn’t say no scissors but it did say no razor.  So that’s not saying that his hair was always long, you know.  He would not be shaved.  No razor come upon his head.

“And it came to pass, as she continued praying before the LORD, that Eli marked her mouth.”  So here’s Eli, sinful man but he’s still a priest.  “Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard…”  You can imagine she was probably there, you know like you see at the Wailing Wall.  You see the Jews rocking back and forth and you know, you see their lips moving and she was crying and tears streaming down and rocking back and forth.  “…Therefore Eli thought she had been drunken.  And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken?  Put away thy wine from thee.  And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the LORD” (vs. 12-15).  Now notice the whole attitude here.  Pour out your soul before God.

“Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial…”  Yet his sons were called the sons of Belial (1 Sam 2:12).  “…For out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken hitherto.  Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace…”  Now did God honor Eli’s command?  Yes, He did.  Not because Eli was good.  Partly because she was pleading with God, but I imagine there were others who pleaded with God and wept and went through all these things and God never granted them children.  But because God chose to do so and Eli affirmed it.  So, “Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of Him.  And she said, Let thine handmaid find grace in thy sight.   So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad” (vs. 16-18).  And of course then you know the account.  She became pregnant.  Her first child was Samuel and he became one who kept the word of God going, and was a great prophet of God, and hence a tremendous amount of grace came to Israel because of that one thing.  So there’s an excellent example of it.

Let’s go to Psalm 78 and see how God deals with those who are even just sinners.  How He dealt with Israel.  And I think this helps give us an insight into the tremendous wickedness of human beings.  I think if we understand that and if we all understand that the wickedness in the human being differs not one wit from human being to human being, save or with the exception of those who are demon or Satan-possessed, that will obviously be multiplied in wickedness.  But here is the whole account of God calling Israel, how they went through the Sinai. How they sinned and their lust and everything just coming all the way through.

And let’s pick it up here in verse 32.  “For all this they sinned still, and believed not for His wondrous works.”  You know, they had the fire by night, the pillar by day.  They had the manna, they had all the things that God had done.  The killing of the wicked, the fighting of the enemy, etc.,  “Therefore their days did He consume in vanity, and their years in trouble.  When He slew them, then they sought Him: and they returned and inquired early after God” (Psa. 78:32-34).  And isn’t that true with all human beings.  When the going gets rough there is not an atheist one anywhere.  Just not one.

You know how you know and atheist is really not an atheist?  By the very fact that he swears and takes God’s name in vain.  Because if he didn’t believe in God why would he have to use curse words all the time.  Because when you use curse words all the time you’re trying to prove, you’re trying to reinforce that God doesn’t exist.  And you’re tempting and challenging God.  So if there were really an atheist, and one of these days I hope I meet an atheist, and if I hear him swear and curse I’m going to ask him this question:  “Why do you use God’s name then if you don’t believe in Him?  You believe in all the other words you speak, don’t you?  Then if you use His name you must believe in Him.”  That will sort of twist them up in a knot.  But anyway this is true.  When the going gets tough…  And they’ve even portrayed this in movies, and it is true, going gets tough and they cry out to God.

“And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer.  Nevertheless they did flatter Him with their mouth, and they lied unto Him with their tongues.  For their heart was not right with Him, neither were they stedfast in His covenant.  But He, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not…” (vs. 35-38).  Now that’s going right back to the time that we just covered there in Exodus 32 and 33.  You know, that’s quite a thing, that God is that merciful and gracious and here this is talking about just in the Old Testament, isn’t it?  We haven’t come to the New Testament.

Now this will help you understand why God called Paul who was Saul, who was a destroyer of the Church.  That’s why Paul said that he was called to show a pattern.  And he considered himself to be the sinner.  And I still, every time I think of that I cannot help but think how relatives of the deceased that Paul, who when he was Saul caused to be killed, how they felt when they were in the Church and then here comes Paul who was known, he’s the one who persecuted the Church.  You wouldn’t feel like running up and putting your arms around him, hug him and say, “Oh, Paul I’m so glad to see you.  By the way you killed my son.”  Or, “You killed my daughter.”  It’s an incongruity in human standards but that shows you how fantastic the grace of God is.

Look at it here.  It’s says they flattered Him with their tongues, verse 36.  Yeah, they mouthed it, “Oh great God of heaven and earth.”  They didn’t mean it.  They lied to Him with their tongues.  “Oh God we will never do this again.”  Their heart was not right with Him because they had their heart set on what they wanted to do.  “…Neither were they stedfast in His covenant.  But He, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity and destroyed them not…”  Now you can see why it is so ludicrous for us to say, you know as Americans, that we are great Americans because of the great American spirit and the great American ingenuity.  We’re only here because of God’s mercy to us, that’s all, I mean even as a nation and as a country.  We’re here by God’s grace.

