Dad had a stable full of horses for most of his life, except for a couple of years while we lived in New York City. When we would open the gate of the corral and let them out to pasture, I still remember the rush I felt as those amazing and beautiful animals thundered by, manes and tails flying in the wind, heads high, nostrils flared. There’s something about a horse! It that experience, still vivid in my mind after 40 years, that informs my senses as I read the opening lines of the 6th chapter of the Revelation.
John opens the chapter with four horsemen thundering out of the Presence of the All Mighty one to ride over the Earth. In this vision, we are captivated, warned, and reminded of God’s supreme power over history and humanity. A voice rolls across Heaven saying, “Come!” and a white horse bearing a conqueror with a bow at the ready gallops by. The scene repeats and out rides a red horse whose rider carries a sword of bloodshed, followed by a black horse who rider carries a scale, the universal symbol of commerce. This horse announces famine. Interestingly, the one bringing famine is limited by the decree of Heaven. "Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat for a day’s wages, and three quarts of barley for a day’s wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!” (Revelation 6:6, NIV) The grain fields may be burnt but they will grow back in one season of planting and harvest. If the vineyards and olive groves are destroyed years, perhaps decades, will pass before they become fruitful again. In this we learn that God is not seeking total destruction of those He judges, but rather is willing to visit temporary suffering on them that they might turn again. The black horse of famine, in John’s vision, is then followed by the pale horse, ridden by "Death, and his companion was the Grave.” (Revelation 6:8, NLT)
The message is stark: When men turn away from God and His glory to pursue power for Self, there is only one inevitable result: terrible suffering!
In those few short verses, John reveals the cycle of violence that has repeated itself throughout history and in every culture. A leader is given power and when he drinks the cup of authority, he goes mad with the need to control more – people, land, and money. Conquest requires war, which spills blood by the bucket. Peace, which allows for prosperity, is gone and soon deprivation arrives with the failure of commerce. When the crops cannot be planted and people are turned into refugees, disease and death come.
In this chapter, John reveals the Judgment of God, in which He allows rebellious people to taste the fruit of their own choices to walk in disobedience. There is a severe mercy in His judgment. He does not wish to annihilate us, but only to make us aware of our plunge into self-destruction! In this time of great grace, there is hope. Those who turn to Him, find forgiveness and life. But, there will come a time when the God of eternity, will declare that time has come to an end, that all things must now be made right, that justice must rule. When that moment of finality arrives, I want to be found in His mercy, don’t you?
Here’s a word from the Word. Find the promise and hold tightly to it. Though the suffering of those who are rebellious may touch our lives, though we may hear the thundering hooves of the Four Horsemen who announce His Judgment, our hope is secure in Him. And that, disciple, is reason for great hope.
"The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you,
not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be?
You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming."
(2 Peter 3:9-12, NIV)
________
Holy God, awesome and terrible,
Loving and gracious, kind and severe;
Call us to obedience with these fearsome visions.
The seductions of the systems among which we live is powerful,
appealing to our base nature.
Your Spirit is alive in us and we pray that You, Holy Spirit,
will guard our hearts and sharpen our minds,
helping us to know and live in the Truth,
making us bold to serve,
full of confidence born of our hope in
the Eternal life that is our through Christ Jesus, our Lord.
Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment