John Bradshaw - Unclear About the Character of God
It's a fascinating thing that people would be unclear about the character of God. You'll find people who think that God is tyrannical, merciless, hostile, but that's not the picture we see in the Bible. In the first chapter of the book of Isaiah, the prophet speaks directly to Judah, confronting them for their wickedness. “why should you be stricken again? You will revolt more and more. The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faints. From the soul of the foot even to the head, there is no soundness in it, but wounds and bruises and putrefying sores”.
Then the prophet compares Judah to Sodom and Gomorrah. "Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom: give ear to the law of our God, you people of Gomorrah". And then the tone changes dramatically, "Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean: put away the evil of your doings from before my eyes. Cease to do evil... 'come now, and let us reason together' says the Lord, 'though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow: though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land".
The people are wicked. They've turned from God, and yet God appeals to them, he confronts them about their disastrous spiritual state. And then holds out hope, expressing his desire that they be saved and not lost. And that's God: appealing, calling, drawing, looking to save. It's us who are veered away from him, and yet in his patience and love he keeps drawing and calling. So let's be clear: we're the ones with the problem, but if we allow God to be God, he'll iron out our problems, and make us truly his own. I'm John Bradshaw for it is written.