And He rewards for it.
“8For I the Lord love justice; I hate robbery and wrong; I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. 9Their offspring shall be known among the nations, and their descendants in the midst of the peoples; all who see them shall acknowledge them, that they are and offspring the Lord has blessed.” – Isaiah 61:8-9 (ESV)
I tell you when I first read verse 8, I am perplexed. God hates injustice, then says that they will be rewarded (recompense) and a covenant will be made. I see a reward for wrong and covenant (binding promise) with as a good thing and therefore am a bit confused.
Until I read verses 7 & 9. God’s message is clearer here, at least to me. God is referring to his Children being wronged and he provides the reward and covenant to make it right (“8For I the Lord love justice”). As children of God, we are protected against the injustice of others. We are announced and presented as blessed. We receive our ultimate reward.
The ultimate reward is the part that we have to drive toward. Here on earth, we are simply passing through as we journey toward heaven. What happens against us here is just that, something that happens here, we are rewarded later for doing what is right. And the reward is greater than anything here.
We may be wronged here, but we should rest assured that God is going to “make it right”, in the right time. Those that are doing the wrong will be dealt with by God and we should not concern ourselves with that, only love all and give everyone the opportunity to receive the rewards of God’s salvation.
When wronged, are you holding onto the wrong or are you allowing God to deal with it? Where can we turn our focus to avoid the dangers of holding that grudge? Are we allowing God to “make it right” and reward, or are we trying to do it on our own?
Trevor's Thoughts 