Compassion Follows Correction

“And it shall come to pass, that like as I have watched over them, to pluck up, and to break down, and to throw down, and to destroy, and to afflict; so will I watch over them, to build, and to plant, saith the LORD.” (Jer 31:28 AV)

Israel was preparing to enter 70 years of captivity in Babylon.  They had strayed from God for over four hundred years.  They had gone after the gods of their neighbors.  They had neglected the Sabbath.  The LORD was obligated to chasten them.  He would remove His hand of protection so the invading Chaldean army would lay siege to Jerusalem.  The city was taken and everything, including the temple, burned to the ground.  This is to what the LORD is referring when He says Israel is plucked up, broken down, thrown down, and destroyed.  The affliction was the 70 years of captivity.  That is not good news.  What follows, however, is the good news.  As much as the LORD had to bring extreme circumstances to correct Israel, He will equally bless them following their lesson.  What great news!  We may have to endure hardships as the only way we will learn.  God’s grace picks up where His chastening hand ends.  As severe as our lessons might be, the grace that follows is greater still.

Some have grown up with a parent or two who rarely showed compassion following a chastening.  They spanked their children and could not process the anger they felt, separating from their child to the point of discouragement.  They felt justified in their estrangement.  They could not process their personal offense at their child’s transgression.  There was little to no follow-up.  The child goes to his or her room and wanders if things will ever get back to the way they were.  When this happens repeatedly, there is a permanent rift between the parent and child.  What many families are missing is a parent who will chasten and then follow up with kindness and compassion.  Suppose a child is given the chore of cleaning lawn care equipment as part of his punishment.  This can be a disgusting and tedious job. He starts with the easier tools.  He cleans and sharpens the hoe, the rake, and some shovels.  He then moves on to the hedge trimmers.  Not so bad.  But then comes the chainsaw.  He has to take off the guard and clean all the oil and sawdust from the chain guard compartment.  He cleans the rest of the machine.  Then he tunes the chain and puts it all back together.  Lastly is the lawn mower.  This is perhaps the most disgusting of all.  Clippings have been gathering for several months and mold has settled in.  He chips away and then brushes with a wire brush.  Trust me, this can smell!  All the scraping, clippings, old oil, etc has to be disposed of.  As the child is wrapping it all up, the parent comes down to inspect the job.  He or she can react one of two ways.  “Alright, you’re down.  You can go and play now” is usually how this ends.  Or, this parent can say something like, “great job.  I know you didn’t like doing all that work, but your mistake warranted this punishment.  However, I love you so much that I want to take you out for an ice cream cone.”  Maybe it’s not the cone they need.  Maybe all they need is a good hug.  Regardless, showing grace and mercy after chastening is the godly thing to do.

This is what our God does.  He doesn’t leave us in our room to stew over the entire thing.  He shows compassion and mercy.  Israel will eventually be restored to greater glory than they have ever experienced before.  They will be restored to a condition greater than the depth of their infractions.  This is how merciful the LORD is to us.  We deserve so much more than what He brings.  Because of our disobedience, we deserve annihilation.  We deserve to be eradicated from all reality.  In His grace, He corrects and then He blesses.  The verse above is a promise that He will move with compassion and restore those whom He has chastened.  Not just restore, mind you, but restore better than he or she was before.  God is so good to those who call upon His name.  We are His children.  He loves us with unspeakable love.  His love is something we cannot fathom. So why would we consider that after correction, His love and mercy abound?  It does.  Whether it is a big hug and words of affirmation or circumstances of life greater than when we fell, the LORD loves those whom He chastens.  More than we will ever know.