THE HONOR OF GOD

Dear Friend,

  Many people believe that God's honor is very important. They may go to great lengths in their attempts to uphold the honor of God. Some even give their lives for this great cause.

  Over time I have thought about this matter of honor. I have read God's Word. I have talked to people. I have heard and seen living examples of honor upheld. Today I have included in this booklet some of the things I have discovered.

Imagine a young person who lives with his parents, is fed by them and clothed by them. Then when he's older, he leaves them without any gratitude for what they've done for him. What would you think of him? It's seems hard to imagine that anyone would do such a thing. But in fact many people treat God in a similar way.

When God made man, he provided him with everything he needed. Everything man had was given to him by God. God had made a beautiful garden for him. Then God told him that he could eat of every tree in the garden except for one tree. In time, Satan deceived Eve (Hawa) into believing that God was being selfish. She took and ate of the fruit of the tree and then gave some to Adam. After eating the fruit, they realized their sin had marred their lives. They had been given a command and then clearly disobeyed. Was this the way to treat the one who had made them and given them everything they had? Absolutely not! They were filled with shame and tried to hide themselves from God. But God found them and talked to them. He explained to them the consequences for what they had done.

Was God weak? Had his plan been thwarted? No. For a time it appeared as if God's honor was ruined. However, God did not need to selfishly seek to maintain his own honor as men do. In fact immediately after Adam and Eve sinned, God was concerned about the shame of man. God's honor was wrapped up in his concern for man's honor and man's honor was based on his love and obedience for God. In God's concern for man, God maintained his own honor with wisdom, love, truth and kindness. After Adam and Eve sinned they were ashamed of what they had done because they had disobeyed and dishonored God. They were conscious of their nakedness. So God covered them with animal skins to cover their shame. This was a gesture of great kindness. By caring for Adam and Eve, God maintained his own honor.

In time, men began to call upon the name of God. God's kind action had eased the sense of man's shame. Because they had been clothed, they were not embarrassed to come before God and have close fellowship. Furthermore they were constantly reminded of the fact that their fellowship with God was at the cost of a life. The lives of animals had been taken because of their sin. These lives were also their coverings. Only through trusting in these coverings and the promise they represented, could they trust in God's kindness and call out to him, the Almighty God.

Even today God has maintained his honor by calling sin, sin. He has also maintained his honor by offering us his mercy through the covering of a sacrifice. Since God is the Almighty God and his mercy is great, our disobedience to him is worthy of great shame. Our smallest offenses are offenses against God. Only if we receive God's covering for our shame can we call to him.

There are many examples of people maintaining their honor in this world. Each year car manufacturers seek to maintain their honor. When a manufacturer produces a car, he presents that car to the public and makes magnificent claims about it. If the car does not perform to the proper standards, the manufacturer recalls the car and repairs it free of charge. The manufacturer must do this in order to maintain his honor; it is his duty. If not, his name will become a swear word and his product mocked.

If the owner of the car damages the car, it is no longer the manufacturer's responsibility. Suppose the owner puts petrol into a diesel car. That would be disaster. It would clearly go against the rules for operating that car. Perhaps the owner reverses the car into a lamppost. Again, this is clearly violating the rules for proper use of a car. The car performed correctly, but it was misused. It is no longer the duty of the manufacturer to repair the car.

However, it is possible that the manufacturer could choose to repair damage to the car that the owner has caused. But this would go beyond the call of duty. This would go beyond maintaining the honor of the manufacturer. This would be called love or grace or mercy. Why would a manufacturer even do this? He might do it for a close friend, a relative or someone he happened to love greatly. Otherwise there would be no reason to show mercy.

But God's honor is not like the honor practiced in this world. God's honor is of much greater importance. Upholding the honor of God is the most important thing in life. A manufacturer may try to maintain his reputation grudgingly or in pride; selfishly or deceitfully. But God deserves honor from his creation because his actions and character are filled with absolute truth, holiness and love.

Recently, I came upon an interesting fact. Every year at the Eid Al-Adha the head of some Muslim countries will offer two sheep sacrifices -- one for himself and another on behalf of his people. Because of his care for his people, the head of state will offer the second sacrifice on behalf of all those who could not offer a sacrifice of their own. This is done to insure that a man will not sell off necessary things in order to buy a sheep while his family goes hungry or cold.

