Hast thou seen THE TREASURES OF THE HAIL,
which I have reserved against the day of trouble [for the days of battle and
war]? (Job 38:22-23).
In reference to this verse of scripture,
A. B. Simpson said, “Our trials are great opportunities. Too often we look on
them as great obstacles. It would be a haven of rest and an inspiration of
unspeakable power if each of us would henceforth recognize every difficult
situation as one of God’s chosen ways of proving to us his love and look around
for the signals of his glorious manifestations; then, indeed, would every cloud
become a rainbow, and every mountain a path of ascension and a scene of
transfiguration.”
I am in sympathy with Simpson’s
interpretation—wherein out of evil God brings forth good—wherein out of the
fallen first Adam God recreates an upright second Adam. The process is undoubtedly messy, bloody—yes even
hurtful and inglorious—but oh what a beautiful, glorious and wonderful end the
way of the cross eventually leads us to.
Too many I read and hear today accentuate grace beyond even its
superabundant nature. They paint a massless
and weightless picture of grace devoid of terribleness, awe and holiness to
such a degree as to depict God’s grace as all moonshine and puppy dogs. By contrast,
THE TREASURES OF THE HAIL are only revealed JUDGMENTALLY (thunderously
and violently); the way of the cross is the REAL way of grace however much it
is experienced in a hailstorm of biblical proportions.
“Then God’s temple in heaven was opened
... and there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an
earthquake and a GREAT HAILSTORM” (Revelation 11:19).
Bonnie Gaunt, remarking on this “great
hailstorm,” said, “Water in the symbology of the scriptures always represents
refreshing truth. But hailstones are not
refreshing, they are destructive. Thus
the hailstorm that John saw in vision is showers of ‘hard’ truth that cuts down
through the myths and false teachings of man, and reveals God’s truth.” Oh yes!
Though God’s outstretched arms of mercy never tire, they do however
occasionally move into other gestures, and here, into a gesture of rebuke. In just a few verses prior, the kingdom of
the world became the kingdom of the Lord and of his Christ ... but “the heathen
raged” about it because they hate righteous rule. Consequently, God, in divine economy of
effort, opened the temple to reveal his Presence, blessing the righteous and
cursing the wicked in the selfsame event.
The refreshing and thirst quenching
truth of water made into hard stones of hail is God’s last resort to wicked and
unbelieving hearts; if you will not drink the waters of everlasting life, then
hailstones will rain down on your life in one last ditch effort to expose the
lies you base your life on. A scathing
rebuke of biblical proportions is merciful if it at last brings a soul to the
realization of its need for redemption. Even
amidst the pelting pain of the hard truth, mercy is obtainable. Redemption is never dead. Regrettably, however, we read the divine
record that “they [repeatedly blasphemed God and] repented not” (Revelation
16:9, 11, 21).
But just as some heard an angel speak to
Jesus and others heard it thunder—when God spoke from heaven and said, “I have
already glorified it [your name], and will glorify it again” (John 12:28)—so always
the Lord differentiates between those who have ears to hear and those who
don’t. Doubtless, this great hailstorm
with its accompanying noise, deeply frightened the raging heathen, but merely
awed his adoring people. By the time
hailstones reached lethal size and weight (in Revelation 16:21)—just after the
colossal tragedy at Armageddon—God was completely vindicated because plague
after plague elicited no remorse from the inhabitants of the earth; “they
[just] did not deplore their wicked deeds or repent [for what
they had done]” (Revelation 16:11).
Though his grace is sufficient, those
who reject it and reject it repeatedly, are eventually insufficient. Before that, however, looking back at the
Lord’s gracious work, we see that “Hail will sweep away the refuge of lies”
(Isaiah 28:17). In context with this verse
about hail and its ability to remove lies down to their roots is God breaking a
covenant of death—an agreement with death—by the scoffing rulers of
Jerusalem. These rulers made falsehood
or lies their refuge or hiding place; they hid themselves behind a thick wall
of deception (see Isaiah 28:15). And
truth be told, we’re just as guilty! But
Christ—and specifically the way of his cross—pops the delusional bubble man tries
to hide himself in. In light of—and in context
with—this insipid age, God’s use of a hailstorm to “sweep away the refuge of
lies” seems unduly harsh and extremely judgmental. So soft, effeminate, benign and powerless has
the church become that no use of anything sounding even remotely “judgmental”
can be used. YET GOD USES IT REGULARLY! In fact—according to Scripture—“In whirlwind
and storm IS HIS WAY” (Nahum 1:3). But,
the ultimate judgment is a judgment in man’s favor—and that judgment is Christ
in all his SUFFERING and glory!
Look at this carefully: “Behold, I am
laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, a costly cornerstone for the
foundation, firmly placed. He who
believes in it will not be disturbed. I will make justice the measuring line and
righteousness the level; then hail will sweep away the refuge of lies and
the waters will overflow the secret place.
Your covenant with death will be canceled, and your pact with
Sheol will not stand” (Isaiah 28:16-18).
THIS IS GOOD NEWS HOWEVER HARSH ITS MESSAGE IS HERALDED!! Sin is entrenched in the human soul more than
most realize.
Undeniably, whirlwind and storm is God’s
way, but those who believe in Christ “WILL NOT BE DISTURBED” by this blustery
way (in any ultimate sense). True
believers welcome God’s gracious hail of judgment—that penetrating and
cleansing agent that removes the stain of falsehood all the way down into the deepest
and darkest recesses of the soul. Those
who walk out the way of the cross are no longer surprised (or even disturbed)
by the depth of their own delusion and depravity, and consequently, God’s
seemingly harsh way of cleansing them is welcomed rather than rebuffed.
God’s way—“In whirlwind and storm”—is
from where God answered BLAMELESS Job.
“Out of the whirlwind,” God spoke to Job and said, “Who is this that
darkens counsel with words without knowledge?” (Job 38:1). God did not rebuke Job for what he knew, but
for what he did not know—YET PRESUMED.
“Who can discern his errors?
Acquit me of hidden faults. Also
keep back your servant from presumptuous sins; let them not rule over me; then
I will be blameless, and I shall be acquitted of great transgression” (Psalm
19:12-13). Presumption is the premise of
transgression, just as faith is the premise of righteousness.
God’s love and regard for blameless Job
was such as to bring Job to even deeper levels of blamelessness; the extent of
Job’s trials exposed delusion and sin all the way down to the point which
caused him to cry out, “I know that my redeemer lives!” If he were truly blameless to the pulp, why
did he need a redeemer? If Job
represents the extent to which we must be purged, a frightful day awaits any of
us who avoids the cross. Yes, Christ
paid the price—and Job paid one too—but what of our portion in this
matter? At least on some level, we must share
in the sufferings of Christ.
An excellent cap to what I am saying is
said well by F. B Meyer: “A storm is only as the outskirts of His robe, the
symptom of His advent, the environment of His presence. Dare to trust Him; dare to follow Him! And
discover that the very forces which barred your progress and threatened your
life, at His bidding become the materials of which an avenue is made to
liberty.”
