YAG II: Book of Deuteronomy – Clement Hong
A Correct Biblical Understanding of God and His Judgements
YAG has always been a non-negotiable for me as we get the opportunity to study doctrines at a much deeper level as the Scriptures are opened to us.
In early 2023, we were studying Deuteronomy 32 and the doctrine of God’s judgement. It has really helped me in two ways: understanding God’s judgement correctly and applying it to life’s situations.
It has been a very eye-opening and exciting journey because I think for many of us while this is not new, we do not have a deep understanding of it. In the world today, non-Christians misunderstand the Lord with regard to His judgement. God is misunderstood as One who is harsh and unrelenting, and many Christians are not able to give an answer to help them understand God.
People Misunderstand God
About 2 months ago, Diane and I were having a discussion at home about a conversation that she had with a doctor friend of hers. They spoke about having faith in God and he raised many questions.
Among many things, he shared about how salvation was earned by works, and how people can mitigate or reduce the judgement of God. God is seen as Someone who is far away and whose judgement is to be feared always. Although I knew in my heart that the Lord was always near, I was quite frankly stumped on how I would come up with a good answer.
A Correct Biblical Understanding
It was at YAG II and the lessons learnt from Deuteronomy 32 that the correct way to understand God and His judgement is to have a correct perspective of His Person.
We saw that when God judges, it is always done in righteousness and justice. For the nation of Israel, He did so to address their sins and help them to return to Him for their good. Even in judgement, we read in Psalm 78:38–39 that He exercised compassion and did not utterly destroy them. He turned away His anger many times and did not stir up all His wrath.
God had to help them see His Person in the midst of judgement, as One who is a loving Father, fair and just. It really changed my perspective on God’s judgement. If someone were to ask me the same questions today, I would encourage them not to focus solely on judgement but to know the Person of God.
Personal Application
Through the lessons, we were also encouraged to respond in faith to let the Lord be Judge when challenges arise in life.
A month ago, I was involved in a situation in which a miscommunication led to a misunderstanding between someone and me. Although the miscommunication did not come from me, I was caught in a quandary and blamed for the misunderstanding.
In the past, I would have responded with an angry and vengeful spirit. The lesson we were learning, however, helped me to understand that God is a God who sees, and to learn to respond appropriately as it reads, “Repay no one evil for evil” (Romans 12:17) and to let the Lord be the Judge of all things (Romans 12:19).
Our Challenge
As we move into the second half of the year, I am challenged to focus on the Lord and to depend on Him for all situations in life. I am looking forward to discovering more deep truths about God.
May we also be encouraged to know the Scriptures much better, and as Moses challenged the nation of Israel to set our hearts on His Word and carefully observe all that is in it for our good.