“…Yea, many a time turned He His anger away, and did not stir up all His wrath” (vs. 38).  Sometimes I do this quite a bit in my own minds eye.  What would it be like just to be stationary and let the earth turn and what would happen everytime I came to San Francisco?  You know, you can just feel the anger well up in you, you see all these fruitcakes going around up there and all the things taking place, you know.  And how would you feel every day, well God remembers that they’re but flesh.  He knows that their day of salvation is going to come.  He’s already set the laws in motion which will take care of their activities and so let it be.  And be merciful to the rest.

“For He remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.  How oft did they provoke Him in the wilderness, and grieve Him in the desert! Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel” (vs. 39-41).  And so it goes through showing here that how God just keeps taking it and taking it and then it reaches a certain point.  I don’t know what God’s level is of how He judges all these things and where it comes to.  But I’m just thankful that He’s merciful and we ought to look to His mercy and His graciousness and not look to His wrath and His power and His destructive ability, but look to God’s creative ability and His goodness and that will help us in our relation with Him.

Psalm 84:8, “O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer: give ear, O God of Jacob.  Selah.  Behold, O God our shield, and look upon the face of Thine anointed.  For a day in Thy courts is better than a thousand.”  That is a thousand days in the court of the wicked.  “I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.”  Now I have seen this scripture perverted.  Now I’ll tell you how I’ve seen this perverted.  And that is to use as leverage in humility to force people into a fearful, humble stance to where then, “Well, look at, he wasn’t seeking in anything better than to just be a doorkeeper, so who are you?”  You know, “Oh that’s right”, you know.  And to use it as leverage in fear against people.  “I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.  For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory [God is the one Who gives grace and glory]: no good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly.” You know and that’s something to keep in mind.  That’s why Paul rejoiced in his afflictions.  That’s why he rejoiced when God told him, “My grace is sufficient for you.”  Cause He’s withholding no good thing from us and He will give it to us, especially in due time at the resurrection.  “O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in Thee” (Psa. 84:8-12).

Let’s go to Psalm 86:15.  Now the next time you sin and you think, “Oh, how can I go repent of this.”  Especially if it’s one of your lifelong problems.  There are certain things that God has allowed everyone to have as a lifelong problem.  He did Paul, didn’t He?  He didn’t heal him.  Alright, everyone of us has some kind of life long problem or thing that is always a stumblingblock for us, and every time we lose our temper, or whatever it is we think, “Oh, terrible.  How can I repent again.”  Remember this.  This will help you.  Psalm 86:1, “Bow down Thine ear, O LORD, hear me: for I am poor and needy.”  When you sin you sure are needy.  Even when you don’t sin you are needy.  I mean even when you’re the very best you can be you’re still needy.  That is true.  “Preserve my soul; for I am holy…” And we are.  We’re called the holy people of God, aren’t we?  Aren’t we sanctified with God’s truth?  That’s true.

“Thou my God, save Thy servant that trusteth in Thee. Be merciful unto me, O Lord: for I cry unto Thee daily.  Rejoice the soul of Thy servant: for unto Thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.  For Thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive…”  That’s all part of God’s grace.  He is ready to forgive.  Now what if we thought we don’t have to go back to 1 John 1 because we’ve been there several times where that He will forgive all of our sins, all of our unrighteousness.  He is faithful to forgive them.  Here it is He is also ready to forgive.  “…and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon [Him] Thee” (vs. 2-5).  So don’t hesitate to repent of any sins that you find yourself doing.  I mean even if it’s one of those things that dog you all your life, cause you do need it forgiven.  He’s ready to forgive for those who call upon Him.  So sure enough if you don’t call upon God He won’t forgive them.  If you think that it’s too much that God can’t forgive remember He’s going to forgive the sins of the whole world.  Now are your sins greater than the sins of the whole world?  No.  That’s all a part of God’s graciousness.

Now remember what it says that they limited the Holy One of Israel.  We limit God when we don’t trust in His mercy. How is it that we don’t trust in His mercy?  When we do not acknowledge His goodness, His mercifulness, His graciousness, and we are afraid to go to God and tell Him that we really need Him.  We really, really need Him.  So that’s all a part of the relationship of the graciousness of God.

Verse 6, “Give ear, O LORD, unto my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications.  In the day of my trouble I will call upon Thee…”  Don’t wait until the week after.  You may not get out of your trouble.  In the day of your trouble call upon Him, “…for thou wilt answer me. Among the gods there is none like unto Thee, O Lord; neither are there any works like unto Thy works.  All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before Thee, O Lord; and shall glorify Thy name.  For Thou art great, and doest wondrous things: Thou art God alone.  Teach me Thy way, O LORD; I will walk in Thy truth: unite my heart to fear Thy name.  I will praise Thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify Thy name for evermore.  For great is Thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell” (vs. 6-13).  Tremendous isn’t it?  This is why we are to grow in the grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ.

