It is difficult for us to imagine, but have you ever thought what this world would be like if God had totally removed Himself from it? What if when every thought of man was on evil continually, He had decided to not send the flood? Or what if He had not dealt with Sodom and Gomorrah? Suppose He had not descended to Mt. Sinai nor ever given any other messages through those Old Testament prophets? What if Jesus had not come? What do you suppose our world would be like?
We should be so thankful knowing that when God gave man the freedom to choose to do wrong that He did not remove Himself. Our loving God repeatedly tried to call mankind back to Himself. Tragically, the world ignored the preaching of Noah (2 Pet. 2:5) and then all the other attempts God made to reach the lost. Zechariah’s words remind us how all the prophets were received. “They refused to heed, shrugged their shoulders, and stopped their ears so that they could not hear. Yes, they made their hearts like flint refusing to hear the law and the words which the Lord of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets. Thus great wrath came from the Lord of hosts” (Zech. 7:11-12).
The history of God and the Jewish nation is so tragic, but what if God had not sent a single prophet into that world? God was trying to call that nation to walk in the paths of righteousness, but almost all of His messengers were ignored. What if God had just quit dealing with His chosen people?
So what about the Gentiles? In Romans chapter one, Paul described how the Gentiles at one time knew God (v. 21). They turned away from God to serve idols. How did God respond? “Therefore God gave them up to uncleanness in the lust of their hearts” (v. 24). They despised the ways of righteousness and turned to sexual perversion. God’s response? “God gave them up to vile passion” (v. 27). Read the next several verses. When they gave up on God, God gave up on them!
What about the Jews who were there when Jesus lived among them? Jesus described them so vividly. “This people draws near to me with their mouths, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me” (Matt. 15:8). The “godly” nation was Godless!
In spite of all that God did, before Jesus died on the cross, the world was in a wretched state. Now, just suppose that God had never done one thing to impact righteousness. There are not words to describe such a world.
Next week, we will look at your place in God’s plan to change the world. We must never forget that God’s plan to change the world includes us!