The Lord said, “My Spirit will not remain with mankind forever, because they are corrupt. Their days will be 120 years…” [Genesis 6]

So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. [Romans 1]

…when God patiently waited in the days of Noah while the ark was being prepared. In it a few—that is, eight people—were saved through water. [1 Peter 3]

Preparing a message dealing with Noah and the flood got me thinking about divine judgment—a subject we are understandably uncomfortable with. And yet it is something we all (religious or not) need, even want. (You can hear my rationale here.)

I see three nuances to divine judgment. The first is Permissive Judgment. In part, the judgment is the consequences of our incessant immorality and stiff-arming of God. God permits people the freedom to pursue whatever damaging lifestyle and self-sabotaging actions they choose. But look out for the flood of consequences that will inevitably follow.

That probably sounds familiar, since lives and families feel the pain of such consequences that God “permits.”

In announcing his frustration with mankind, God said, “Let their days be 120 years.” The patient clock is ticking; in Noah’s day, everyone had 120 years to repent before the rain started. A Patient Judgment reminds us that however deep I’m in it, there is time to turn, to repent, to change.

Finally, like a good and just judge at the courthouse, God metes out punishment for the violence and wickedness committed. A Punitive Judgment was also part of the Flood. Because of human violence, there is divine accountability, and God does something about it.

When it comes to divine judgment today, we begin and end with Jesus and his crucifixion. On our behalf, Jesus was permitted to pay the consequences of our sins. The Lord exercises patience with us to repent and trust him as “he is not willing that any should perish.” And, punitively in our place, Jesus was “pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities.”

Divine judgment is not an archaic idea but one that calls for our understanding and faith. We understand that God takes human violence and injustices seriously and will judge justly. By faith we believe that our judgment has been borne by Christ. And so we live well, accordingly.

Ads that say more
A do-over

When I journal, the entries I write are often prayers or complaints or simply reviewing my days. Now and then I go back and read what I wrote. It sometimes allows me to relive nostalgically that particular moment in my past. “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12).

Enjoy this ad from India, whose tagline is: “A city that rewinds itself—just so you can relive your favorite moment.”

According to the Jewish Talmud, “teshuvah” (a “returning” or “repentance”) enables a repentant person to becomes a new person, and through their changed life, the history of their soul is rewritten.

The greatest!
There is a part of us that wants to be the “greatest” at something—even the greatest of all time. Watch this overly optimistic young lad confidently swinging his bat as he throws the baseball in the air. “I’m the greatest hitter of all time!” he proudly proclaims.

Even Jesus’ disciples longed for such greatness. They couldn’t see the irony of their question: “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” The GOAT of Heaven?! Really?

By referencing a child, Jesus gives a new reference point for greatness: humility. He is not just levelling the playing field, he is expunging any possibility for pride or human “earnings” as qualifying someone for His Team. Jesus isn’t describing greatness as impossible; rather, it is quite attainable. God’s grace is the power. And humility is the effort. You see, the way to greatness is not pounding one’s chest but bending one’s knee.

Jesus the Refugee
Sue and I recently learned that our friend’s organization handles the marketing of the intriguingly clever “Jesus Get Us” ads. Not at all in your face, these brief “commercials” come into your living room and make an immediate personal or emotional connection.

Like this one. I thought the main idea was that the Son of God left heaven and lived down here, certainly not his original home. But “Jesus the Refugee” is also about how, in the Gospel story, Joseph and Mary had to flee to foreign Egypt to escape Herod’s violent scheme! And of course, it tugs on our consciences to care about the struggles of refugees everywhere.

Important words (Nice job, bipartisan leaders of Ohio)
“In a free and democratic society, there is absolutely no place for politically motivated violence, nor should anyone encourage or celebrate this type of heinous criminal behavior.

“As leaders from different sides of the aisle, we felt it was vital to join together to emphasize the significance of this message as we strongly condemn the assassinations of Charlie Kirk and Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark Hortman earlier this year.

“A free democracy depends on the open and peaceful exchange of ideas. Political violence destroys the bedrock upon which that freedom of expression is built. When we are worried that our words or viewpoints might lead to political violence, we are no longer able to speak our minds or advocate for our priorities.

“At the most basic level, we must put into practice a belief in each other’s humanity. We are people—fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, Ohioans and Americans—before we are anything else. The future of our country depends on never forgetting that basic fact.

Now more than ever, we must encourage respectful dialogue, starting here in the legislature, across both political parties, to bring about a brighter, more peaceful future here in Ohio.”

Senate President Rob McColley (R-Napoleon),
Senate Democratic Leader Nickie J. Antonio (D-Lakewood),
House Speaker Matt Huffman (R-Lima), and
House Minority Leader Dani Isaacsohn (D-Cincinnati)

Over the weekend
The memorial
Thousands (I read over 200,000!) paid their respects to Charlie Kirk at his memorial service in Glendale, Arizona on Sunday. Driving around, I caught parts of the speeches and eulogies. The service felt part funeral, part evangelistic crusade, part conservative political rally. Along with key speakers, the memorial included worship music from major Christian artists, Scripture readings, and gospel presentations.

The last time I heard the name of Christ so boldly proclaimed on mass public airwaves was when I was in the Doha airport in Qatar. Billy Graham had just passed away and they were playing his sermon excerpts throughout the airport on Aljazeera. Imagine my surprise to hear, “If you repent, Jesus will forgive you…” in that familiar southern drawl in this very Muslim nation.

Highlight: Erika Kirk, amid tears, said she forgave Charlie’s murderer! “I forgive him because it was what Christ did and is what Charlie would do. The answer to hate is not hate. The answer we know from the Gospel is love and always love—love for our enemies and love for those who persecute us.”

The playoffs
This weekend, the Guardians took three of four from the Twins while the Tigers were continuing their free fall. Cleveland’s team was all but dead a couple of weeks ago. They are now in position to be in baseball’s playoffs once again this year! A big three-game series against Detroit starts tonight. Stay tuned.

Highlight: Jose Ramirez joined the “30/30 Club” for the third time in his career (30 home runs and 30 steals). He’s only the fourth player in Major League history to do it.

The kicker
Cleveland Browns kicker Andre Szmyt lost his mother to a brain aneurysm in July. He made the team in August. After missing two kicks in the Browns’ opening loss, Szmyt was nearly run out of town. Sunday, he drilled a game-winning field goal from 55 yards away.

Highlight: Szmyt jumped into the Dawg Pound at the end to celebrate with the crazy fans.

The sermon
The Flood story is often depicted in cute children’s terminology. I get it. Yet it is really a catastrophe of colossal proportions. I used my message to evaluate and sharpen our concept of God. How do we see our God who “regrets” creating humans, uses a flood to judge them, but is also brokenhearted by the affairs of man and offers grace?

I am convinced that people get their “vision” of God (and their worldview) not so much from the Scriptures or the depths and traditions of the Christian faith but from their media and social media algorithms and environments. I’m afraid personal paradigms and preconceptions mold one’s concept of God and the Bible rather than the other way around.

Highlight: Ryan telling me he will apply the permissive, patient, and punitive aspects of divine judgment to his own parenting discipline practices.

“You who are faithful throughout all generations, righteous in your judgments, marvelous in strength and excellence.
You who are good, and faithful toward those who trust in you.
You who show pity and compassion.
Forgive us our sins, our unrighteousness, our transgressions, and our shortcomings. Do not hold us to account for every sin but cleanse us with the cleansing of your truth. Guide our steps to walk in holiness, righteousness, and singleness of heart. Help us to do those things that are good and pleasing in your sight. Amen.”

[Clement, late first century]