I think this year, I think I asked the question last year or the year before.  I forget which.  Lot’s of times when I ask a question out loud I keep it back there and I remember it and I keep working on it.  And one of the questions that I asked was:  why can’t we have the joy of God’s salvation?  And I think we will answer the question.  Yes I think we can have the joy of God’s salvation when we understand about God’s grace.  Because you know, too many people who should have the joy of the Lord are in the misery of Church.  And that should not be.  Why can’t we feel good, not because we look upon ourselves as good and do as the world.  Psyche yourself up.  Self-hypnotize how good you are, how wonderful you are, how much you can do.  No.  But why can’t we feel good because we understand God’s goodness.  Why can’t we feel happy because of what God has done for us.  I mean in spite of all of our circumstances.  You know, when Paul said there in Romans 8, it doesn’t matter what comes against us - life or death, or height, or anything.  Nothing can separate us from the love of God.  And I really think we’re really on the verge of beginning to understand that.  And let’s hope that going through this part of the grace of God we can understand more how we can have the joy of God and His salvation, and His goodness, and His mercy.

You know there is nothing wrong with that.  Is it a sin for Christians to be happy because of God?  Of course not.  That’s an incongruous question.  Well then why should we as Christians have to go around and carry God as a burden?  Now that’s a silly statement isn’t it?  But how many times did we make it so?  And why did we make it so?  Because we didn’t understand about God’s graciousness and God’s mercy.

Psalm 103.  Here’s another Psalm having to do with God’s mercy.  We covered this a couple of weeks ago so let’s just go to verse 8.  “The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.  He will not always chide: neither will He keep His anger for ever.  He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.  For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward them that fear Him” (Psa. 103:8-11).  “But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting…” (vs. 17).

Psalm 111:1, “Praise ye the LORD.  I will praise the LORD with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation.  The works of the LORD are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein.  His work is honourable and glorious: and His righteousness edureth for ever.  He hath made His wonderful works to be remembered: the LORD is gracious and full of compassion” (Psa. 111:1-4).

Now I defy anyone to hold the doctrine that the God of the Old Testament was a God of wrath, and a God of anger.  God is a God of love and mercy and compassion for those who what?  Call upon Him, that seek Him, that repent, that draw close to God.  The Old Testament, the New Testament.  God is a God of wrath and a God of anger and a God of power against sinners and the rebellious and the devil worshippers in the Old Testament and in the New Testament.  There’s no difference because God, as we saw in the beginning, is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  Ok?

Let’s go to Psalm 112:4.  “Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness…”  That ties right back in with our series in John, doesn’t it?  “…He is gracious, and full of compassion and righteous.”  That’s what God is.  And the book of John is that which exemplifies, is that which brings the understanding of God’s grace and love like no other book.  And I think it is absolutely true that we cannot understand the gospel of the New Testament, the gospel of Christ unless we fully understand the book of John.  That it’s spiritually understood.

Psalm 116:5.  Let’s pick it up here in verse 1 because it gives the full situation here.  “I LOVE the LORD, because He hath heard my voice and my supplications.”  Have you ever had a prayer answered that you just muttered kind of as a though one time?  You know, maybe who knows how long before it was fulfilled.  I’ve experienced that.  And I know that in the moment that I understood that that prayer was answered there was a special thrill and exhilaration that even that little thought, God heard.  “…Heard my voice and my supplications.  Because He hath inclined His ear unto me, therefore will I call upon Him as long as I live.  The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow” (Psa. 116:1-3).  Well, lest any of us think that that is true, I know sometimes with the pains and difficulties of our own physical existence and the circumstances we are in, sometimes we feel that way.

“Then called I upon the name of the LORD; O LORD, I beseech Thee, deliver my soul.  Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful. The LORD preserveth the simple: I was brought low, and He helped me.  Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the LORD hath dealt bountifully with thee” (vs. 4-7).   I’ve often wondered what is going to be like at the resurrection when all these things really come together.  Whatever that song of Moses is going to be when we’re on the sea of glass, that is going to be absolutely stunning.

