“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55,8.9:XNUMX, XNUMX)
Within the general history of the world, another, special history is running parallel on our earth. This story is followed with great interest by all inhabitants of the vast universe. “We have become a spectacle for the whole visible and invisible world, for angels and men.” (1 Corinthians 4,9:XNUMX)
This particular story has a very important calling – a mission. At the beginning they were carried out by individuals. Later the task was transferred to certain families. Finally, God commissioned an entire nation to do this. This nation arose from a special, devoted, faithful man named Abraham, who lived after the heart of God. God even made a covenant with this faithful man regarding this task.
“And when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, I am God Almighty. Live before my face and be blameless! And I will set my covenant between me and you, and I will multiply you exceedingly. …And I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your descendants after you throughout all their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be a God to you and to your descendants after you.” (Genesis 99:1-17,1)
The beginning of this future people began with Abraham's son Isaac. This happened around the year 2.000 B.C.E. At this point there is a problem that needs to be mentioned: Abraham's family was in dire straits. Abraham took a second wife - Hagar - a pagan, which God had forbidden in advance. “Do not go yoked together with unbelievers. For what do justice and lawlessness have to do with each other? And what fellowship does the light have with the darkness?” (1 Corinthians 5,14:XNUMX)
“For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a bondwoman and one by a free woman; but he of the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, but he of the free woman was born by promise.” (Galatians 4,22.23:XNUMX, XNUMX) How is it possible that such a state came about in this pious family?
An important insert: In the context of the Bible, a battle was raging between God and the former archangel Lucifer at this time. His goal was to destroy the story of peace that God was leading. Since God knew where it was leading, He could have eliminated Lucifer immediately. There would have been peace, but only out of fear. God didn't want that. HE is love and wants his creatures to also keep his commandments out of love and experienced reason and thus guarantee peace and social justice.
Lucifer, now known as Satan, had taken advantage of this freedom and exerted his destructive influence on this family. That was the end of the peace. Friction began between the two women, Sahra and Hagar, which led to psychological wars and ultimately, among their descendants, to armed wars. This resulted in an unequal battle because Hagar's descendants were in the majority. Today there are around 15 million descendants of Sahra worldwide and 1,9 billion of Hagar.
This raises a legitimate question: the children of Hagar were also descendants of Abraham. What role did they actually play in God's covenant with Abraham?
Because God wanted a world of peace and social justice, HE became serious about Abraham's descendants through his son Isaac. They were to live faithfully in the footsteps of their ancestor Abraham - according to the rules that God had entrusted to him. To strengthen this faithfulness, God placed educational measures in their path. Personally, I believe that Hagar's descendants are destined for this task. Through their seductive influence, which is often successful, they are said to be a rod in God's hand, so to speak, to draw the descendants of Isaac close to God.
They repeatedly served foreign gods, made idols and bowed before them, married pagan companions, worshiped the sun, moon and stars, etc. Today, wild music and dancing are added, even in front of the statue of Buddha. (See: “Supernova Music Festival” in Israel on November 7.11.2023th, 4.000) Such dramatic forms of infidelity on the part of God’s people repeated themselves again and again throughout the entire history of XNUMX years.
God was constantly challenged to intervene. HE did it with good words, through His mouthpieces, the prophets and messengers. If the desired success did not come, HE allowed disasters: famine, poisonous snakes, plagues, drought, etc. If the change still did not come, foreign peoples came, bringing with them death, devastation, years of captivity, etc.
Although it may seem like a paradox, all of these actions came from the deep love of God - a Father who does not want anyone to perish. Because as is well known: “The greater the suffering, the closer to God!”
God will not allow this terrible world history to ever be repeated. Although there is personal freedom, everyone will always remain strictly faithful to the norms of God's moral decalogue. There were always many who were converted after such, often harsh, measures.
“And I said to him, Lord, you know it! And he said to me, These are they who come out of the great tribulation; And they have washed their garments, and they have made their garments white in the blood of the Lamb." (Revelation 7,14:9,27) Unfortunately, it is often said: "But Isaiah proclaims against Israel, If the number of the children of Israel were like this "It's sand by the sea, but only the remnant will be saved." (Romans XNUMX:XNUMX)
Finally, from this harsh school of God come the 144.000 in whose mouth no guile is found. This selected human elite later belongs to the physical guard of the Lord Jesus. “These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These were purchased from among men as the firstfruits of God and the Lamb, and no guile was found in their mouths; for they are blameless (blameless, blameless).” (Revelation 14,4.5:XNUMX, XNUMX)
All of these measures and steps of God, who is love in His essence, often seem problematic - controversial and difficult to understand. Therefore, a statement from God that is only acceptable by faith is: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55,8.9:XNUMX, XNUMX)
“Then the LORD said, Should I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? Surely Abraham will become a great and strong people, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed in him. For I have seen him, that he should command his children, and his household after him, to keep the way of the LORD, by doing righteousness and justice, that the LORD may bring upon Abraham what he promised him.” (Genesis 1:18,17-19)
picture sources
- : Adobe Stock - John Theodore