“(For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.” (De 4:31 AV)
This statement is not an uncommon one. Repeatedly, the LORD reassures Israel He did not bring them out of Egypt to destroy them. He did not bring them out of the land of bondage to see them waste away into nothing. He made a covenant with their forefathers which He intends to keep. No matter their experience, they cannot forget the LORD is not out to get them or out to see them completely eradicated from the earth. God brought them out of Egypt to redeem them and make them a great nation. Even greater than the very nation that once enslaved them. There were times when they doubted such a statement. In fact, more times than one would think. This is exactly why the LORD had to reassure them. From three days after the Red Sea crossing until the first generation died off, this was a constant struggle with them. They continuously had the idea God brought them into the wilderness to dispose of them. Of the rebellious generation, this would be true. The generation that had to do much evidence yet could not trust the LORD, God waited for that generation to naturally pass away. He did not destroy them. He simply allowed them to live out their natural lives but they did not receive the promises. Of the nation as a whole, the LORD did not destroy them. He had no intention of doing so.
We can feel the same way. When it seems as though nothing is going right, we can think that we have crossed a line with God and He is setting His face against us so that we might be removed from the face of the earth. I have helped several people who simply think they are unlovable. They have claimed Jesus as their Savior, but somehow, cannot see God’s love extend beyond forgiveness of sin. They live in a prison of their own making thinking God created them for the express purpose of destroying them. This self-loathing leads to very self-destructive behavior. In one case, it led to several suicide attempts. There is usually a root cause behind this feeling. And we see it with Israel. Abuse has a way of making someone feel as though they are and always will be unlovable. In the case just mentioned, the individual was abused as a child and as an adult. This person was abused physically. There was no affirmation from parents, employers, or friends. This person saw their existence as a mistake and not even God could love this person. Israel had come out of an abusive situation. They were enslaved for 400 years. Their captors abused them even to the point of death. For ten generations they were pounded into the ground as worthless and expendable property. This took a toll on their self-image. No wonder they thought God was out to destroy them.
The problem is, they had to overcome this. Faith is the key. The reason God got upset with them is they would not give God the benefit of the doubt and defined the present from the past. They allowed their abuse to transfer unto God and no matter what God did for them, they would not trust Him to love them and care for them. This is the sin of which God was so upset. I would be, too. I experienced this in the past. Pastoring a church that had suffered abuse by former pastors, there was no way I was ever going to gain their trust no matter how hard I tried. You love them. But you cannot lead them. God was put in this same circumstance. The abuse was simply too severe for them to overcome and trust God. God is not our abuser. He is not that person or persons who mistreated us and made us feel like less than nothing. He loved us enough to send His son to die for us and continues to love us unconditionally. Accept it. As hard as that is, one must trust a loving God.
No comments:
Post a Comment