Well, good evening, everyone. We have been studying through Proverbs, and we've been studying through this book a little differently than we typically approach most books, in that we're not doing a verse-by-verse exposition of Proverbs, but rather we're looking at it in terms of themes or topically, topics that appear in the book of Proverbs. And we're gonna turn to Proverbs in a second, but I'm gonna launch this time together by asking you to turn to a text I've turned to many times, but ask you to turn there again to Isaiah chapter five, if you would. Beginning in verse one, as I've said, what you have is a song, it's a dirge, it's a sad song. And it's God singing to Israel, let me sing now, God says to my well beloved, a song. of my beloved concerning his vineyard." So it's a song about a vine grower in a vineyard. The vine grower is God. The vineyard is Israel. Verse 2 talks about God's history with Israel. He dug all around it, removed its stones, planted it with the choices vine, built a tower in the middle of it, also hewed out a wine vat in it, and then he expected it to produce good grapes, but it produced only worthless ones. And here's a picture, sort of metaphorically, of all that God did for Israel. He dug all around it. He threw laws, dietary laws, all kinds of laws, separated his people from the pagan nations. He removed the stones, the Canaanites that were there. He planted it with the choices vine. He built a tower in it, probably a reference to the temple. Hewed out a wine vat in it, probably a reference to the sacrificial system. And he expects, having done all of this for this vineyard, Israel, to produce good grapes, but it only produced worthless ones. And then comes the judgment, verse 3, and now inhabitants of Jerusalem, men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. And here's the key phrase, what more was there to be done for my vineyard that I have not done in it? Why, when I expected it to produce good grapes, did it produce worthless ones? So now let me tell you what I am going to do to my vineyard. I will remove its hedge and it will be consumed. I will break down its walls and it will become a trampled ground. I will lay it waste and it will not be pruned or hoed but briars and thorns will come up and I will also charge the clouds to rain no rain on it for the vineyard. of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel and the men of Judah, his delightful plant." And so this is Isaiah's ministry. You're only into the fifth chapter. And then comes, if you remember the rest of Isaiah 5, are all the woes. Woe unto those who rise up early, strong drink. Woe to those who call evil good and good evil. All of that. Woe to those who consume, consume, consume. All those woes. And it is chapter 6 that we have the calling of Isaiah You remember with the cherub and woe is me for my eyes have seen the Lord and all of that, that great. scene of holy, holy, holy and the angels and all of it. But the question as you look at chapter 5 verse 1 through 7 is what are the good grapes that God expected when he looked at all he had done for his people Israel. What was missing? What was absent? What was it that would cause God through Isaiah to warn about this great judgment which was ultimately realized in the Babylonian invasion and deportation. destroying the temple, destroying Jerusalem. Many killed, many taken exile into Babylon. I mean, the judgment was real. And what was it that was missing when God looked for good grapes? And it's found in verse four, look at it carefully. It says, thus, here it is, he looked for justice. But behold, bloodshed. for righteousness, but behold, a cry of distress. Interesting, as you look at verse four, the word justice in the Hebrew is mishpat, and the word for bloodshed is mishpa. They are rhyming words, we would say. Yeah. Oh, verse seven, I'm sorry. That's not verse seven, is it? Okay. Whoops, anyway. So again, God looked for justice and no justice, no justice. And justice is way more important to God than you and I might be sitting here tonight and might conclude that to be the case. A lot is said in the scriptures about justice and the book of Proverbs is no exception. By the way, the word, again, for justice is mishpat. It appears many, many times in the Old Testament. It appears 20 times in the book of Proverbs. So Proverbs has a lot to say about justice. If you'd leave Isaiah, look then with me, if you would, at Proverbs chapter two. Proverbs two, beginning in verse six, six through nine, from his mouth, God's mouth, comes knowledge and understanding. He stores up sound wisdom for the upright. He is a shield to those who walk in integrity. Why? Why all this? Here it is. Guarding the paths of justice. He preserves the way of his godly ones. Then you will discern righteousness and justice and equity in every good course. This verse tells us that God literally imparts to man knowledge and understanding and wisdom for a purpose, and that is for his creature man to be able to discern and to guard justice, to ensure that justice in his creation prevails. Again, I cannot overstate how extraordinarily important justice is to God. For