Do we always see the Father at work? No, but we believe He is. There are a lot of things going on behind the scenes that we do not know.
When Jesus said, “My Father is always at work,” This infuriated the Jews. Not only was Jesus working on the Sabbath but now calling God His father. In their eyes, He was making himself equal with God. I think that was His point!
Jesus had healed the crippled man at the pool of Bethesda. So he was already in trouble for bringing restoration to a man physically because it was the Sabbath, and those of the Jewish culture do not work on the Sabbath. To a Jew working on the Sabbath was breaking the law. They were required to only rest on the Sabbath.
When Jesus informed them My father is always working, it looks like He’s being sarcastic here. Jesus did not come to destroy the law, but to restore (fulfill) the law.
They had no compassion for the man who needed restoring, nor could they rejoice when he was. Jesus told us, ” As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. (John 9: 4)
(Shared from John 5: 1-18, Modified)
Zechariah proclaimed what Jesus displayed. “Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widower, the fatherless, the alone or the pure. In your hearts do not think evil of each other.” (Zechariah 7: 9-10)
People are stubborn and turn their bodies and stop up their ears. “They made their hearts as hard as flint and would not listen to the law or to the words that the Lord Almighty had sent by His Spirit through the earlier prophets.” (Zechariah 7: 12)
- The Spirit is always speaking.
- Showing mercy and compassion is of the Spirit’s work.
The religious leaders did not show this mercy to Jesus nor to the man who was crippled. God saw the hardness of heart and he said, “When I called, they did not listen. So when they called, I would not listen; says the Lord Almighty.” (Zechariah 7: 13)
“This is how they made the pleasant land desolate.” (Zechariah 7: 14)
- Our disobedience makes our place desolate. (Shared from Zechariah 7, Modified)
Obedience brings victory. King David was walking in obedience. “The Lord gave David victory everywhere he went.” (1 Chronicles 18: 6) He did what was right and just for all the people. That’s a good leader! David’s sons were chief officers at his side.
He sent kind words to Nahash, king of the Ammonites, who was a long time enemy of Israel. The kindness he extended went this way. “He sent a delegation to express his sympathy to Hanun concerning his father.” (1 Chronicles 19: 2)
King Nahash didn’t accept his kindness. He thought that David’s men came to spy out the land. So David’s men were seized; shaved and their garments were cut off in the middle of their buttocks and sent them away.
David sends help to them, telling them to “Stay at Jericho till your beards have grown, then came back.” (1 Chronicles 19: 5)
- Sometimes God puts us into a holding pattern until things calm down.
Joab and his brother Abishai join forces and “Fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. The Lord will do what is good in his sight.” (1 Chronicles 19: 13)
The Ammonites were defeated as David and his army met with them in battle.
Yes, when the father is always at work, He will do what is good in His sight.
- God is always working on our behalf, even when it doesn’t look like it. (Shared from 1 Chronicles 18-19)
UNBROKEN LOVE SERIES
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