195. God will save the Afflicted
2 Samuel 22:28 And afflicted people thou wilt save: but thine eyes are upon the haughty, that thou mayest bring them down.
The saying goes: “The Word of God afflicts the comfortable and comforts the afflicted.” This is proclaiming the Law and the Gospel. The Law is preached to afflict the smug and comfortable, and those who think they are OK as they are, generally more good than bad. The smug need to hear the thunder of the Law to wake them out of slumber, be convicted of sin, and repent. The Gospel is preached to comfort those who have been thus afflicted by the Law. They have been humbled and made penitent and so are ready in their hearts to receive the love, forgiveness, comfort and hope of the Gospel.
The promise is that God will save the afflicted. The afflictions of life are designed, in God’s hands, to humble people enough to recognize their own sin and guilt, so that they will repent and believe the Gospel. When they hear the Gospel they are saved. Everyone is afflicted.. All one has to do is live life on earth. The difference is that they do not recognize their own sin as the cause of the affliction they are undergoing. These are the proud, the smug, and the self-righteous. This is the Pharisee in us. The haughtiness that is inherent in every sinner needs to be brought down and pride smashed. The Law of God’s Word will do that in the hands of the Holy Spirit
The Gospel then saves the prideful, haughty person that resides within each of us. The self-righteous need no repentance. It is the sinner, the one who believes he is sinner, and the “tax-collector” in us that repents, hears, believes, and is saved. His afflictions reveal his need. The comfort of the Gospel forgives the sin and saves the sinner who repents.
For example, Covid-19 has worked countless afflictions on the human race. However, it doesn’t save or help us until we are convinced that it is my sin that caused this pandemic. It brings me to repent and believe the Gospel. The warning: God brings down the pride in us. The promise: God saves the afflicted sinner in us.