instance, the scriptures speak more about justice than they do, for instance, prayer. The Scriptures speak more about justice than it does about love. The Scriptures speak about justice more than a lot of topics that you and I have heard preached on. Let me just read Jeremiah 9 23, thus says the Lord, let not a wise man boast in his wisdom, let not a mighty man boast in his might, let not a rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who exercises loving-kindness and justice, righteousness on the earth, for I delight in these things, declares the Lord." God delights in justice. Psalm 97, 1-2, the Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice, let the many islands be glad, clouds and thick darkness surround him, righteousness and justice. are the foundation of His throne. As Christians, in particular as Reformed Christians, we are very comfortable with the idea of God's sovereignty, that God rules and reigns over all things, reigning from His throne. And we might ask, what would be the primary characteristic of God's sovereign reign over all things? And it would be righteousness and justice. God is concerned that his own character, being a just God, that his own character and the character of his reign is realized on earth among his creature men. For the Christian, you and I are called to be people of justice. because God is just. It's one of his moral attributes. It's essential to who God is, just. When the Ten Commandments were rewritten, remember they were broken, When the Ten Commandments were rewritten, God concluded that rewriting event by stating this, it's in Deuteronomy 10, 17-18, "'For the Lord your God is the God of gods, the Lord of lords, the great, the almighty, and the awesome God, who does not show partiality, nor does he take a bribe, but rather he executes justice.'" for the orphan, for the widow. He shows love to the alien by giving him food and clothing. And here it is, after the Ten Commandments are all rewritten, a summary of the character of those commandments comes from the character and heart of God, that God is just, and these commandments are a reflection of justice, his justice. When Abraham was called by God, Abraham was called, at Genesis 18-19, God says, I have chosen him to keep the way of the Lord, listen to this, by doing righteousness and justice. God called Abraham with a purpose among many purposes, but it was that Abraham would do righteousness and justice. When God gave Israel his commandments, not just the Ten Commandments, but the Book of the Covenant, all the commandments, Those commandments are called in the Old Testament, they are called laws and ordinances. Laws and ordinances. You know what the word ordinance is in Hebrew? Mishpat. Justice. Literally God gave Israel, and I guess they named a television series after it, God gave Israel, ready? Law and justice. Law and justice. You'll remember that in Exodus, when the tabernacle is articulated to Moses how it's to be built, the high priest is also described, his vestures are described, and one of the main centerpieces, you know, the Holy, the Ark of the Covenant is the centerpiece of the tabernacle, the centerpiece of the vestures of the high priest is the breastplate. the high priest's breastplate that had to be worn whenever the high priest entered the Holy of Holies, that breastplate is called the Hoshim Mishpat, the breastplate of justice. 2 Samuel 8 15, why was David a man after God's own heart? Verse 15 answers it, it says this, David reigned over all of Israel and David administered justice and righteousness for all his people. Throughout the entire Old Testament, we find a repetitive couplet of words, righteousness and justice. We read Isaiah 5 earlier. Let me go even before Isaiah 5. When God initially commissioned Isaiah for his prophetic ministry, Isaiah 1 records God's first message to Isaiah, which Isaiah was to declare to Israel. Here's your first step into ministry. This is your first sermon. Isaiah, this is your first sermon. And I'm giving you the text, and it was this, Isaiah 1, 16-18, where Isaiah was to say on behalf of God to Israel, wash yourselves, make yourselves clean, remove the evil deeds from my sight, cease to do evil, learn to do good, and seek, want to guess? Justice. Reprove the ruthless, defend the orphan, plead for the widow, let us reason together. Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow. Though they be red like crimson, they will be like wool." Through what? Through the pursuit, at least in the context of that, through the pursuit of Israel's commitment to justice. When ancient Israel was taking possession of the promised land, Deuteronomy 16, 18 through 20, God says this, when you take possession, you shall appoint for yourself judges and officers in all your towns, which the Lord your God is going to give you. According to your tribes, they shall judge the people with righteous judgment. You shall not distort justice. You should not be partial. You should not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and perverts the words of the righteous. Verse 20, Deuteronomy 16, God says, justice and only justice you shall pursue that you