ROMANS 9:28

“FOR THE LORD WILL EXECUTE HIS WORD ON THE EARTH, THOROUGHLY AND QUICKLY.”

I like to watch videos of yard cleanups. I follow a few YouTube channels and am amazed at the before and after pictures. My wife asks me all the time why I like to watch these videos. I tell her that I like to see the work being done, how they do it and how it turns out. I guess I really like the finished product. There’s satisfaction in seeing a job well done which is carried out to completion.

The Lord is busy finishing His work. Paul alludes to that in today’s verse. I really like the how the NIV reads. “For the Lord will carry out His sentence on earth with speed and finality.” Paul is quoting Isaiah 10:23. Albert Barnes gives some great background on this verse. “This is taken from the Septuagint translation of Isaiah 10:23. The Hebrew is, ‘The Lord God of hosts shall make a consumption, even determined, in the midst of all the land.’ Or, as it may be rendered, ‘Destruction is decreed which shall make justice overflow; yea, destruction is verily determined on; the Lord Yahweh will execute it in the midst of all the land.’ (Stuart.) The Septuagint and the apostle adhere to ‘the sense’ of the passage, but do not follow the words. The phrase, ‘will finish the work,’ means ‘he will bring the thing to an end,’ or will accomplish it.” I think you get the picture.

APPLICATION

The Greek literally reads, “The sentence for conducting and bringing swiftly the Lord will perform upon the earth.” The word for “concluding” is sunteleó which is defined as “to complete entirely” (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance) And the word translated as “bringing swiftly” is suntemnó and is only used once right here in this verse. Both words have the preposition syn which is the preposition for “with” but means unseparable. So, both those words have the idea of finality.

God isn’t messing around. He is a God who is unchangeable. What He says goes. You’ve heard the expression “Mean what you say and say what you mean.” That’s God! When He says something, you can take it to the bank. God will have the final say in all things regarding judgment. Which side are you on?

We don’t know the day or hour when God will unleash His judgment on the earth. We know as followers of Christ that we will not face the Great White Throne judgment. But we will be judged according to our works. I want all my service for Him to pass the test. Don’t you? And I don’t want any of my loved ones to face the harsher judgment, do you? Know this, the Lord is a God of His word.

I am thankful that I am secure in Your hands whenever You complete Your final judgment on this earth. I am Yours eternally.

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