Psalm 68:19-35

19 Praise the Lord; praise God our savior! For each day he carries us in his arms.
Interlude

20 Our God is a God who saves! The Sovereign Lord rescues us from death.
21 But God will smash the heads of his enemies, crushing the skulls of those who love their guilty ways.
22 The Lord says, “I will bring my enemies down from Bashan; I will bring them up from the depths of the sea.
23 You, my people, will wash your feet in their blood, and even your dogs will get their share!” 24 Your procession has come into view, O God—the procession of my God and King as he goes into the sanctuary.
25 Singers are in front, musicians behind; between them are young women playing tambourines.
26 Praise God, all you people of Israel; praise the Lord, the source of Israel’s life.
27 Look, the little tribe of Benjamin leads the way. Then comes a great throng of rulers from Judah and all the rulers of Zebulun and Naphtali.
28 Summon your might, O God. Display your power, O God, as you have in the past.
29 The kings of the earth are bringing tribute to your Temple in Jerusalem.
30 Rebuke these enemy nations—these wild animals lurking in the reeds, this herd of bulls among the weaker calves.
Make them bring bars of silver in humble tribute. Scatter the nations that delight in war.
31 Let Egypt come with gifts of precious metals; let Ethiopia bow in submission to God.
32 Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth. Sing praises to the Lord.
Interlude

33 Sing to the one who rides across the ancient heavens, his mighty voice thundering from the sky.
34 Tell everyone about God’s power. His majesty shines down on Israel; his strength is mighty in the heavens.
35 God is awesome in his sanctuary. The God of Israel gives power and strength to his people.
Praise be to God!
Wow! The second half of this psalm is a radical departure from the first. Remember the warm, soft promise "God will place the lonely in families?"

How about this? "But God will smash the heads of his enemies, crushing the skulls of those who love their guilty ways. The Lord says, “I will bring my enemies down from Bashan; I will bring them up from the depths of the sea. You, my people, will wash your feet in their blood, and even your dogs will get their share!”
Ouch!

Traditional wisdom has always told us the Old Testament God is a God of Law and Judgment while the New Testament God is a God of love and grace. This is a gross oversimplification. In truth, God has always been warm and gracious to those who love Him. Likewise, He has always rendered judgment upon those who rebel.

But...this seem over the top. Why?

Its the narrow line between respect and contempt. For some reason known only to God, we humans find it nearly impossible not to take advantage of God's grace. We do it every day in little ways. We cut corners with God's standards...all the while knowing that He won't strike us dead on the spot. In short order we quit even giving our transgressions a second thought. Before long, we convince ourselves God isn't even interested.

Believe me...He is! And, God doesn't just get upset with defiant behavior...He goes ballistic.

One of America's great evangelists...Jonathan Edwards preached a sermon titled "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God." His thesis was simple: "There is nothing that keeps wicked men at any one moment out of hell, but the mere pleasure of God."

Edwards offered ten "considerations" from scripture...
1. God may cast wicked men into hell at any given moment.
2. The Wicked deserve to be cast into hell.
3. The Wicked, at this moment, suffer under God's condemnation to Hell.
4. The Wicked, on earth must not think, simply because they are not physically in Hell, God is not angry with them.
5. At any moment God may permit Satan to fall upon the Wicked and seize them as his own
6. If it were not for God's restraints, the evil that lurks in the souls of wicked men, would kindle and flame out into hellfire,
7. The wicked should not feel secure simply because there are not visible means of death before them..
8. All that wicked men may do to save themselves from Hell's pains afford them nothing if they continue to reject Christ.
9. God has never promised to save us from Hell, except for those contained in Christ through the covenant of Grace.
10. The wicked will not escape the wrath of God unless they repent.
It may be that today we need to spend some time contemplating the "real" God, not the God we have created in our own image. We have made God so politically correct that we can hardly imagine He would even raise his voice.
Have I lost the conviction that Edward' sermon is as true today as it was hundreds of years ago? I shouldn't say I'm convinced unless I live in fear for my unbelieving friends. What kind of friend would subscribe to these ten "considerations" yet never breathe a word about it?
Live boldly out there today...