Normally each family will offer a sacrifice. If this is not possible one man might tell a friend or relative to go choose a sheep for himself and his family and he would pay for it. This will be done discreetly, so as not to bring shame upon that person. Because of a desire to please Allah, a person might even sell some of his possessions to buy a sheep for the Eid, even though that is not required.

Imagine a head of state who goes out into the villages one day to visit his people. He comes upon a man sitting with his children. They are thin and ill. Upon inquiring about the reason for these circumstances, he discovers that to please Allah, this man has sold the things his family needed to live by. With the money he had bought a sheep for the Eid sacrifice. As a result he has very little food and very little to keep them warm. Being a very kind and benevolent man, the head of state begins to ask about the situation. He discovers that the man has fallen out with the village people and they have refused to help him. He also finds out that the man has known all along about the second sheep that was sacrificed.

He does not become angry but realizes that the sacrifice might not have been meaningful because of no personal contact with the ruler. Since the Eid is coming, the head of state goes one step further and offers to pay for the sheep that the man picks out, so he can have his very own sheep for his family like every one else in the village. But the poor man refuses. Instead he sells more of his possessions and buys a sheep of his own. Is it not reasonable that, seeing the man's pride, the head of state will become very offended? Not only has the poor man brought him shame as the ruler of the country by refusing his sacrifice, but also he has brought him shame by living in such a dreadful condition.

Today, many people would rather be miserable than trust in the sacrifice that God has provided for our sins. In doing so they bring shame to God. Day after day God patiently holds out the offer of his sacrifice. Yet there will come a day when his patience runs out. God's desire is to remove from us the shame we have caused him. In times past he spoke through his prophets. But at a point in time he personally offered a sacrifice to us as our very own. This was a great expression of love and care. Because of this sacrifice, we are able to have the very spirit of God dwelling in us. The acceptance of this gift makes a profound difference in our lives.

In removing our shame, God maintains his honor. The thought of honor has a negative affect on many people. They know men who have selfishly demanded honor. But God is not like man. God is a loving God and the God who rightly maintains the honor that is due him. Most rulers seek to maintain their honor in selfish ways. They want honor but deny truth. But the way God maintains his honor is not in a selfish way. His honor is wrapped up in the peace and safety of his people. He maintains his honor by offering us his mercy.

However being a just God, wrong must also be brought to account. He has appointed a day on which the world will be judged. Jesus Christ is the man he has appointed to judge the world. He has this right because he is a man. He also has this right because he is perfect, without sin. There are many forgiven men, but only one perfect man. Having exposed our sinfulness by his perfect life, the Lord Jesus Christ loved us and became our sacrifice.

When someone is angry with us or we know we have offended someone, it's often difficult to be around him or look him in the eye until that matter is settled. This happens because we have a sense of shame. The answer to a new life of acceptance before God lies in the fact that Jesus Christ has reconciled us to God. The Injil says, ". . . we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation." (Injil, Romans 6:4) The relationship has been restored, the sin has been paid for; the shame has gone. We can now come confidently and reverently before God--confidently because the wrong has been made right, reverently because it cost the perfect life of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Some people may say, "Why does there need to be a sacrifice anyway?" Let me ask this question, "Why was Abraham's son ransomed by a sacrifice?"

One day God tested Abraham. He told Abraham to take his son up into the mountain to sacrifice him to God. Abraham loved God so he was willing to do whatever God asked him to do. When he saw that Abraham would not withhold anything from him, God told him to stop. He said, " 'Do not lay a hand on the boy. Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.' Then Abraham looked up and saw a ram. He took the ram and offered it as a burnt offering to God in place of his son. We know this pleased God because God blessed Abraham after this. Abraham named this place, 'The LORD Will Provide.' " (Taurat, Genesis 22:12-14a)

What did God provide? He provided a sacrifice. Was it the sacrifice he commanded Abraham to give? No, but at his own command, he stopped the sacrifice of the son, and provided a substitute instead. Can we reject what God has provided? We can only reject it at great cost--the cost of eternal separation from God. Abraham honored God. We too can honor God by accepting the sacrifice that God has provided. We may want to offer our own sacrifice and may show our great devotion to God. But receiving the sacrifice God has provided, shows obedience, honor and devotion; and reaps the great favor of God.

When Moses (Hazrat Musa) led the people of God out of Egypt, God told him to go tell Pharoah (Pharaon) to let the people go. Pharoah refused. Finally God said that he would send the angel of death to take the life of every firstborn son. God told the people to kill a year old lamb and take the blood and smear it on the doorposts of each house. When the angel saw the blood, he would pass over that house and spare the life of the eldest son. This command to sacrifice the lambs and put the blood on the doorposts was an act of great compassion by God. Great wailing was heard from the houses of the people who did not follow the command of God.

