278. Fury, Jealousy, Anger Gone
Ezekiel 16:42 So will I make my fury toward thee to rest, and my jealousy shall depart from thee, and I will be quiet, and will be no more angry.
God promises that His fury will rest, His jealousy will depart, and He will no more be angry. This is quite a wonderful promise for those Jews who are feeling the fury, jealousy and anger of the Lord during this time of destruction, defeat and exile. God promises that there will be relief from this severe judgment. God has been rightly furious with the people for their idolatry and rejection of the goodness of God. God was properly jealous because of the other gods they were worshiping. He had predicted that because He was a jealous God He would visit the iniquity upon the unbelievers who trust in idols. God’s righteous anger over their disobedience, idolatry, rebellion, and unbelief has been poured out in judgment just as He said He would.
The nature of God demanded justice and now it has come. Over and over the Lord had threatened and warned them through Moses and the Prophets that the curses of the covenant would come into effect, and now it has. God must be true to His character or He would no longer be God. The jealousy and anger of God is much more than the human emotions we can understand. Holiness cannot be offended without punishment. The intimate relationship of husband and wife cannot be adulterated without breaking. The pain of unbelief and mistrust is an infinite offense against an infinite God causing a righteous and infinite anger. As far as we know, The people did not call God unfair or complain about the Lord or blame God. They recognized their sin and guilt and deserved punishment. They could only beg for mercy. And God is merciful.
We also can appreciate this promise when we are convicted of our own guilt and feel a deep sense of shame. We also must experience terror and dread in the presence of a holy and just God, when we admit that we deserve eternal punishment and consumption with fire. But because of Christ, the Lord says to us that He will no longer be furious, jealous and angry with us. After this conviction of sin and guilt, we are convicted of forgiveness and righteousness in Christ. This promise is the promise of the gospel. The gospel is in us a big “Whew!”