The End In Mind
“Oh, that there were a heart like this in them, to fear Me, and to keep all My commandments all the days, that it might be well with them, and with their sons forever.” Deuteronomy 5:29
Be Well – “All things work together for good.” Paul said that. He believed it. Do we?
I’m pretty sure that we sometimes doubt Paul’s statement (we’ll have to take a closer look at exactly what he says). But Paul is only echoing what God said in Deuteronomy. God desires our best. He is determined to bring about the best for us in and through His good purposes. God always starts what He finishes (better read that again). God’s purposes are always based in the eschatological perspective. In other words, unlike us, He actually knows where He’s going before He begins. Therefore, He only starts those things which will ultimately bring about the end He desires.
Let’s apply this to our lives. From the Hebrew perspective (and Paul was a Hebrew), no man knows the end from the beginning. You and I are not intelligent enough, righteous enough or powerful enough to know how life will turn out. With but a moment’s reflection, you can see just how true this is. My guess is that twenty years ago you could never have imagined all the twists and turns your life has taken. The simple fact is that you are not God, so, of course you don’t have a clue. Nevertheless (and this is a big one), all of us imagine we are in charge. Therefore, we act according to our view of life. That’s really the essence of sin – pretending that we know better than God what’s good for us, and acting accordingly. God’s heart agonizes over such shortsighted arrogance. Why? Because our eschatological blinders prevent the real good from manifesting itself in our lives.
The reason God gives us specific directions about how to live (the commandments) is not because God wants to put His divine thumb on us and force us to do His will. He gives us directions so that yatav may manifest itself in us. Yatav is that great Hebrew word that means “to be good, to be well, to be pleasing.” God wants you to have a full, glorious, satisfying, wholesome life. Like any parent, He wants His children to have joy and peace and prosperity. So, He is more than willing to tell us how to live in a world that is filled with danger and difficulty. God always starts what He finishes. He invites you to the finish line with Him, and then He tells you where the race starts.
Sin is simply not trusting that God has your best interest in mind. Sin is simply doing it your way. And, of course, sin has its own built-in consequences. When you sin, you can’t finish because you didn’t start in the right place.
Sometime today the world will present you with the opportunity to take charge of your life. It will whisper to you, “You need to take care of yourself here.” It probably won’t come in the form of an outright moral conflict. It will be the subtle suggestion that you know what you’re doing. That’s the moment when you need to recall God’s commandments. You don’t know what you’re doing! You can’t see the finish line. Listen to the One Who does. Start what He finishes.
Topical Index: Commandments, Finish
