Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

I’m Jemima L. Yeggs, a.k.a. Stinker.  Pink Lady Apple Yeggs, my landlady and my auntie, has decided that now that I am not off having adventures by chasing storms, warning people about the storm that is coming, and helping the people who are devastated by them, I should write about my Sunday School Class.  She wants to read about how younger people, especially couples respond to what the Bible says.  And she wants to know how God is at work at Lily the Pink.

Our group was growing.  We had everyone in attendance from the last time, plus Missy and Angus.  Both Dr. Ben and Dr. Ellie were older than Missy.  Missy had two grandchildren, but she was not thirty yet.  Angus was our oldest, and no, I will not divulge the age of the three college professors.  But if Angus wants to come into our Sunday school class wearing a kilt, I am not going to stop him.

The crowd may be skimpy next time.  I have a feeling that Home Wrecker and B.B. will be out chasing storms.  But since Michael is putting up with Arabella as his girlfriend, Dr. Ben may be required to bring him over.  If the Drivers take up our invitation, we might have to move to Aunt Pink’s office.  It wasn’t a matter of getting more chairs.  We might need more space.  We were packed solid.

I started us with a prayer, and Emmett, Arabella, and Menzie sang Holy, Holy, Holy.  He was trying to sing some hymns that people from traditional churches would know.  Arabella, for all her silliness, has a beautiful soprano voice and Emmett sang an octave lower.  Menzie sang alto, but Emmett said she’d switch to soprano if people did not know the tune that well.  He had talked about leading a youth ministry, but he already had the instincts for a music ministry.

I said, “I should have said that the topic today would be the Justice of God.  B.B. said something funny.”

B.B. held up a hand, “Don’t you dare!”

Home Wrecker said, “If this is ammunition against Bossy Boss, I have to hear it.  I’ll pay you for it.”

I nodded, “When I said that this week’s topic was ‘God is Just,’ Mary asked, ‘God is just what?’ ”

Half the class laughed, but Margie grumbled, “I thought the same thing at first, but I didn’t say anything.”

Blaise said, “And Margie, what is the embarrassing thing in you not understanding the topic?  Hmmm?”

Margie looked at the floor.  “My last name is Justice.  Marguerite Justice.  I didn’t get it until Blaise said that the topic had my name written all over it!  And thanks for throwing me under the bus, boyfriend.”

Blaise shrugged, “I was lessening the blow to Mary, and I might need a favor from her.  You know, just being friendly.”

Margie simply growled.

I smiled, not knowing how to respond to those two.  I asked, “Did anyone get a Bible verse?”

Joseph said, “We all agree with my wife.  God is just what?  Jemima, if you are teaching this, you come up with the Scriptures.  Some of this crowd are very eager, but they do not have the advantages and disadvantages of being a P.K., preacher’s kid.”

I swallowed hard, but I kept smiling, “I knew there would be a mutiny soon, but I did not think it would be this fast.  I picked up A.W. Tozer’s two-volume set on the Attributes of God.  I may bounce around chapter to chapter, and I am not reading from the chapters either.  I thought we needed to read the Scripture and see what each other thinks about it.  I do not want to lose that desire to dig into the Scriptures to see what it says, but I will send out a text or e-mail with the topic and the required readings for next week.  Then, as we read through them, we can discuss them.”

There were cheers from around the room.

I explained that I would call out a name and a Bible verse, and then they would read the verse.

Samuel (Genesis 18:25): Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?”

Missy (Deuteronomy 10:17): For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes.

Angus (Psalm 19:9): The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous.

Catherine (Psalm 92:15): proclaiming, “The Lord is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.”

Thomas (Psalm 97:2): Clouds and thick darkness surround him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.

Margie (Isaiah 28:17): I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumb line; hail will sweep away your refuge, the lie, and water will overflow your hiding place.

Blaise (Revelation 16:5-7): Then I heard the angel in charge of the waters say: “You are just in these judgments, O Holy One, you who are and who were; for they have shed the blood of your holy people and your prophets, and you have given them blood to drink as they deserve.” And I heard the altar respond: “Yes, Lord God Almighty, true and just are your judgments.”

Blaise then said, “And why did I get the long one?”

