Revelation 15:4 Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name?
Haven’t we all been flummoxed by some criminal who has been convicted of a crime and shows no remorse or sorrow for what he has done? Many times people may say, “He’s not even sorry,” and they are amazed. Yet, this hardness of heart has been the case many times throughout history from as far back as you can see and will still be the case in the future.
A good example of this would be Pharaoh. God brought His people Israel out of Egypt, parted the Red Sea, and provided food from Heaven, but God rained plagues upon Egypt. The Bible tells us that Pharaoh hardened his heart and then Pharaoh’s heart was hardened. It is interesting that mercy and judgment go together. If there is no judgment, there is no mercy. If there is no right or wrong for which I can be judged, then how could I ever receive mercy. Mercy would just be something I’m entitled to, in which case it would no longer be mercy. So, in order for God to show Israel mercy, God had to show judgment to Egypt.
Here is a woman whose husband beats her, and she prays for God’s mercy. In order for God to answer that prayer and show her mercy, it is very likely that God is going to have to judge that husband. Judgment and mercy go hand in hand. I don’t ever want to put myself in a position that in order for God to give mercy to one person God has to give judgment to me.
The point I want to make, and that Revelation makes, is that those who reject God’s right to judge ignore God’s call to mercy. Judgment is the ability to make a distinction between what is right and what is wrong and the ability to know what to do about it. God always does what is right. He has a clear mind on this matter, a right to give judgment, and He always does what is right.
In Revelation 15:1 the Bible talks about judgments poured out on those who defy God, and He pours this out through angels. Verse 3 says, “And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.” This song that will be sung in the future is very much like a song that Israel sang when coming out of Egypt. They praised God for His right to judge, and they praised God for His justice, His truth, and His mercy.
In verse 4 the song continues, “Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name.” The answer is those who don’t want God’s mercy because they don’t think that God has the right to judge in the first place. You see, history repeats itself. Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and in the future God will harden the hearts of those who defy Him. If you look at chapter 16, you find the words and the ethic of these angels pouring out judgment. They say things like, “Thou art righteous, O Lord,” and, “Even so Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgements.”
But what of those upon whom those judgment are poured out? The Bible says of them, “They repented not to give him [God] glory. The Bible says they “blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.” Here are people in the very midst of the judgment that they had brought upon themselves and they will not change their minds. Now, friend, you are a person with a capacity to know and do right, to know God or to reject Him.
So, realize three things. First, don’t ignore God’s right to judge. God has that right. He is a God of judgment and mercy. Do not ignore God’s right to be God.
Second, don’t ignore your need for mercy. Even on your best day, you not only need God’s grace, you need His mercy.
Third, don’t ignore your obligation to be grateful. There was a song when God brought Israel out of Egypt and parted the Red Sea, there will be a song in days to come, and there should be a song on your lips today.