No Escape of Judgment

“And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her face, and tired her head, and looked out at a window. And as Jehu entered in at the gate, she said, Had Zimri peace, who slew his master? And he lifted up his face to the window, and said, Who is on my side? who? And there looked out to him two or three eunuchs. And he said, Throw her down. So they threw her down: and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall, and on the horses: and he trode her under foot” (Ii Kin. 9:30-33). Jezebel the wife of Ahab, the wicked ancient king of Israel, had done much harm to Israel and to God’s servants, and certainly had never repented of her wicked idolatry and deeds (I Kin. 18:4,13,19). God raised up Jehu the son of Nimshi who was the captain of the Army, to execute judgment on the house of Ahab, and to be king over Israel (II Kin. 9:1-10). Zimri was a captain in Baasha king of Israels army who conspired against Baasha’s son Elah when he became king, and killed him. Seven days later Zimri committed suicide by burning the king’s palace house down over himself because the city was taken by Omri, Ahab’s father who was the captain of the host, whom the people also made king. It should also be noted here that Jehu’s first act of judgment against Ahab’s house had been to kill the wicked king of Israel, who happened to be Ahab’s son Jehoram (II Kin. 9:22-24). So Jezebel thought she could evade the eminent judgment of God against her, because her husband’s wicked father had killed another wicked king in the midst of confusion in Israel. The judgment against her had been determined by God and it was not going to change, period (I Kin. 21:23). This is a prime example of someone not understanding or believing that God always judges unrepentant sin against his commandments and holiness. It’s a dangerous thing to be without understanding, and that in fact is where the whole world is at today. People simply do not understand and believe that God truly is “the Judge of all the earth” (Gen. 18:25).

Peter gave us a very sobering statement of truth regarding the judgment of God, and regarding ourselves as God’s people: “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?” (I Pet. 4:17,18). Something I would like to point out here is who “the righteous” are that will “scarcely be saved.” It takes more than just having been baptized with the holy Ghost once upon a time to continue to qualify to be ‘the righteous,“ as John specified: "Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous… In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not HIS BROTHER” (I Jn. 3:7,10). So according to the beloved apostle, we can actually have experienced the new birth and still be “of the devil.” That is because we can only continue to be God’s children if we continue to follow after his ways, which ways are God’s holiness and love: “Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us” (Eph. 5:1,2). As the same apostle said in different words in another place: “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God” (Rom. 8:14). God’s Spirit imparts God’s holy love into our hearts when we receive it, and if we follow God by that same Spirit it will continue leading us into holiness and love as Paul stated in his epistle to the Thessalonians: “But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another. And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more” (Rom. 5:5; I Thess. 4:9,10).

Seeing that God’s judgment always begins with his own people, and seeing that we are at the end of this world and will see God’s judgment on all who refuse to forsake sin and believe his Gospel; we should strongly consider and heed the following words from the same apostle Paul: “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (II Cor. 7:1). Paul told the congregation in Corinth that God had judged many of them by sickness, premature death, and other such things; because they had NOT examined and judged themselves in regard to sin remaining in their lives (I Cor. 11:28:33). This is not something that is widely taught to God’s people, but rather many doctrines that ALLOW for sin reign in place of this sobering truth. The old testament was written for our learning, and we should learn by the example in our text passage that we simply cannot evade the judgment of God against sin if we hold to anything that is contrary to God’s holy Spirit of “righteousness, and peace, and joy” (Rom. 15:4; Rom. 14:17). Jezebel had the mindset that Jehu would be overthrown because another king had been overthrown who had slain the wicked king before him. It didn’t work out that way for her. Neither will any of us evade judgment if we believe teachings that declare that sin in our life is acceptable with God because we are his people, and because Jesus “paid the price.” Jesus paid the price he paid to REDEEM US FROM SIN, not to remain in it!! If we expect to be on the right side of God’s judgment, then we had better heed the words of a little heard but power-packed passage from the book of Titus: “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might REDEEM US FROM ALL INIQUITY, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. THESE THINGS speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority” (Tit. 2:11-15). May we all take the narrow path that is full of peace. Amen.