Foreknowledge of God's Mercy

“And yet for all that, when they be in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break my covenant with them: for I [am] the LORD their God.” (Le 26:44 AV)

So much for covenant theology.  But I digress.  The promise to Israel here is comforting.  Not just for them, but for anyone who has a relationship with the Father.  God may have to correct, but He will not utterly cast off.  God may have to chasten, but He will not destroy.  Why would He?  To what end?  If we are adopted into the family of God, what would motivate a loving God to cease His filial relationship with His children?  Nothing!  As Paul said, “Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Ro 8:39 AV) The verse above is a comfort that no matter how much we mess up, the love of God remains constant.  He will never leave nor forsake.  He will not destroy what cost Him His Son to attain.  We are secure because God is a God of mercy.

I know I have mentioned this before, but in my life, these events are very profound.  As a pastor, I have helped many families with wayward children.  Some cases were very extreme.  There was teen pregnancy, drug use, crime, and worse.  What amazed me was watching parents as they loved their children in spite of what they had done.  Substance abuse is perhaps the hardest of sins to deal with.  Substance abuse involves far more than using.  It involves deception, victimization of those closest to you, and breaking serious laws.  It becomes a pattern.  Mom and Dad bail them out, clean them up, and put them on the right path only to see them fall right back into it.  This happens over years.  Soon, those closest to the user become resentful.  It is my experience that at least one parent never loses hope and will always love.  Sometimes both.  But always at least one.  It is a beautiful sight to see.

God is no less loving.  What a comfort it was for the LORD to tell Israel prior to their failure that He would always love them!  They didn’t have to wonder in the midst of their troubles.  They knew beforehand that God would be merciful.  This had to make their captivity a bit easier to endure.  Praise the LORD that we know of His lovingkindness and mercy before He has to exercise His judgment.  Praise the LORD, our Father, who is kind and understanding.  Praise the LORD that we know that before our lives are thrown into chaos.  Praise the LORD that we can see the end from the beginning!  Praise God for who and what He is.