I put my index finger to my temple.  “Hmmm.  Now, let me think.  I skipped the three songbirds on the loveseat because they led us in our singing.  And since Samuel sat in the closest chair so that he could hold Menzie’s hand, I gave him something for that hand to do.  Flip through until he got to his verse.  Then we continued clockwise around the room.  Now if anyone thinks I will stick to that formula, think again.  We will have other people read next week.  Does anyone have a question?”

Blaise said, “Yes, teacher, the angel of the waters says that God is just in these judgments.  What judgments and who is the angel of the waters?”

I snickered, “So, you are volunteering to start at the beginning of the chapter?”

Blaise stared her down, “No!  I expect the teacher to do some teaching.”

B.B. laughed, “Burn!  ssssss!”

I laughed, “What you read was a praise interlude between the third and fourth bowls of God’s wrath.  The first bowl was poured out and everyone who had the mark of the beast and who worshipped the beast got painful sores.  The second angel poured out a bowl onto the seas.  The water turned to blood like in the first plague of Egypt and everything in the seas died.  The third angel, who is the angel in charge of the waters, poured out God’s wrath on the rivers and springs and that water turned to blood.  But then there are four more bowls: the sun gets too hot and scorches the people; the kingdom of the beast is thrown into darkness; the Euphrates dries up and beasts start to approach and before the last bowl battlelines are drawn; with the last bowl, lightning, thunder, greatest earthquake ever and a huge hailstorm with stones weighing one hundred pounds.”

Michael said, “That was impressive.  She didn’t even read from her notes.”

I said, “I’m a P.K.  Okay?  What can I say?”

Easy said, “Hey, hey!”

I asked, “What was that for?”

Easy shrugged, “I thought your poetry needed some filler.”

I groaned, “Okay, Hubbie of mine.  How do you define justice?”

Easy snickered, “Within a moral standard, each person is treated fairly regardless of their status and based upon that moral standard we are treated equally according to our merit, either good or bad.”

I nodded, “And Margie, how do these verses define God’s Justice?  I am picking on you because your name is Justice, unless you do as you say you want to do and marry the guy next to you.”

Margie snickered, “Do you mean Thomas ver Waarloosd?  He’s already married! … Just kidding!  It seems they say that God, being God and Holy and all that, is the arbiter of Justice.  His Law is the moral standard that Easy mentioned.  And from the verse I read, Justice is the measuring line, while righteousness, us being good and upright, is the plumb line.  Since I have helped Blaise in his workshop hold the plumb line, I know that the plumb line points to one spot and it does not deviate from the right or the left.

Dr. Ellie said, “And you are a junior in high school?  Ben, try to sign her up to take meteorology.  She has a better vocabulary than I do.”

Dr. Ben shook his head, “I think she is going to follow Blaise wherever he goes.  What a pity.  She would make a good one.”

Dr. Ellie leaned toward Margie, “How about a double major?”

I said, “Hold on!  I am about to say what will be repeated in many cases.  Margie hit on it.  God is Justice.  Just like God is Holiness, and God is Love.  But can we live perfectly, like Margie said, exactly where the plumb line points and not a millimeter to the left or right?”

B.B. proffered, “No?  Does that mean we are all doomed to be judged by God?”

I giggled, “I love it when you are my straight man, woman, bossy boss.  Next week’s topic is God is Mercy, but before we go.  B.B. touched on the judgment.  There are two judgments.  When we approach the Great White Throne, when our name is called from the book of life, we go to another line.  Everyone not in the book of life will be judged according to their misdeeds on earth.  But those who are saved will be judged at the judgment seat of Christ based on what good deeds we did on earth.  We will all be judged, but those that are saved have already had their sins washed away.  So, Rev. Joseph, will you close us in prayer?”

Joseph said, “Dear Lord, thank you for your Mercy and Grace, but thank you for your Justice.  You never change.  We always know what the standard is and we know that with a personal relationship with you, you judge us by our heart where your Son resides.  Now, watch after us as we go to our different church services.  And all God’s children said…”

And everyone said, “Amen.”

Credits

The Attributes of God, A Journey into the Father’s Heart by A.W. Tozer is in two volumes.  My two volumes have a Study Guide by David E. Fessenden, which is designed for each chapter of Tozer’s book.  I may review those chapters to keep Stinker from straying too much, but the nature of her class is that the class tends to stray anyway.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.