How much mercy am I allowed?
When, in my need for correction, does Jesus finally say, “Enough is enough”?
“I’ve given him enough mercy, I believe its time to start being rougher on him until he comes around. Obviously, mercy isn’t working for him. Father, we need to come to a consensus in David’s case. Don’t You agree We should start punishing him more by ignoring him more, like he does to Us? Don’t You think We should start withdrawing our Spirit from him?”
Is this a true scenario? No, of course not. But it feels like it sometimes. Then, if we are seeking a relationship with Jesus, why do we feel distant from Him at times? Maybe He does turn His back on us? “Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear Him.” (Ps. 103:13). If we fear Him enough to remember Him, and heed His warnings and His invitation to come to Him, then His word is that He pities us. To them it is written, as if carved in stone, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” (Heb. 13: 5). An often quoted promise by God and by His people.
“Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, He it is that doth go with thee; He will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” (Deut. 31:6,8,16).
“There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” (Josh. 1:5). “May the Lord our God be with us as He was with our fathers; may He never leave us nor forsake us.” (1Kings 8:57).
“When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the Lord will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them.” (Is. 41:17).
“I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.” (Is. 42:16).
But we do see a separation happen between the ancient people and their God that parallels our own experience today?
“The children of Israel cried unto the Lord, saying, We have sinned against thee, both because we have forsaken our God, and also served Baalim.” (Jud. 10:10).
“According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken Me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee.” (1Sam. 8:8).
“They have forsaken Me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in My ways, to do that which is right in Mine eyes, and to keep My statutes and My judgments, as did David his father.” (1Kings 11:33).
“Your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear.” (Is. 59:2). But what we see is not Jesus separating Himself from people; we see them separating from Him. They leave the covenant relationship with Him in search for something more satisfying. They insult Him and then break His heart. They stand Him up. He waits a long time in the hope that they will show up. But after a while, He sadly walks away. He isn’t going to stand on the corner forever. That is when He leaves the covenant relationship.
He never leaves us because of our weaknesses to sin. “Jesus... did not censure human weakness.... He wept over Jerusalem, the city He loved, which refused to receive Him, the way, the truth, and the life. They had rejected Him, the Saviour, but He regarded them with pitying tenderness.” Steps to Christ, p. 12.
He stays with those who humbly need Him, in spite of their gross sinfulness. He only leaves and forsakes when pride and self-sufficiency divide the relationship, because pride and self-sufficiency need no relationship. This is why David warns, “Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and ye perish from the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him.” (Ps. 2:12).
It’s when pride comes in and we walk farther and farther away in darkness that He finally abandons the relationship. But isn’t that reasonable? We would do the same with someone we dearly love, who has spurned us and denied all the good times we had together ever happened. No matter what we try, that person refuses to respond. That is when we must resort to desperate measures and we cut them off, but only in the hopes that they are shocked back into reality and into a need of the old friendship.
“The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish. The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.” (Isa. 24:4,5).
“But if ye will not hearken unto Me, and will not do all these commandments; and if ye shall despise My statutes, or if your soul abhor My judgments, so that ye will not do all My commandments, but that ye break My covenant: I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning [fever], that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for you enemies shall eat it. And I will set My face against you....” (Lev. 26:14-17).
Thus, with the loss of Christ’s favor also goes His protection and His blessings. The context of the above text from Isaiah 24 parallels the fall of the papacy when Protestant America came up in 1798. Thus, it spoke about the end of Israel, and also speaks about the end of humanity at Christ’s second coming, after the resurrection of a papacy, furious and fully determined to intoxicate, and to dominate the world again. Then the whole world will have broken the everlasting covenant. Yet, in the midst of all this, one last time He preaches the everlasting gospel “in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” (Matt. 24:14).
All this discipline comes from a God of love, who is only looking and hoping for the day when proud people are humbled and empty of real love, and then carefully seek Him again. But, as so often has happened, the spell of self-indulgence can become so entrancing that many never come out of it. That is when God cuts them off. But, until that day He feverishly seeks every way into their heart. If, for a moment, they feel the pinch of the consequences that He gives from their sin, and they yearn for help from above, He is instantly present to their soul to make them an offer.
Even if He does have to leave, His promise is, “For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee.” (Isa. 54:7).
“Then the angel of the LORD answered and said, O LORD of hosts, how long will Thou not have mercy on [forlorn brother or sister, substitute your name here], against [whom] Thou hast had indignation these [hours or days or months or years]? And the LORD answered the angel that talked with me with good words and comfortable words. So the angel that communed with me said unto me, Cry thou, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; I am jealous for [substitute your name again] with a great jealousy. And I am very sore displeased with [your troublers] that are at ease: for I was but a little displeased, and they helped forward [your] affliction.” (Ps. 136:1-26).
“For His mercy endureth for ever... His mercy endureth for ever… His mercy endureth for ever… For His mercy endureth for ever... for ever… for ever… for ever… for ever…” (Ps. 136:1-26).
The praise to God stands unchangeable and will never dim its luster, “Thy gentleness,” as a quality of the divine character, “hath made me great.” (Ps. 18:35).
His mercy endures all sin. His gentleness is everlasting. His love never fades. He cares for His erring children. Blessed are all they who put their trust in Him.