It was the celebration of this event that was being prepared for, when Jesus was arrested. Jesus himself predicted his own crucifixion and resurrection. He said, "The Son of Man is not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many." (Mark 10:45) God has upheld his own honor in the Lord Jesus Christ. He now offers his compassion and forgiveness to all men who repent of their sin and take him at his word.

Long before Jesus' death John the Baptist (Hazrat Yahya) pointed at the Lord Jesus Christ and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world." (John 1:29b) Jesus Christ was not only a special person, he was also perfect. He was able to bear the sins of all who will trust in him for their acceptance before God. Jesus said, " 'You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.' " (Injil, John14:14) You can trust in his love for you, repent of your sin, and ask him to change your life.

This new life in the Lord Jesus Christ is the message of the Taurat, Zabur, Anbia, and Injil.

This may be an amazing message of love, but is the death of the Lord Jesus Christ really an act of honor? Just because something amazing happens doesn't make it honorable. How can we know it was an honorable act? God revealed the following message about the Messiah (Al-Mesih) to the prophet Isaiah,

The sprinkling in these verses refers to the blood used in atoning for sin. (Taurat, Leviticus 16: 14-19) God goes on in Isaiah 53 to describe in detail the sufferings of his Messiah (Al-Mesih). He tells how he would be afflicted, crushed, pierced, wounded, oppressed and judged -- not justly but unjustly. God tells how this would happen for the benefit of mankind. God then tells of the honor this sacrifice would bring,

This was written about 700 years before the Lord Jesus Christ lived. Yet it gives amazing details of Jesus' life, work, and death. Because of his suffering and death, the Messiah brought honor to the Almighty God. The problems of sin, shame, separation and failure were dealt with. There was honor in the keeping of the promise. There was also honor in the effectiveness of the sacrifice. This was the greatest and costliest sacrifice in history--the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. Because of his love, he has offered it to each human being, personally. This sacrifice is the covering by which we can unashamedly call upon God for mercy. When he gives us his mercy, he himself comes to live within us and change our character.

I hope you have enjoyed these thoughts. Before I close I would like to share with you a parable which the Lord Jesus Christ told when he lived on this earth.

The Lord Jesus Christ told this parable to reveal the evil hearts of the Jewish leaders who hated him and wanted to kill him. However what seemed to be a foolish act on the part of the landowner, was actually an act of great love and mercy. This love and mercy proved the landowner was an honorable man. Most men would calculate the need to be honorable against the risk it incurred. However, this man did all he could to give the tenants the greatest possible chance to be saved from his wrath. Such an amazing demonstration of love!

The Lord Jesus Christ also told this parable to teach us about God. The Holy Bible teaches that God has given the Lord Jesus Christ as a sacrifice to save us from the wrath of God. We can rejoice that he came and we can submit to him, or we can reject him. Would it not stand to reason that what many people might think would be a tragedy God has caused to be marvelous?

One of my friends has said, that since the Lord Jesus Christ was a special prophet, God would not let him die in such a disgraceful way as is described in the Holy Bible. You may be saying the same. Yes, the Lord Jesus Christ was a very special prophet. And the death of crucifixion was meant to be a disgraceful way to die. But our sin is also disgraceful in the sight of God. Would God, who is a God of sacrificial love and unselfish giving, call our sin disgraceful and yet insist that his prophet, who died for the sins of mankind, die in an "honorable" fashion? Would an "honorable" death pay for our disgraceful sins? God maintained his honor by choosing for the Lord Jesus Christ to die this way and the Lord Jesus Christ honored God by willingly submitting to this kind of death. It was the only way for sin to be paid for.

God’s honor is totally wrapped up in your welfare and in truth. God is always true to himself, but always concerned for the creatures he has created. His honor is linked with his care for mankind. The following parable that the Lord Jesus taught, shows how God is more concerned about you than his own mere "honor":

This is how much God loves us! If a mere man will go beyond his cultural duties to show love to his son, if Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son out of love for God, would not the love of the Almighty God be greater? He demonstrated his love and upheld his honor through the life and death of the Lord Jesus Christ. Will you respect his honor and allow him to lavish you with his love? He will if you receive him!

For more information about how the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ can affect your life now and for eternity, e-mail me at tandoor101@aol.com

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