God speaks of sweeping away everything from the face of the earth because He can. Imagine the power – in truth, in reality, He holds that power over us, over me. Again I marvel at the fact that He is both powerful and good, and His goodness is not corrupted by His power. Where in human experience has that been so? What a wonderful being God is.
How do we reconcile His goodness with the fact that He intends to sweep away man and beast from the earth? Let us remember that justice is good, and He is just in destroying all who choose to rebel against Him. In verse 3:7 He expresses His hope that the desolation He imposes in judgment would cause the desolate to accept correction; however, it is their choice that leads to their destruction.
One of the most profound statements in this book is in verse 1:4: “and I will cut off from this place the remnant of Baal.” That name came up a lot in the Old Testament; that figment of man’s imagination and all that man’s mind under the influence of the ruler of darkness made up to go with it, were quite a stumbling block for God’s Old Testament people. Do you know of anyone who is enslaved to Baal worship today? Everyone today thinks that is ridiculous, that people worshipped idols; those bonds have been not only broken, but so demolished that we can’t comprehend how they ever could have held people captive. In fact, most of us know little of Baal worship; people who have not read the Bible have probably never heard of Baal. God has truly cut off from the whole world the remnant of Baal. If God can so effectively cut off not only the bonds, but also the remembrance of what held those people in bondage, He can do the same for us today. Of what do you need to be free today? Ask God to cut off from your place the remnant of that thing as effectively as He did the remnant of Baal, and choose to trust Him to do it.
The details God gives about the offenses for which He’s going to stretch out His hand against the people don’t seem so destruction-worthy to most of us. They
- turned back from following the Lord
- did not seek the Lord or inquire of Him
- followed cultural practices of the godless people around them
- followed superstitious practices
- were complacent about God
If these are deemed worthy of destruction by the One who has the power to destroy, then they need to be corrected, don’t you think?
Sweeping away everyone on earth isn’t the end of the story; this book also ends with restoration. Take note of what restoration looks like as described in chapter three. This is God’s desire for people – for you. How does that make you feel? Why not talk to God about that today?