may live and possess the land which the Lord your God has given you. Justice and only justice. Remember the great messianic prophecy of Isaiah 9? Friend to you a child is born, a son is given to you, the government will rest on his shoulders, his name will be Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of his government or of peace on the throne of David and over all of his kingdom to reign, to establish it and uphold it, listen, with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The characteristic of the coming kingdom of Jesus Christ is justice and righteousness. In Matthew's gospel, Matthew quotes Isaiah concerning the coming Christ, where he says in Matthew 12, 18, Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved in whom my soul is well pleased, God said, I will put my spirit upon him and he shall proclaim justice to the Gentiles. God loves justice. And it's everywhere. In order to give you the general lay of the land in Proverbs, Look at Proverbs chapter 18. In my mind's eye, I'm not an expert on Proverbs, I'm really not. In fact, this is the first time I've ever taught through it, so I'm enjoying it. But the two characteristics of Proverbs is, a large part of it is a conversation between a father and son about two women, the harlot and the virtuous woman. The other part is that it's often a comparison between the wise and the fool. In Proverbs 18, we have that comparison being forwarded again. If you look at Proverbs 18, and I won't read it all, but you'll notice verse two speaks of the fool. Verse three speaks of the wicked man. And then verse four speaks of the fool and the wicked man's mouth. And you'll notice how does the fool, how does the wicked man use his mouth in verse five, to show partiality to the wicked is not good, nor to thrust aside the righteous in judgment. That is the word judgment, the word there is mishpat, the righteous in justice, to thrust the righteous away from justice or to thrust them into injustice. The fool, fool. So in Proverbs, just in a general sense, the fool withholds justice, the wise shows no partiality and always seeks. Justice for all. Why? Again, God is just. He alone determines what is just. And again, how does God reveal justice to us? Justice could be, as we sit here tonight, a vague idea. What? What is justice? What is he talking about, really? What in the world is justice? You want a simple definition? Justice is adherence to the law of God. Justice is adherence to the law of God. Justice is following the precepts of God's law. And just as the just one has given us his law, the just one requires moral, behavioral conformity to that law. Real simple. Injustice, categorically, is sin. Not just a sin, but the very essence of sin itself. How is that so? What is sin? What is the classic, reformed, orthodox definition of sin? It is nonconformity to the law of God. Sin is doing what the law forbids and not doing what the law requires. What is injustice? Injustice is exactly that. Not doing what the law requires and doing what the law commands. Injustice is sin, lack of conformity to the law of God. Now, Injustice rises out of the law of God. Justice rises out of the truth, rather, out of God's truth. However, listen to this, and it's an important point. Justice and truth are not identical. Truth deals with what is. Justice deals with what should be because of the truth. We study and strive to know the truth, but where does that truth ultimately reveal itself? It reveals in how we respond to the truth, what should be in us. For instance, here is a biblical propositional truth, familiar to all of us. And what is it? How about this? That every human being is created in the image and likeness of God. Everybody say amen. Standard, fundamental, biblical propositional truth. That's truth. That's true whether somebody believes it or not. It's true whether people live in accordance with that or not. It's just simply the truth. Now, how does that truth become justice? It becomes justice when that truth is applied to the way we live and that all people should be treated with impartiality because all people are in fact the truth created in the image and likeness of God. Truth involves with what is. Justice involves what therefore should be. Justice rises out of the truth, out of the law of God. And yet I need to take it a step further. It would be a mistake to assume that justice is limited to rules or laws. Ultimately, biblical justice in us is the outworking of the truth of who God is. For instance, Let me give you a practical example of justice in your life, my life. It involves no judge, no court, no attorneys, no legal proceedings, no jurisprudence, just a practical example of how you and I can, in fact, practice justice. So here's the question. How can those who have show justice to those who have not? What would scripture suggest? Wouldn't the scriptures suggest generosity? Now we're not talking about social justice. We're talking about biblical principles of justice to help those who are in need. Is not the Samaritan, the story of the Good Samaritan, a picture of justice? Goes beyond money, just in case some of you are getting