Coram Deo (November 2013)

Coram Deo: In His death, resurrection, and ascension, Jesus has won the decisive battle against evil, and reigns over all things even if His enemies have not yet given up the fight. We are His people, and we benefit from His reign and His protection in ways that we can see and in ways that we will not know about until we are in glory.

Coram Deo: Only if God is thoroughly active in everything that ever happens can we be confident that He has an actual purpose for everything that occurs. From the acts of the greatest generals in history to the seemingly inconsequential casting of a stone into the sea, all that we see and experience occurs according to God’s perfect plan and wise governance. The little details of life really do matter. Why? Because they matter enough to the Lord for Him to work in and through them.

Coram Deo: In one form or another, God’s people will suffer under the exilic conditions of pain and difficulty until Christ returns. The exile of the Jews from the Promised Land is ultimately a picture of the exile of all humanity from the garden, and as with full restoration to the Promised Land, full restoration to the garden and face-to-face fellowship with the Lord will not occur until corporate repentance occurs—until all of the elect come to faith. Let us pray daily that this would happen.

Coram Deo: It is comforting to know that despite our best efforts, we cannot undo the Lord’s intent to bless His children. Still, we cannot take this as a license to sin, for our evil ways will inevitably cause us much hardship in this life. We should also note that a persistent, impenitent refusal to walk in the path of Jesus can indicate that we are not redeemed, and that if we do not turn from our ways, we forfeit the blessing promised to all those in Christ.

Coram Deo: The opening verses of Zechariah’s book contain warnings to the people for breaking the law, warnings that prompted the people to show repentance. When God warns His people of their sin, that is always His goal, namely, their repentance. Matthew Henry comments that the warnings of God’s law are the necessary prerequisite of the gospel. Let us not be afraid to hear the warnings of Scripture, but let us look to them that we might be pointed again and again to Christ.