“If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees their fruit. Your threshing will continue until grape harvest and the grape harvest will continue until planting, and you will eat all the food you want and live in safety in your land. But if you will not listen to me and carry out all these commands… and so violate my covenant, then I will do this to you: I will bring on you sudden terror, wasting diseases and fever that will destroy your sight and sap your strength. You will plant seed in vain, because your enemies will eat it. I will set my face against you so that you will be defeated by your enemies; those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee even when no one is pursuing you.” (v2-5,14-17 abr)
In this blunt chapter, God promises many blessings for upholding His laws, but even greater consequences should His people disobey. This may sound like a threat at first, but really it’s a bargain, contract, covenant. God made an agreement with the people, and both parties have obligations under this covenant.
What really jumped out at me is verse 44: “Yet in spite of this, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them or abhor them so as to destroy them completely, breaking my covenant with them. I am the Lord their God.”
When we break our covenant with God (which we will do, and have done, over and over), God does not break His covenant with us. In fact, He promises to deliver us when we humble our hearts: “But if they will confess their sins and the sins of their ancestors… and they pay for their sin, I will remember my covenant with Jacob and my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land.” (v40-42)
We have the benefit of reading the Bible to know this is true – God delivers and forgives His people over and over, though we will still suffer the consequences of our sin. Sin always has a price, and Jesus paid the death penalty, though there are still consequential prices to be paid.
I’m not sure where you’re at today – I just had a really off-day – but God is faithful and full of grace and mercy. ” ‘Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,’ says the Lord, who has compassion on you.” (Isa 54:10) He will have compassion and His unfailing love will be ours when we humble our hearts and return to our Father.
Father God, You know our hearts. You know that we long to be with You, though we are weak. It’s so easy to turn and go our own way. Father, please forgive us. We praise You for Your grace and mercy, for even though we deserve death, Jesus took our place on the cross. Father please cleanse us, pick us up, and bring us back to You. You leave the 99 to come find us, for You are the Good Shepherd. All glory, honor and praise be to You, our Savior and Redeemer. In the power of Jesus name we pray, amen.
~ Conqueror in Training