itchy. How, another question, how do the able-bodied show justice to the afflicted? What would scripture suggest? Are not the able-bodied to engage in things like helping, lifting, carrying? Isn't the idea of us being servants to others a picture of justice? Sure it is. Let me for a minute just take a second, and I'll finish this out doing this. I believe that biblical justice falls into three general categories in the scriptures, if you're taking note. Three general categories, and I'll say them multiple times. Number one, it's what I would call primary justice. Number two, rectifying justice. And number three, retributive justice. Primary justice, rectifying justice, retributive justice. What do those phrases mean? Number one, what is primary justice? You want an easy theological definition for primary justice? Here it is. Loving God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and loving your neighbor as yourself. Primary justice. Remember when Jesus said, on these two commandments hang all the what? Law and prophets. There it is. There it is. Primary justice is articulated in the two great commandments. Perfect justice is fulfilled if, if, if we love our neighbor as ourself, love God with all that we are. Again, justice is loving. Primary justice is loving your neighbor as yourself. It's the primary expression of justice. It's the foremost commandment. It's the great commandment, great commandment. And what does Proverbs say about primary justice? Here's just a verse you can write down or turn there. I'm going to read it so fast it's probably not worth turning. Proverbs 10-12 says this, hatred, not love, but hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all transgression. What a wonderful principle. Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all transgressions. You know the Apostle Peter knew this verse because he states it in another way in 1 Peter 4.8. Remember he says this? I'll lead you. You fill in the blank. Love covers a multitude of sins. A multitude of sins. And that is the idea that primary justice is not about legalism. It's about grace. It covers a multitude of sins. It understands in compassion, and mercy, and self-honesty, that people have problems, people have issues, people struggle with sin, people make mistakes, people fall into all kinds of things, and what do we call, we're to love our neighbor as ourself. Is that qualified? It's not, is it? What if your neighbor is sinful? What if your neighbor is on the other side of the political spectrum is you. What if your neighbor's a different race? It's unqualified, it's unconditional. Love covers a multitude of sins. We're to love unconditionally, universally. Isn't that the love of Jesus? Isn't that the love of God? Isn't that the character of gospel love? And I've said this before, it's not legalism. God didn't give us a hammer. Because when you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail. God didn't give us a hammer. What did he give us? Take up your cross. Unconditional love. Secondly, everybody got the idea of primary justice? Love your neighbor as yourself. Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. The second is rectifying justice. And what is rectifying justice? Well, it begins with the ability to weigh something fairly. Did someone do wrong, and has someone been wrong? And by the way, that sounds easy to say, it's not always easy to know. Everybody understand that? Everybody lived long enough in this life that it's sometimes very hard to tell if somebody's innocent and somebody's not? Amen? I mean, just know that. I mean, if you're a parent and you raise more than one kid, and they did like this at each other, Right? Who and what? And it's not always easy, but that's where it begins. Throughout the world, literally throughout the entire world, and I mean from the US to Bangladesh, from Italy to Nigeria, from Germany to Iran, from Australia to Brazil, you will find in almost every culture in the world some replication of Lady Justice. It's not an American thing. In fact, Lady Justice is a woman, you've seen her. She's modeled after the Greek goddess Justia. And what does she characterize as? Anybody picture her in your mind? What does she look like? What does she always look like? What about her? Scales? Blindfolded. And that idea, blindfolded and scales, didn't begin with the goddess Justia, it began with God. Think this is Proverbs, this is Solomon. Proverbs 11 verse one says, a false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is his delight. Or again, Proverbs 16, 11, a just balance and scales belong to the Lord. All the weights of the bag are his concerns. He cares about those scales. And rectifying justice seeks justice by either rectification or restoration for something wrong or someone wrong. And throughout the scriptures, we find repeatedly these sort of issues about real life incidents, right? Repeatedly, for instance, in not only historical narratives, In parables, in real life situations that approach Jesus, you find issues like laborers whose wages were unjustly withheld. You find issues like, how about this one, someone being falsely accused. Widows being taken