Last week I mentioned that God’s discipline of Israel was not meant for their full destruction. It was meant to bring them back to obedience. The theme of this chapter is God’s fatherly love and man’s willful disobedience. We see the heart of God as we read this chapter, but we also see the lengths that humanity will go to, to be defiant. The example we see is the lesson of Israel. God had protected them, prospered them, and loved them like a good father loves his children. Israel should have recognized this and lived in loving obedience. However, the more God loved them, the quicker they ran away. Like a willfully defiant child, Israel ran after idols as fast as they could.
We need to understand that we suffer from the same disease that Israel did. We are a prosperous people. Our prosperity brings us comfort and ease, and it is much easier to forget God’s goodness when we are comfortable. Look at what the book of Deuteronomy says:D
“Take care lest you forget the LORD your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today, (12) lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, (13) and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, (14) then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery,
Deuteronomy 8:11-14 ESV
While God’s patience is long it is exhaustible
God knows that our hearts are fickle. He knows that we forget and run after things that we want instead of relying on His own goodness. We need to be careful not to lose focus on what God has done for us in Jesus. Think about what He has done: He sent His son to pay for our sins in His death on the cross. It took the blood of the only perfect Son of God to secure our salvation. Infinite goodness and love was falsely accused, endured false trials, and was then hung on a Roman cross. All of that after living a perfect life. BUT, our God’s love is not easily cast off. He pursues His people and draws them to repentance. There is, however, a point of no return for humanity. While God’s patience is long, it is exhaustible. We will be held accountable for our defiance. The bible teaches us that we are to remember that this life is not eternal and we don’t know when Christ is going to return. There has to be a compulsion in believers when it comes to holiness, and evangelism.
Pastor Jonathan Welch
