"Sic 'em, God."
Far too often I've heard one or another derivation of this phrase. Whether in casual conversation or even prayer, it seems we hear people who call out to God to deal harshly with sinful people, cities, or nations. But is this the heart of God for us?
While it is true that man's sin calls out for the judgment of God (see Genesis 4:10; 19:13Genesis 4:10; 19:13 (NKJV)
4:10 And He said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood cries out to Me from the ground.
19:13 For we will destroy this place, because the outcry against them has grown great before the face of the LORD, and the LORD has sent us to destroy it." , Exodus 22:22-24Exodus 22:22-24 (NKJV)
"You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child. If you afflict them in any way, and they cry at all to Me, I will surely hear their cry; and My wrath will become hot, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless. ), we must always remember that mercy triumphs over judgment (James 2:13James 2:13 (NKJV)
For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. ). We are to call out for mercy; we are not the accuser.
The story of Sodom is found in Genesis 18 and 19. While the city was not saved, we see some keep points regarding our relationship with God and His willingness to save many (an entire city) for the sake of a very few (one family). The first show of God's mercy in this account is in God's telling Abraham of His plans to destroy the city. This opened the door for Abraham to plead for mercy for the city. Upon hearing God's plans, Abraham tarries with God and talks with God. If Abraham were like many in our society today, he may have said something like this:
I agree, God... they are a wicked bunch. They go after strange flesh, they're prideful, wasteful of their time, they don't help the poor or the needy, and they commit abominations before You... Go ahead, wipe them out (See Jude 6-7Jude 6-7 (NKJV)
And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day; as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. , Ezekiel 16:49-50Ezekiel 16:49-50 (NKJV)
Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty and committed abomination before Me; therefore I took them away as I saw fit. ).
But Abraham wasn't like many in our society today. He never even once mentions their sin. His focus in negotiating with God is always on the righteous. "Will you also destroy the righteous with the wicked?" (Genesis 18:23Genesis 18:23 (NKJV)
And Abraham came near and said, "Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? ). "Far be it from you to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" (Genesis 18:25Genesis 18:25 (NKJV)
Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" ). And each time, God agreed with Abraham. He would not destroy if he could find just (50, then 45, then 40, 30, 20 and finally 10) righteous in all of the city. Abraham stopped at ten, but I personally believe he could have continued, and would have found a point at which the city would have been saved. Great evidence of this is found in Genesis 19:22Genesis 19:22 (NKJV)
"Hurry, escape there. For I cannot do anything until you arrive there." Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar. . When the angel of the Lord was rushing Lot and his wife and daughters out of the city, and had given them permission to go to the nearby city of Zoar, the angel said, "Hurry, escape there. For I cannot do anything until you arrive there"
The angel of God Could Not do anything until Lot was safe. The presence of just one family related to righteous Abraham stymied the wrath of God against an entire city.
Further evidence shows that God will pardon an entire city for the sake of just one righteous. Jeremiah 5:1 says “Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem; See now and know; And seek in her open places If you can find a man, If there is anyone who executes judgment, Who seeks the truth, And I will pardon her." Here, God looked for a man who was righteous, so that He could pardon the entire city on behalf of one man. Grace indeed.
If this is the example of the merciful heart of God in a time before Jesus' sacrifice had paid the price for the sins of the entire world, we are without excuse if we call for anything less than complete mercy in this present dispensation of God's purchase of salvation for all who will believe and receive. Yes, we can acknowledge the horror of the sin around us, but just like Christ, we are to "seek and save that which is lost" (Luke 19:10Luke 19:10 (NKJV)
for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." ). It's not that the stories of society's sin aren't true. It's not that those sins won't ultimately be judged at the end-time judgment of God (see Revelation 20:11-15Revelation 20:11-15 (NKJV)
Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. ). But until that time, our only job is to be Christlike, and to follow the example of the One who always lives to make intercession for us (Hebrews 7:25Hebrews 7:25 (NKJV)
Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.). Christ is the mercy of God presently stymieing the justice of God. He paid the price for the sins of the world. He is the Redeemer. He is the Savior. And "as He is, so are we in this world" (1 John 4:171 John 4:17 (NKJV)
Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. ).
But how often do we really behave as if we are representing Christ to this world? It is so easy to just sit back and complain about society, to put down our neighbors and leaders, as if in our flesh we are something better (We are not - see Romans 7:18Romans 7:18 (NKJV)
For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. ). Without Christ, we are nothing better than even the vilest of sinful people. Without Christ, we deserve all the judgment and condemnation we attribute to others. But we are not without Christ, and as the redeemed, our only goal regarding judgment should be to save others from the same fate we were saved from ourselves.