advantage of, orphans being neglected. Issues like the settling of a debt. How about this, someone's name or reputation being wrongly damaged. or even simple crimes like robbery, that's an injustice. Adultery, that's an injustice. It just goes on and on and on and on. And God is concerned about this because sometimes innocent people are victims of injustice. Can you think of any time in your life when you were falsely accused? I can, I'll give you an old one. I don't know, maybe third grade or so. Strict teacher, had to be in your seat before the bell rung. Or you were tardy and going to the principal. Teacher's looking us up on our desk. Here comes the guy after the bell rings. He comes sliding and slamming into his desk right behind me, big commotion. And she looks up and goes, Jacobs, you're in trouble. And I said, I didn't do it. She was sure it was me because of the location of the noise. I got sent to the principal. And to this very day, I think to myself, Why didn't you say something? Why didn't anybody say something? So just, you know, there's a third grade example of injustice. And I got a letter, went home, my mom, she read it, I said it wasn't me, and she said it was you. It was definitely you, you know how it goes. And you know, whatever happened. So sometimes there's injustice. And think about this. In fact, in ancient Israel, for the sake of rectifying justice, you know what God instituted? It's an amazing thing. What did he institute? Once every 50 years. The year of Jubilee. In which, guess what? What happened? Everything went back to the original party. Why would God do that? Because in some cases, People lost what they had and everything else because of injustice. God leans on the side of the innocent more than he does, in some sense, the guilty. God's grace, you know, people who were indentured for servitude or land forfeited for various reasons. The year of Jubilee, among other things, sought to rectify and restore what was possibly unfairly taken. Again, it's really hard for me to parse this all out because it's everywhere. Because God is so just, God is extraordinarily concerned about rectifying justice. And even the principle of rectifying justice can even apply to God himself. The whole issue of tithing is really about rectifying justice. Giving God what belongs, To who? To God. Does God need it? No. But God establishes. Why? Because it is acknowledgement of the source. Malachi 3.8, isn't this something, will a man rob God? Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing me, God says. You say, how have we robbed you? In tithes and offerings. you are cursed with a curse you for you are robbing me the whole nation of you robbing bring the whole tithe into the storehouse so that there may be maybe food in my house and test me says the Lord if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and devour and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows then I will rebuke the devour for you so that it will not destroy the fruit of the fruits of the ground Nor will your wine in the field cast grapes, says the Lord of hosts. All the nations will call you blessed, for you shall be a delightful land, says the Lord of hosts. God says, listen, it's not that I need you. In fact, I can give more than you can give me. I can give you exceedingly greater than you can give me. The principle is, are you honor me? Are you giving my due to me? And it's a rectifying, you know. And God says, listen, if you'll do that, I will rebuke the devourer. And in this case, it's really a reference to locusts, I think, because it talks about grapes and fields and grasslands. But you know, the devourer is real financially. Talks about not tithing and discovering holes in your pockets. You ever been there? I can remember this is a true illustration, and this is not the preacher asking for money, I promise you. I promise you, our church is blessed. But it is a principle of Christian life. I can remember back when I was in the Air Force, you know, and I think back in those days, I made like $600 a month, let's say $630 a month, 10%, $63 a month, when you're only making 630, 63 is a big chunk. And I remember one month, I just didn't give, we just didn't give, we were kind of just learning Christianity. I didn't give my $63. You know what happened that month? My alternator went on my car, out on it. I took it into the thing, and he says, I'm going to have to replace it. How much is it going to cost? You want to guess? It was exactly $63, and I know it was exactly $63 because I knew exactly what God was saying to me. That was the point. God didn't need my $63. God wanted me to know that $63 belonged to him. And if you're not going to give it to me, I'll send the devourer. And there are a lot of people, Christians that profess to be Christians, that really don't believe this principle to be true. But it really, back to the point, it's all about rectifying justice, making sure what belongs to somebody gets to somebody, and they're not wrong. And that principle even applies to God. Final. First one's called primary justice. What is the summation of primary justice? What is it? Loving your neighbor, as