This chapter has an interesting layout:
– it begins with a description of the Lord’s vengeance
– then we get a description of His benevolent mercy for His people
– we find out that His people are and receive the Lord’s vengeance
– then we hear a plea for the Lord to have mercy on His people
” ‘I trampled down the peoples in my anger; I made them drunk in my wrath, and I poured out their lifeblood on the earth’… I will recount the steadfast love of the Lord, the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord has granted us, and the great goodness to the house of Israel that he has granted them according to his compassion, according to the abundance of his steadfast love… But they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit; therefore he turned to be their enemy, and himself fought against them… O Lord, why do you make us wander from your ways and harden our heart, so that we fear you not? Return for the sake of your servants, the tribes of your heritage.” (v6-7, 10, 17)
This vengeance / mercy / vengeance / mercy cyclical pattern is throughout the entire OT. Thankfully, the New Covenant through Jesus gives us access to a slightly different cycle – forgiveness / mercy / forgiveness / mercy.
That’s not to say we don’t still have consequences for our sin (because we do). Because of the New Covenant God now looks at His people through the lens of Jesus, and first sees Jesus’ righteousness, rather than seeing our sin first.
Despite the fact God now looks at us through Jesus, we still need to repent of any sin and ask for forgiveness. We also need to be careful about taking God’s forgiveness / mercy for granted – it is not something to which we are now entitled, it is still an undeserved gift from God. The deserved outcome of our sin are still spiritual death and God’s vengeance, yet those ultimate consequences are withheld from those who follow Jesus as their Savior and King.
Father God, our Merciful and Gracious Lord, Your steadfast love and compassion are beyond description. Thank you for giving us simple access to forgiveness through Jesus’ sacrifice, and thank you for sending Your Holy Spirit to guide us. May we not take You or Your mercy for granted, and embrace the guidance You give so generously. May we repent frequently / quickly, and sin less often. May we honor You in all that we say and do, seeking Your discernment for our daily paths. In the name of Jesus our Lord and Savior we praise You, amen.
~ Conqueror in Training