God's Pain

The School of Ministry has started Old Testament Survey and naturally we start at the beginning. Today as we were exploring Genesis, I was surprised at the thought of God's pain. How does God feel pain? If you know everything that is to happen and that causes you pain would that pain lessen or deepen? If there is no effect of time on you do the things that cause pain ever get better?

I started thinking about this while looking at the sacrifice of Isaac. On their journey to Mt. Moriah Isaac asks Abraham, "The fire and the wood are here but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" Abraham replied "God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son."

When God heard those words, what did He feel? Joy at Abraham's faith in Him? Love for Abraham knowing that He would provide a substitute for Isaac? All these are good but what does our Father feel when He knows there will be no substitute for Jesus His Son?

There must be great love for us there knowing that we put our faith in God, trusting the Lamb He sends as our sacrifice.

There must be great joy there knowing that we live and are saved by the substitute He provides.

But I can't imagine the pain God must have felt when He knew His only begotten Son would die for all the evil, sinful things I have done. The hurt must have been terrible, when Abraham said "God Himself will provide the Lamb."

Later when Abraham raised the knife to sacrifice Isaac and he is stopped by the angel of the Lord, what did God feel? Joy at Abe's obedience? Love for the man who was willingly going to give up the person he cherished most for the sake of knowing God? Or pain at knowing that there would be no last second substitute for His own Son?

For two thousand years what was God's pain every time He promised Israel a Messiah, a saviour for sinful man.

But that's not the whole story. Don't forget God's joy when He said, "This is my Son. In Him I am well pleased!"

What was His joy when Jesus finished His work by resurrecting from the dead and then ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of His Father?

If that joy could ever be equalled it must come from us! That is the enrivaled joy we should and must have in our Savior. That is the love we must have for Him who showed us what love truly is, while we were still sinners Christ died for us. That is the faith we must have in God through Jesus. That He would willing lay down His life for us.

Pain should be there when we sin but it will always be overcome by the joy of forgiveness.

I guess I can't imagine the joy of truly forgiving someone to the point that I can't even find a trace or mark of the offense. That is the joy of forgiveness that the Father knows.

May we know it too. Teach us Lord how to avoid the pain of sin and the embrace the joy of forgiving.