yourself and God with all your heart, soul. Next one, rectifying, making sure when people are wrong that there's rectification, restoration. God cares about that deeply. The final one is what's called retributive justice. And retributive justice at one level or another is punishment, just is. And scriptures teach that retributive justice belongs ultimately to God alone. And throughout history, the history of the entire human strain, God has exercised retributive justice. You can look at Adam and Eve, the incursion of death, dismissal from the garden, the flood of Noah, the Babylonian exile, the first generation of wilderness water. All the way in the New Testament, you can look at Ananias and Sapphira, you see retributive justice. God has and will continue to exercise retributive justice until the ultimate retributive justice, which will take place at the final judgment. Again, in general, in principle, retributive justice belongs solely to God. Deuteronomy 32, 35-36, I'll let you fill in the next two words and I'll read the rest of it. Vengeance is mine. In retribution, in due time, their foot will slip. The day of their calamity is near. The impeding things are hastening upon them, for the Lord will vindicate His people. That's not just an Old Testament, that's New Testament, Romans 12, verse 17-19, never pay back evil for evil. Respect what is right inside of all men if possible, as far as it depends on you. Be at peace with all men, never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for His written vengeance is mine, I will repay it, says the Lord. But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, if he's thirsty, give him to drink, for in so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Again, in principle, retributive justice belongs exclusively to God. However, God has imparted that sole right of his own to human institutions, hasn't he? To government. Romans 16 talks about the right of the sword. Government has been empowered with retributive justice. the right of the sword. Believe it or not, God is also, in a spiritual sense, giving the church retributive justice. One of the scariest, hardest things that you do in ministry as a leader is you exercise what we call church discipline, which at some point, if the discipline doesn't take place, it really becomes punitive. And interestingly, if you think about it, and I just sit back and think about it, if you were to look at the whole of scripture, you will find examples of each of these. That God, one, that God will punish to disciple, to discipline that individual. Many examples, David. Two, God will punish a nation, not just an individual, a nation. God will also punish, number three, and discipline those who are witnesses to the punishment, not for the individual who's subject to retributive justice, but to those who watch it and see it and fear. And so the individual doesn't benefit, but those who onlook do. There's also times when God will discipline in the immediate for the benefit of a future generation. It wasn't that the case in the first and second generation wanderings of the wilderness. No one entered in order that the next generation would benefit. And then sometimes God will punish retributive justice simply to vindicate himself. It's his royal prerogative to do nothing more than to uphold his own righteousness. And you will find those throughout the scriptures. And again, you and I are living in this world, we all live if we're believers and believe the scriptures awaiting the final judgment. And I have a real simple eschatology that I say it over and over. I believe it's real simple. The next thing that's gonna happen is Jesus Christ returns. I'm not looking for seven years. I'm not looking for a rapture. I'm not looking for the temple to be rebuilt. I'm not looking for any of that. I don't see any of that in scripture. Jesus Christ returns and he says, Paul says, and then the end comes. And with the return of Christ, two events, the resurrection of the dead and the final judgment. The final judgment is serious because you find really there is a distinction in the classifications of the judgment. You have the goats, but still there is a sense in which all will give an account. All will give an account. And so there is a sense in which whether it is from biblical accounts in scripture or actual events in our lives that we witness God's judgment, that we are being warned, aren't we? About ultimate judgment. I believe this categorically to be true. I believe that Romans 1.18 is not only categorically but universally and sustainably today true. And that is this, Romans 1.18, ready? That the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness, all unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth and unrighteousness. That is to say, that's not just an ancient thing. That's not a future thing, that that's taking place right now today. Today, the wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all unrighteousness. And I believe personally that things like cancer, death, natural disasters, economic collapses, wars, you name it, can be, and maybe often are, not always, but often are, can be and