Let’s go on.  Psalm 145:1.  Here again, you have to follow through the thought.  “I will extol Thee, my God, O king; and I will bless Thy name for ever and ever.  Every day will I bless Thee; and I will praise Thy name for ever and ever.  Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and His greatness is unsearchable.”  Well, we can sure say that about God’s love.  “One generation shall praise Thy works to another, and shall declare Thy mighty acts.  I will speak of the glorious honour of Thy majesty, and of Thy wondrous works.  And men shall speak of the might of Thy terrible acts: and I will declare Thy greatness.  They shall abundantly utter the memory of Thy great goodness, and shall sing of Thy righteousness.  The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.”  You know this could almost be the theme song of the second resurrection.  You just think of it for a minute.  Can you imagine what those people are going to think when they come to the conscious realization that they have been resurrected.  When they come to the conscious realization that God is going to give them salvation.  They’re going to say God is gracious and full of compassion.  Slow to anger, and of great mercy.  “The LORD is good to all: and His tender mercies are over all His works” (Psa. 145:1-9).  Boy that’s a tremendous Psalm, isn’t it?

Let’s go to the book of Proverbs and we’ll see a couple things here in the book of Proverbs concerning our part in using God’s grace in relationship to God’s laws.  Proverbs 1:7, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge…”  And that’s basically true.  And if it comes down to where you don’t sin because of the fear of sin, that’s better than not sinning.  And I’ve found this: that when you come to that point and you resist that temptation, that what does God always do?  He always provides a way out.  He’ll always provide a way out.  It’s the beginning of knowledge.  “…But fools despise wisdom and instruction.  My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother: for they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head…”  In other words of grace and favor just in life and living like it was with Joseph.  “…And chains about thy neck” (Pro. 1:7-9).  That is chains of decoration and beauty.

Proverbs 3:21-22, “My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion: so shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck.”  Apparently that had to do with some of the symbolism having to do with the priest ornamentation.  I know across the forehead of the priest they had “Holiness unto the Lord”, and then the two shoulder things.  I forget right now exactly what they were.

Proverbs 4:9. This talks about wisdom and what it will do.  “She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.”  Now we can spiritualize this and project it into what it’s going to be at the resurrection.  That will be because of God’s grace and then we will have a crown of glory, which won’t fade away, etc.

Let’s go to Isaiah 30:18, “And therefore will the LORD wait, that He may be gracious unto you…”  This is talking about how God is going to bring back all the Israelites.  Bring them out of captivity and restore them.  “…That He may be gracious unto you, and therefore will He be exalted, that He may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for Him”  (Isa. 30:18-19).

Let me add to your reading list these things that you need to go back and read in the book of Deuteronomy.  I’m only reading these because we’ve covered these here recently and I don’t like to have sermons where I’m just repeating the same thing so quickly it kind of gets in a little rut.  So I don’t want to do that.  Deuteronomy 4:6-8, 37.  Deuteronomy 6:16-18, 24-25.  Deuteronomy 7:6-9, 12-15.   Deuteronomy 10:12-22.  Let’s go to that one section and we’ll pretty well end the grace of God in the Old Testament.

This is showing our part.  “And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all His ways, and to love Him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul.  To keep the commandments of the LORD, and His statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?  Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the LORD’S thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is.  Only the LORD hath a delight in thy fathers to love them, and He chose their seed after them, even you above all people, as it is this day” (Deut. 10:12-15).

And then it says, verse 19, “Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.”  And it talks about fearing God, serving God.  Verse 21, “He is thy praise, and He is thy God, that hath done for thee these terrible things, which thine eyes have seen.  Thy fathers went down into Egypt with threescore and ten persons; and now the LORD thy God hath made thee as the stars of heaven for multitude” (vs. 21-22).  And then you can add to that chapter 11 about loving God and so forth.

Now, let’s just cover just a couple things in ending.  First of all, some of these prophecies here in the book of Isaiah.  Let’s go to Isaiah 53.  And here it’s showing part of the grace of God.  Remember it says in Hebrews 2:9 that by the grace of God Jesus tasted death for every man.  Well here is a prophecy of it.  This doesn’t talk about the grace of God in this Isaiah 53, but it shows the grace of God.

Let’s pick it up in verse 2.  This is a prophecy of Christ.  “For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.  He is despised and rejected of men…”  Now imagine, He came to His own creation.  He came to His own people.  “…Despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted” (Isa. 53:2-4).  And that’s virtually what they said, “If you be the Christ come down off the cross.”  That’s tantamount to saying you are there because you are not of God.  And if you’re not of God you’re there because God is striking you down.

“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.”  And we always used to say that’s just physical healing.  But I tell you, there’s a whole lot more to spiritual healing than there is to physical healing.  A whole lot more.  “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.  He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.  He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? For he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken” (vs. 5-8).  And so it shows God’s graciousness and mercy even in the death of Christ.

And we’re going to see even more profoundly, as we get down to the Passover time, and I’m still brooding on this and thinking about it, the tremendous sacrifice of Christ and in particularly in relationship to the fact of the power of Satan the devil’s hand in His crucifixion.  And I hope we can get that in a real bright light this time, because it manifests the humility and the love and the mercy and the graciousness of God like nothing else ever does.  So we’ll continue next time the grace of God in the New Testament.

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