What other biblical examples show God using individuals to enact His judgment? Jehu: God’s Commission to Judge Ahab’s House 2 Kings 9:7 – “You are to strike down the house of your master Ahab, so that I may avenge the blood of My servants the prophets and of all the servants of the LORD at the hand of Jezebel.” • God personally appoints Jehu to carry out capital judgment on a corrupt dynasty. • The pattern: divine sentence first, then a human agent empowered to execute it. Moses: Plagues on Egypt • Exodus 3:10 – “Therefore, go! I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring My people the Israelites out of Egypt.” • Exodus 7:4 – “I will lay My hand on Egypt and bring My armies and My people the Israelites out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment.” • Exodus 12:12 – “I will pass through the land of Egypt… and I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt.” • Through Moses’ staff and words, God dismantles Egypt’s power structure and frees Israel. Phinehas: Zeal That Stopped a Plague • Numbers 25:7-8 – Phinehas runs a spear through the guilty couple in the camp. • Numbers 25:11 – “Phinehas… has turned My wrath away from the Israelites because he was as zealous as I am for My honor.” • One priestly act ends a deadly plague and exemplifies swift, righteous intervention. Joshua: Conquest of Canaan • Joshua 6:2 – “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hand.” • Joshua 11:20 – “It was of the LORD to harden their hearts… that He might utterly destroy them.” • Joshua’s military campaigns serve as God’s court of justice against longstanding Canaanite sin (Genesis 15:16). Ehud: Left-Handed Judge Overthrowing Eglon • Judges 3:15 – “He raised up Ehud son of Gera… to deliver them.” • Judges 3:21-22 – Ehud’s dagger eliminates the Moabite king, triggering Israel’s freedom and Moab’s downfall. Samson: Personal Strength, National Judgment • Judges 13:5 – “He will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines.” • Judges 15:14-15 – With a donkey’s jawbone Samson strikes down a thousand Philistines, illustrating God’s Spirit-empowered retribution. Nebuchadnezzar: God’s “Servant” Against Judah • Jeremiah 25:9 – “I will summon… My servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and I will bring them against this land.” • Though pagan, the Babylonian king functions as the rod of God’s anger (cf. Isaiah 10:5) to discipline covenant breakers. Cyrus: Hammer Against Babylon, Shepherd for Israel • Isaiah 45:1-2 – “This is what the LORD says to Cyrus His anointed: ‘…to subdue nations before him…’” • God empowers Cyrus to topple Babylon—judgment on Israel’s oppressor—and to authorize the temple’s rebuilding (Ezra 1:1-2). Hazael: Sword Raised over Israel and Aram • 1 Kings 19:15-17 – Elijah is told to anoint Hazael; “Whoever escapes the sword of Hazael, Jehu will kill.” • 2 Kings 8:12 – Hazael’s future brutality is foreseen as part of God’s chastisement on wayward Israel. Peter Confronts Ananias and Sapphira • Acts 5:3-5, 9-10 – Peter exposes their lie; they fall dead, and “great fear seized the whole church.” • God employs apostolic authority to protect the newborn church’s purity. The Ultimate Appointed Judge: Jesus Christ • John 5:22 – “The Father judges no one, but has assigned all judgment to the Son.” • Acts 17:31 – “He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the Man He has appointed.” • Every prior example foreshadows the final, perfect judgment entrusted to Christ alone. |
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