Joab's Fire: How Does Man Compare with God?

Man is a created being. God is eternal—He always was, and He always will be. He is the creator of all.

Man is limited; God is all knowing, all present, all powerful.

Man sins. God does not.

Psalm 139 says:

“O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether. Thou has beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.”

Each Christian who has endured a trial has become more aware of who God is and who he is, a person created by God but now sinner deserving death yet redeemed by Christ's blood. We will never know God to the extent that He knows us. It’s just not possible.

When we humble ourselves and acknowledge God’s greatness, we can experience His tremendous mercy—a mercy that endures forever and in every situation.

Mercy demonstrates God’s zeal toward us, His desire to show us His love, even though we don’t deserve it. When we recognize that we are sinful creatures, that we are born in sin and are of a sin nature, and when we recognize that God is holy and righteous, the fact of His mercy toward us is augmented. In this understanding of our nature and of His character can we see hardships as God’s mercy when it drives us to repent and draw near to Him?

I Peter 1:8 says:

“That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:”

Trials increase our faith in God.

Through Paul’s life he encountered people who wandered from their faith. Listen to what he tells Timothy in I Timothy 1:19-20:

“Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck: of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.”

Did Paul want those men to be destroyed? No. He wanted them to learn something important for their relationship with God…not to blaspheme.

Throughout the history of Israel, God allowed bad things to happen to them in order to bring them back to Him. He didn’t leave them to be destroyed. In His mercy, He used whatever was necessary to bring them back to Him. That is love. That is mercy.

Let’s not forget, when we face trials, that we will see God’s mercy, if we turn to Him, if we keep our focus on Him.