“I’ve given him enough mercy, I believe its time to start being rougher on him until he comes around. Obviously, mercy isn’t working for him. Father, we need to come to a consensus in David’s case. Don’t You agree We should start punishing him more by ignoring him more, like he does to Us? Don’t You think We should start withdrawing our Spirit from him?”
Is this a true scenario? No, of course not. But it feels like it sometimes. Then, if we are seeking a relationship with Jesus, why do we feel distant from Him at times? Maybe He does turn His back on us? “Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear Him.” (Ps. 103:13). If we fear Him enough to remember Him, and heed His warnings and His invitation to come to Him, then His word is that He pities us. To them it is written, as if carved in stone, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” (Heb. 13: 5). An often quoted promise by God and by His people.
“Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, He it is that doth go with thee; He will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” (Deut. 31:6,8,16).
“There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” (Josh. 1:5). “May the Lord our God be with us as He was with our fathers; may He never leave us nor forsake us.” (1Kings 8:57).
“When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the Lord will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them.” (Is. 41:17).
“I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.” (Is. 42:16).
But we do see a separation happen between the ancient people and their God that parallels our own experience today?
“The children of Israel cried unto the Lord, saying, We have sinned against thee, both because we have forsaken our God, and also served Baalim.” (Jud. 10:10).
“According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken Me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee.” (1Sam. 8:8).
“They have forsaken Me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in My ways, to do that which is right in Mine eyes, and to keep My statutes and My judgments, as did David his father.” (1Kings 11:33).
“Your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear.” (Is. 59:2). But what we see is not Jesus separating Himself from people; we see them separating from Him. They leave the covenant relationship with Him in search for something more satisfying. They insult Him and then break His heart. They stand Him up. He waits a long time in the hope that they will show up. But after a while, He sadly walks away. He isn’t going to stand on the corner forever. That is when He leaves the covenant relationship.
He never leaves us because of our weaknesses to sin. “Jesus... did not censure human weakness.... He wept over Jerusalem, the city He loved, which refused to receive Him, the way, the truth, and the life. They had rejected Him, the Saviour, but He regarded them with pitying tenderness.” Steps to Christ, p. 12.
He stays with those who humbly need Him, in spite of their gross sinfulness. He only leaves and forsakes when pride and self-sufficiency divide the relationship, because pride and self-sufficiency need no relationship. This is why David warns, “Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and ye perish from the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him.” (Ps. 2:12).
It’s when pride comes in and we walk farther and farther away in darkness that He finally abandons the relationship. But isn’t that reasonable? We would do the same with someone we dearly love, who has spurned us and denied all the good times we had together ever happened. No matter what we try, that person refuses to respond. That is when we must resort to desperate measures and we cut them off, but only in the hopes that they are shocked back into reality and into a need of the old friendship.
“The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish. The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.” (Isa. 24:4,5).
“But if ye will not hearken unto Me, and will not do all these commandments; and if ye shall despise My statutes, or if your soul abhor My judgments, so that ye will not do all My commandments, but that ye break My covenant: I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning [fever], that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for you enemies shall eat it. And I will set My face against you....” (Lev. 26:14-17).
Thus, with the loss of Christ’s favor also goes His protection and His blessings. The context of the above text from Isaiah 24 parallels the fall of the papacy when Protestant America came up in 1798. Thus, it spoke about the end of Israel, and also speaks about the end of humanity at Christ’s second coming, after the resurrection of a papacy, furious and fully determined to intoxicate, and to dominate the world again. Then the whole world will have broken the everlasting covenant. Yet, in the midst of all this, one last time He preaches the everlasting gospel “in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” (Matt. 24:14).
All this discipline comes from a God of love, who is only looking and hoping for the day when proud people are humbled and empty of real love, and then carefully seek Him again. But, as so often has happened, the spell of self-indulgence can become so entrancing that many never come out of it. That is when God cuts them off. But, until that day He feverishly seeks every way into their heart. If, for a moment, they feel the pinch of the consequences that He gives from their sin, and they yearn for help from above, He is instantly present to their soul to make them an offer.
Even if He does have to leave, His promise is, “For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee.” (Isa. 54:7).
“Then the angel of the LORD answered and said, O LORD of hosts, how long will Thou not have mercy on [forlorn brother or sister, substitute your name here], against [whom] Thou hast had indignation these [hours or days or months or years]? And the LORD answered the angel that talked with me with good words and comfortable words. So the angel that communed with me said unto me, Cry thou, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; I am jealous for [substitute your name again] with a great jealousy. And I am very sore displeased with [your troublers] that are at ease: for I was but a little displeased, and they helped forward [your] affliction.” (Ps. 136:1-26).
“For His mercy endureth for ever... His mercy endureth for ever… His mercy endureth for ever… For His mercy endureth for ever... for ever… for ever… for ever… for ever…” (Ps. 136:1-26).
The praise to God stands unchangeable and will never dim its luster, “Thy gentleness,” as a quality of the divine character, “hath made me great.” (Ps. 18:35).
His mercy endures all sin. His gentleness is everlasting. His love never fades. He cares for His erring children. Blessed are all they who put their trust in Him.
posted by David | 6:39 AM
1 Comments:
Hi David - blessed are all who put their trust in Him!
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