In my previous note I pointed out that God is not a big teddy
bear. He is not always sweet and nice and soft and kind. Yet at the
same time, there is a side of Him that is genuinely soft. I mentioned a
couple of the instances where God punished Israel. The fact is, Israel
was constantly rebelling against God. This is where God's incredible
forgiveness shines. In Joshua God gives the Israelites repeated
victories so they could possess the promised land. In Judges we read
how the Israelites fell into sin several times. Each time God punished
them, and each time God saved them from their plight. Even though
Israel was not supposed to have a king, because Yahweh was their king,
they asked for a king. God gave it to them. God even gave Israel a
couple good kings in David and Solomon. When Israel rebelled against
God, He sent prophets to warn them. His love and forgiveness is so
evident in how He dealt with Israel; how Israel sinned again and again,
and God still kept His promise to bless them. And we see His love
extend outside of Israel in OT times. He sent the prophet Jonah to the
Ninevites. This is what He said to Jonah:
And
should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than
120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and
also much cattle? Jonah 4:11
God loves people
and has much compassion for people. To truly realize it we must first
understand how much that sin has made a chasm between God and man. Men
are not supposed to sin. We were not made to sin, and if it weren't for
Adam's sin, sin would not be natural for us. I can imagine how hard it
is to show love and kindness to a sinful creature made out of dirt. I
honestly do not think we deserve to be loved. But God has loved us. He
proved it when He suffered and died on the cross. This was His way of
mending a broken relationship. It was an act that covered our sins and
gave us a way back into communion with God. Jesus said that there is no
greater love than for a man to lay down his life for his friends, and
that's exactly what Jesus did.
Come to me, all who
labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon
you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you
will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is
light. -Jesus in Matthew 11:28-30
God gives
grace to the humble. He comforts those who mourn. He gives strength to
the weak. In Genesis 21, when Hagar and her son were cast out into the
desert and the boy was about to die, God sent an angel to comfort her
and a well to save them. When Hannah could not have a child, but she
wanted one desperately, and she prayed to God with tears, God answered
her prayer. She bore Samuel, and gave him to serve the Lord, and she
had three other sons and two daughters. God chose David, the youngest
and least impressive of Jesse's sons, to be the greatest king Israel
ever had. And when Jesus was traveling through Samaria, He revealed an
amazing truth to a Samaritan woman. A Jew would not normally talk to a
Samaritan woman, and this woman had five previous husbands while living
with a man that wasn't her husband. Despite her being in the lowest
place in society, Jesus shared great things with her. Jesus chose men
to be His disciples who were just common fishermen. Repeatedly God has
shown much grace to people in the hardest situations.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. Psalm 51:17
God
is a giver. He doesn't withhold good things from His people. Its one
the secrets that we Christians have discovered. Its something that goes
largely unnoticed. But if you seek God, and you seek the most
wonderful gifts that He gives, He will give you them. I'm talking about
spiritual gifts. God gives His people wisdom, courage, fortitude,
patience, inner peace, love and grace. He provides His people with the
skills they need to accomplish His will on earth. And the storehouse of
His gifts is infinitely large. We come to Him as broken people,
bleeding people, sometimes just wanting to touch the end of His garment,
and we find healing. He says, "go in peace," and throughout our lives
He gives us even more. That's the grace of God. Yes, it involves
forgiveness, but people mistakenly think that forgiveness is the end of
grace. No, grace is way more than forgiveness. Its the gift of the
Holy Spirit. Its the abundant blessings that God bestows on His people,
and the hope of eternal life. A God who gives earthly creatures the
chance at eternal paradise is, in my estimation, a most loving and
gracious God.
Ask, and it will be given to you;
seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For
everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one
who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him
for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give
him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts
to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give
good things to whose who ask him! -Jesus in Matthew 7:7-11
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