God's Glory

A friend wrote: Hey, brother. I wanted to ask you a few questions regarding God's decree and His desires. God has decreed all that has come and will come to pass. Yet, it seems to me, that God gets angry, or upset when Israel fails to do obey Him. What do we do with something like that? Seems to me, that God, decreed their disobedience, which they did willingly, and God gets angry. Is it safe to say that God decrees His displeasure? Do i have this right?

MY RESPONSE:

1. God issues Decrees. (Let there be light). All His Decrees Infalliably come to pass precisely as He Wills; And all are that which He desires and all please Him. God is not angry nor displeased at His decrees.

2. God issues Moral Prescriptions. (Do not lie). All His Moral Prescriptions please Him and are as He desires. His moral Prescriptions only come to pass through Jesus, his elect angels, and as He sanctifies his elect; but never through the unregenerate, and only in the regenerate as He himself empowers and fulfills. God is never angry nor displeased with His Moral prescriptions;

3. As stated, the unregenerate never keep his Moral Prescriptions something is always corrupt either external in action, or internally in motive; God is always angry and displeased with the rebellion of the unregenerate to His moral prescriptions.

4. God has purposed to display His Glory and Glorify Himself above all. His Glory is manifest and will be manifested in many ways including: Displaying the glory of His grace to His Creation, and Displaying the glory of His justice and Holiness and Truth to His Creation. God always takes pleasure in Displaying the glory of his grace and always takes pleasure in displaying the glory of his justice. He is God and does all that He pleases, and who shall say what are you doing (Daniel 4:35)

5. The glory of His grace includes pouring His wrath on His Son in mediation to His objects of grace (sheep),

6. The glory of His justice and Holiness includes pouring His wrath on rebelious souls who have no mediator.

1b. God decreed the death of His Son, and was pleased in the decree;
2b. God made Moral prescription not to reject or murder his Son, and was pleased with that prescription.
3b. All men in their unregenerate state fail that Moral prescription and do reject and murder His Son
5b. God is pleased to purpose the death of His Son to glorify Himself and save His sheep. (God's motive's are Holy).
6b. God is pleased to purpose the punishment of men who with unholy motive murdered Jesus, so this punishment glorifies Himself and judges the goats in wrath (God's motive is Holy).

God is pleased to save the Sheep for His Glory.
God is pleased to display His wrath on the goats for His Glory.

God is pleased to put Jesus in bruising, lashes, mockery, crucifixion, and death for His Glory to display the perfection of Jesus: perfect in the Law, perfect on the outside, Perfect on the inside, Perfect in obedeince even to the point of the DEATH ON THE CROSS. (Philippians 2:8), showing himself to be a perfect High Priest and Mediator, unlike Moses who halted and murmured;

Though Jesus who is fully God experienced real "pain" physical and otherwise....(your point of displeasure)

A. Hebrews 12:2 JESUS....who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

B. Also note what Romans 9 says, God has not failed, but designed the hardening of the Jews in order that He might show mercy to the Gentiles; The hardening of the Jews was not "accidental" that God merely reacted to with a plan B, but intentional; God is displeased with the motive of the Jews in their rebellion, but yet pleased with His own motive in leaving them to their own devices in that it would serve His purpose to display His glory in His grace.

C. In Isaiah 6, God sent Isaiah to close eyes, close ears!

D. In Exodus, God sent Moses to Harden Pharaoh, who is still accountable for his pride and rebellion. God's motive to Glorify God....Pharaoh's motive to glorify Pharaoh. God was displeased with Pharaoh's motive, but pleased with Hardening His heart for God's motive in doing so was Holy for His own glory.

E. God meant Joseph's slavery for good, the brothers meant Joseph's slavery for evil. Genesis 50:20. God was displeased with them, but pleased with Himself.

F. Jonah meant his rebellion for evil, God decreed Jonah's rebellion to foreshadow someone being buried for 3 days and being raised: Christ. God was displeased with Jonah's moral failure, but God was pleased with His own design to point to Jesus.

G. The Serpent lifted up in the wilderness was to point to Christ, God's motive for the event was pure and Holy to display Jesus, man's motive in rebelling was evil and not designed to give God an opportunity to point to Jesus via looking to a snake;

There are several other examples that could be given;

I would say in closing, that God's anger and displeasure is real.... as it is His wrath and justice and Holiness being presented in contrast to man's injustice, rebellion, and unholiness....yet God takes pleasure in displaying this wrath, justice, and Holiness; Man's motive was to evil...to rebel, God's motive in their disobedience was to voice His righteous wrath in contrast. (whether it be wrath and justice on the Cross, or wrath and justice to goats in Hell);

Much could be said about the close connection between God's wrath being a manifestion of God's L-O-V-E for His Holiness His Righteousness, His Glory.

2nd, We must always look at the ULTIMATE END of God's joy in the justice being fulfilled.

This is a bad illustration, but....I've heard plenty of TV COPS say, "I am glad I was able to get drug dealers off the streets" and society echoes, "I am glad cops are able to get drug dealers off the streets" and yet Cops are angry that drug dealers are on the streets, and society is angry that drug dealers are on the streets. They are angry at them, and glad to remove them. God is angry and displeased with sinners, and is glad to judge the goats;

Did God decree His displeasure? God did not decree rebellion, rebellion is a manifestation men are breaking His moral prescription, God is displeased with this rebellion, but God did decree that His Holiness, Justice, and Glory will be manifest in judging the rebels...and in that decree being manifest He takes great pleasure.

God enjoys crushing the head of the serpent, despite the pain of having the heel bruised. God designed the bruising to manifest His Own Glory in crushing the head; God put the serpent in the Garden for Holy Motives, the Serpent's motives in the garden were unholy.

Romans 9:21-23 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? [22] What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: [23] And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,

There is so much there.
1. Made a pot of dishonour.
2. Willing to show His wrath.
3. Make His power known.
4. Endured with much longsuffering; ***YOUR POINT JULIO*** Suffering Long;
5. Vessels of wrath....fitted to destruction.
6. Why??? That he might make known (ULTIMATE END AND DESIGN)
6B. The Riches of His GLORY....on the vessels of mercy.
7. which he had AFORE PREPARED unto GLORY.

Hope this helps....(but there is even more examples if time permitted).