often are the wrath of God, the retributive justice of God being revealed from heaven against ungodliness and unrighteousness. I do, and of course, you're talking about something unpopular to say, I don't care, I'll say it. And so when I see a disaster take place in some part of the world, some part of our nation that has been historically godless and evil and all that stuff, I go, I don't know, I'm not God, I don't know, but sure could be. Have I personally experienced this? And I say this with fear and trembling, but I have had in my ministry experience people who shook their face, shook their fist in the face of God, only to watch them be struck. That's the truth, as God is my witness. What's going on there? I'm not God, I can't ultimately know. But I believe that principle Romans 1.18 to be true. I even think of Jesus weeping over Jerusalem knowing that the retributive justice of God was about to fall on that nation. Jesus weeping knowing what was going to come. A nation who had rebelled against God who had rejected the Son and the Son weeping over this nation knowing that God was going to use a pagan empire, Rome, as the instrument of his retributive justice in a cataclysm of bloodshed and disaster and so forth. And again, as witnesses of these things, again, whether we see it in scripture, or we experience it in real time, I think the one thing is that we need to know that retributive justice is real, and that it is a warning, and that when we see it, it's also a demonstration of God's grace. How so? Because every demonstration of God's retributive justice is ultimately a glimpse into that eschatological event. We are given a foretaste of what will come when there'll be no chances for repentance, any of that. And in Proverbs, there is again this record between a father and son, and as such, even in the relationship between father and son, we're given this picture of punishment, corrective punishment, grace, all of that. How so? What do you find in Proverbs? When you're raising kids, what is the principle that appears over and over in Proverbs? You know what it is? Discipline your children. Teach them through a paternal form of retributive justice to learn right and wrong. Proverbs 6.23, for the commandment is a lamp, the teaching is a light, and reproofs for discipline are a way of life. If children don't learn from mom and dad about consequences for wrong, where will they learn it? In a penitentiary? God, scripture tells us, because he loves us, disciplines his children. We all, and if you can't identify it, you probably should take time, have been disciplined by God. God disciplines us, his children, and therefore God has woven into the very fundamental human experience for every human being the idea that we are born into and under discipline from our human father's parents, patras. Parents, fathers are to teach their children about God, about his authority, about justice, about discipline by disciplining children. Familiar verses, Proverbs 13, 24, he who withholds his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him diligently. These are not popular concepts right now. I'm even sort of like, 10 years ago, I wouldn't have thought twice about this. That's how far our culture has moved. Proverbs 22, 15, foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will remove it far from him. Proverbs 23, 13, 14. Do not hold back discipline from your child, although you strike him with a rod. He will not die. I can bear witness to that. You shall strike him with a rod and rescue his soul from Sheol. Just think, from a child misbehaving and being disciplined, the takeaway is you're going to save him from eternity in Sheol. I can remember standing in a grocery store, Walmart or something, with something I'm buying behind a mother with a child, about a four-year-old in it, and she's trying to get the stuff on the conveyor belt, and the kid's just grabbing the candy and throwing it in, and she's saying, stop, and putting it back, and he's doing, it's just like, and this went on and on, and in fact, the whole process of me getting next wasn't taking place because of this kid. And I said to this lady, listen, you don't know me, I'll take care of this. I can take care of this real quick. Did you know that the word discipleship and the word discipline come from the same root? The Latin root refers to the idea of being a pupil or a student. To disciple someone is to learn, to discipline is to correct. A pupil or a student must learn, that's discipleship, but also be corrected, that's discipline. The two are inseparable. The two are inseparable. God disciples us and also disciplines us. The church is to disciple, but it also at times has to discipline. That's true in the home, it's true in government and all of that. And it's amazing to me, if you're in my circle around American evangelicalism, do you know how much interest is being paid to the idea of discipleship? It's everywhere. One-on-one discipleship, group discipleship, discipleship books, you know how much attention is being paid to discipline? Zero. When's the last time you saw a good book written by somebody on discipline? Just doesn't happen.