- The righteousness of His judgments: "girt about the paps with a golden girdle" chapter1v13.
The imagery is very graphic: here we have a judge with a heart! The "paps" refer to women's breasts in the role of feeding an infant (Psalm 22v29; Luke 11v27; 23v29.) This is the most tender and loving occupation on earth, the nurture of a newborn. There is no doubt that Jesus love for people surpasses all human love.
- His love for Israel (Deuteronomy 7v7-10; Jeremiah 31v3) "I have loved you with an everlasting love."
- His love for the church (Ephesians 5v25) " Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it."
- His love for the world (John 3v16) "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son."
There is no one outside the scope of the love of Christ; indeed He is love, He is the essence of love, He is the fount from which all streams of love flow. His love is superior to all human love (Romans 5 v 6-8). His love knows no measurements (Ephesians 3v18) "The breadth and length and depth of the love of Christ unknowable".
So surely none of us has anything to fear from such an One as this. Surely His love will overcome everything else. Surely the One who forgave, and taught forgiveness to all His followers will not punish anyone. Surely a God of love will not banish people into hell. Yes He will, and He must, because His love is not a soppy, sentimental, emotional kind of love, turning a blind eye to peoples' sins. Absolutely NO! His love is restrained with a golden girdle. His love to man is only superceded by His love to God. His expression of love to human beings is based on Divine righteousness. The teaching of Matthew chapter 22 is very clear. A lawyer, trying to trick Him asked Him a question "Master which is the great commandment in the law? " Jesus said unto him "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind.
This is the first and great commandment." Jesus went on to say "the second is like unto it " thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself". On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."
Notice the order; love God, love man. These two cannot be separated, but the first takes precedence "love God." Jesus love to His Father God is His primary consideration and only when the demands of God are met in justice, can the love of God flow to sinful man Would a mother feed her baby poison? Neither will God offer toxic love to people. Sin, the offending sin, must be removed ; only then can He show His love. Jesus tender love and compassion for all was restrained, and is restrained by the primary consideration of Divine justice.
A few examples will suffice. In John 11v5 it says " Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus."
However He held back rushing to their side because of the glory of God. In Mark 10 v 20-22, Jesus dealt with a sincere young man who came running to Him and asking "what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?" In verse 21 it says " Jesus beholding him loved him" ; however that love for the young man did not prevent Him telling him he must sell all his possessions because they had become a god in his life. True love does not hide from obvious faults and Jesus knows them all. In Hebrews chapter 12 there is a very strange "love statement." there it says in verse 6 "for whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth." What kind of love is this? The answer is clear in verse 10 "He for our profit that we might be partakers of His holiness." God's love toward us is tempered by His hatred of sin knowing that sin is a destructive force in our lives. A mother only feeds her baby with that which will bring health; so with God, and the writer goes on to say "no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness."
The One who sits on the throne, will exercise judgement upon all on the basis of Divine righteousness behind which a true heart of love for all of us. Only when Divine justice is satisfied can Divine mercy flow.
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