FORGIVENESS, NOT VENGEANCE

Then the Spirit of God clothed Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, and he stood above the people, and said to them, “Thus says God, ‘Why do you break the commandments of the LORD, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the LORD, he has forsaken you.’” But they conspired against him, and by command of the king they stoned him with stones in the court of the house of the LORD. Thus Joash the king did not remember the kindness that Jehoiada, Zechariah's father, had shown him, but killed his son. And when he was dying, he said, “May the LORD see and avenge! (2 Chronicles 24:20-22)

Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments. (Luke 23:32-34 ESV)

In the first passage, Zechariah speaks harsh words of God to Joash, who is displeased and commands the prophet's death. This despite the fact that Zechariah was the son of Jehoiada, the priest who did so much for Joash. As Zechariah was dying, he utters a curse on Joash.

In the second passage, Jesus is crucified because people were upset with his words, his claims. This despite the fact that Jesus was the son of God, the one who did so much for the very people now calling for and carrying out his son's murder. But instead of a curse, Jesus utters words of forgiveness as he dies.

I feel gratitude and awe welling up in me, and am reminded of the day I finished my first reading of the entire Bible.

A CURSE AND A BLESSING

Here's something I wrote back in early 2004, unedited:

I have finally finished reading the entire Bible!!!

Of course, it comes a bit late... I vowed to finish it this past summer, haha.  Better late than never, right?  I've read the NT over a few times, but I finally finished the entire OT just a few minutes ago.  But, yeah...it feels good to know that I've finished the Bible.  I consider it a great blessing to have been given the opportunity for my eyes to behold every word of God in the Bible...though I definitely cannot claim to have retained or even learned from the majority of it.  But, the more and more I read it...the more and more I understand just how many "layers" there are, just how much there is to discover.  It seems like every time I read a passage over again, I see something new.  It's awesome... I can't wait to see what new things I learn as I read it all over again.

One thing that caught my attention was how the Old Testament ends.  "He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse." (Malachi 4:6)  Now...maybe it's just me, but I thought that that was a horribly pessimistic and condeming way to end the OT.  I mean, of course, God didn't intend the OT to be just a "good story" to read with a fairy tale ending...but I mean, c'mon...how you gonna end it with a curse?! So, in my curiosity, I looked up this verse in a commentary online (by Matthew Henry), and it pointed something out that I found to be quite enlightening.

Yes, the Old Testament ends with a curse, but it does so that we may joyfully welcome the New Testament's arrival, which marks Christ's arrival, for He comes not with a curse, but with a great blessing.  And isn't it wonderful, that though the OT ends with a curse, the NT ends with a beautiful blessing: "The grace of our Lord Jesus be with God's people. Amen." (Rev. 22:21)  And, as Matthew Henry puts it, "with it let us arm ourselves, or rather let God arm us, against this curse."

Hallelujah, Amen.

"But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall." - Malachi 4:2