Evening yall! I was doing a study in Judges this morning and had some thoughts. I don’t feel good so not going to do any fancy editing. Here ya go.
Bro God is literally SO GOOD. I’m reading in Judges 2 right now and verses 18-19 and God has been bringing destruction on Israel. And before you say “See? See? He’s a cruel and unjust God who punishes people for being imperfect!!” you must look at context. The Israelites had sworn their allegiance to God. He told them exactly what would happen if they followed his good ways, and exactly what would happen if they didn’t, and they chose to make that very serious covenant with him. So God isn’t being cruel. He’s fulfilling exactly what he said would happen if they broke the covenant. But listen to verses 18-19. “Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for them, (judge really just means leader here) he was with the judge and saved them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the Lord relented because of their groaning under those who oppressed and afflicted them. But when the judge died, the people return to Waze even more corrupt than those of their ancestors, following other gods and serving and worshiping them. They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways.” God, despite knowing all things and knowing the Israelites would turn around and do even WORSE things if he spared them, he still did. Even during the harshest circumstances God remained true. Even in the immense depths of the consequences they had brought upon themselves, God still showed up. They chose to make that covenant and then turn their backs on it. But God remained faithful to save them even then. That’s the God I serve. The same God who saved the Israelites from the full consequences of their sins saved me from mine through the shedding of his own blood on the cross. I don’t choose God because he gives me good things or wear a cross because it looks cute. I choose God because he chose me first, and I wear a cross as a symbol of the one I belong to. Because of him, I am made new and sin no longer has a hold on me. I’m not perfect. But I serve a God who is. And how could I not love the one who gave his own life in exchange for mine? What an extraordinary waste of joy that would be.
